Mana Jogī Ho'te Tomāra Bāsanā

O my heart, now you want to be yogī. Now you study the yoga scriptures. Now you vow to practice yama (controlling the senses), niyama (controlling the mind), prāṇāyāma (breath control), āsana (sitting postures),...

Text2

pratyāhāra dhyāna dhṛti samādhite ho'le bratī
phala kibā hoibe bolo nā
deho mana śuṣka kori' rohibe kumbhaka dhori'
brahmātmatā koribe bhābanā

pratyāhāra—withdrawing from the external world; dhyāna—meditation; dhṛti—rapt meditation; samādhite—trance; ho'le—is; bratī—vowed; phala—fruit; kibā—what?; hoibe—will be; bolaḥ—say; nā—not; dehaḥ—body; mana—heart; śuṣka—dry and withered; kori'—doing; rohibe—will keep; kumbhaka—stopping the breathing; dhori'—manifesting; brahma—the Supreme Brahman; ātmatā—the identity; koribe—will be; bhābanā—meditation.

...pratyāhāra (withdrawing from the material world), dhyāna (meditation), dhṛti (rapt meditation), and samādhi (trance). What wonderful benefit will you gain from all this? You cannot say. Making the body and heart dry and withered, and stopping the breath, you will imagine I have become the Supreme Brahman.

Attaining the eighteen mystic perfections, you will forget the true goal of life. You will hanker for more and more mystic powers. Leaving the gross world behind, you will enter the world of subtle matter, but still you will suffer.

The eternal soul already possesses a great wealth. He has nothing to do with matter. He is a servant of Lord Kṛṣṇa. What benefit will yoga bring to the soul? Therefore please take shelter of devotional service. Then you will not have any fears. Then you will taste nectar.

Here is Bhaktivinoda's request: Turning away from all other yogas, please worship Śrī Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.