SLOKA OF THE DAY:

Bhagavad Gita As It Is -
Chapter 6 Text 20-23
yatroparamate cittam
niruddham yoga-sevaya
yatra caivatmanatmanam
pasyann atmani tusyati

sukham atyantikam yat tad
buddhi-grahyam atindriyam
vetti yatra na caivayam
sthitas calati tattvatah

yam labdhva caparam labham
manyate nadhikam tatah
yasmin sthito na duhkhena
gurunapi vicalyate

tam vidyad duhkha-samyoga-
viyogam yoga-samjnitam

yatra--in that state of affairs where; uparamate--cease (because one feels transcendental happiness); cittam--mental activities; niruddham--being restrained from matter; yoga-sevaya- -by performance of yoga; yatra--in which; ca--also; eva--certainly; atmana--by the pure mind; atmanam--the self; pasyan--realizing the position of; atmani--in the self; tusyati--one becomes satisfied; sukham--happiness; atyantikam-- supreme; yat--which; tat--that; buddhi--by intelligence; grahyam--accessible ; atindriyam-- transcendental; vetti--one knows; yatra--wherein; na--never; ca--also; eva--certainly; ayam--he; sthitah--situated; calati--moves; tattvatah--from the truth; yam--that which; labdhva--by attainment; ca--also; aparam--any other; labham--gain; manyate--considers; na--never; adhikam--more; tatah--than that; yasmin--in which; sthitah--being situated; na--never; duhkhena--by miseries; guruna api--even though very difficult; vicalyate--becomes shaken; tam--that; vidyat--you must know; duhkha-samyoga- -of the miseries of material contact; viyogam--exterminat ion; yoga-samjnitam- -called trance in yoga.

TRANSLATION

In the stage of perfection called trance, or samadhi, one's mind is completely restrained from material mental activities by practice of yoga. This perfection is characterized by one's ability to see the self by the pure mind and to relish and rejoice in the self. In that joyous state, one is situated in boundless transcendental happiness, realized through transcendental senses. Established thus, one never departs from the truth, and upon gaining this he thinks there is no greater gain. Being situated in such a position, one is never shaken, even in the midst of greatest difficulty. This indeed is actual freedom from all miseries arising from material contact.

JOURNAL:

"In that joyous state ..."! Srila Prabhupada writes in his lengthy purport to these verses; This natural transcendental pleasure is the ultimate goal of yoga and is easily achieved by execution of devotional service, or bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga will be vividly described in the Seventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gita.

The Lord is so kind that, even though I am a long way from the goal, simply by moving in the right direction He responds with a love that can be felt when I quiet my mind through the practice of japa.