SB 5.6.15 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

को न्वस्य काष्ठामपरोऽनुगच्छे- न्मनोरथेनाप्यभवस्य योगी । यो योगमाया: स्पृहयत्युदस्ता ह्यसत्तया येन कृतप्रयत्ना: ॥ १५ ॥

Verse text

ko nv asya kāṣṭhām aparo ’nugacchen mano-rathenāpy abhavasya yogī yo yoga-māyāḥ spṛhayaty udastā hy asattayā yena kṛta-prayatnāḥ

Synonyms

kaḥ — who ; nu — indeed ; asya — of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva ; kāṣṭhām — the example ; aparaḥ — else ; anugacchet — can follow ; manaḥ — rathena — by the mind ; api — even ; abhavasya — of the unborn ; yogī — the mystic ; yaḥ — who ; yoga — māyāḥ — the mystic perfections of yoga ; spṛhayati — desires ; udastāḥ — rejected by Ṛṣabhadeva ; hi — certainly ; asattayā — by the quality of being insubstantial ; yena — by whom, Ṛṣabhadeva ; kṛta — prayatnāḥ — although eager to serve .

Translation

“Who is that mystic yogī who can follow the examples of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva even with his mind? Lord Ṛṣabhadeva rejected all kinds of yogic perfection, which other yogīs hanker to attain. Who is that yogī who can compare to Lord Ṛṣabhadeva?”

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Which yogī who desires the powers rejected by Ṛṣabhadeva as insubstantial and makes efforts to gain them, can follow, even in his mind, the example set by unborn Ṛṣabhadeva? Among the yogīs, Ṛṣabhadeva is most auspicious. Which other yogī can follow the direction of Ṛṣabhadeva in his mind, much less by action? Ṛṣabhadeva was without birth. The yogī desires siddhis which were rejected as inauspicious by Ṛṣabhadeva, but the yogī makes endeavors to attain those siddhis. Or the yogī desires siddhis which were rejected by Ṛṣabhadeva but the siddhis made efforts to be accepted by him.

Purport

Generally yogīs desire the yogic perfections of aṇimā, laghimā, mahimā, prākāmya, prāpti, īśitva, vaśitva and kāmāvasāyitā. Lord Ṛṣabhadeva, however, never aspired for all these material things. Such siddhis (perfections) are presented by the illusory energy of the Lord. The real purpose of the yoga system is to achieve the favor and shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but this purpose is covered by the illusory energy of yoga-māyā. So-called yogīs are therefore allured by the superficial material perfections of aṇimā, laghimā, prāpti and so forth. Consequently ordinary yogīs cannot compare to Lord Ṛṣabhadeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.