True yoga is reconnecting the individual soul with Krishna, transcending material duality through perfect devotional knowledge.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.25.13 — November 13, 1974, Bombay 741113SB-BOMBAY [36:08 Minutes] SB-03.25.13_741113SB-BOMBAY [loud noise of fireworks in background]
Prabhupāda: [Hindi] Nitāi: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [devotees repeat]
Prabhupāda: [Hindi] Nitāi: [leads chanting of verse, etc.] śrī-bhagavān uvāca yoga ādhyātmikaḥ puṁsāṁ mato niḥśreyasāya me atyantoparatir yatra duḥkhasya ca sukhasya ca [SB 3.25.13] [break] [01:14] "The Personality of Godhead answered: The yoga system which relates to the Lord and the individual soul, which is meant for the ultimate benefit of the living entity, and which causes detachment from all happiness and distress in the material world, is the highest yoga system." Prabhupāda: yoga ādhyātmikaḥ puṁsāṁ mato niḥśreyasāya me atyantoparatir yatra duḥkhasya ca sukhasya ca [SB 3.25.13] Everyone in this material world trying to mitigate or trying to become free from the distress. Duḥkhasya. Ātyantika-duḥkha-nivṛtti. Ātyantika means supreme. The struggle for existence in this material world is everyone is trying to get some happiness and minimize the quantity of distress. This is called struggle for existence.
Generally, yoga practice is executed for getting some material profit: aṇimā, laghimā, prāpti, īśitā, vaśitā, mahimā. Aṇimā... The yogīs, they have aṣṭa-siddhi-yoga, eight kinds of perfection. One can become smaller than the smallest or lighter than the lightest, bigger than the biggest; whatever he likes, he can get immediately; vaśita, he can control over; he can create a planet even.
These are some of the yoga-siddhis. But here it is said that the supreme yoga system is not to aspire for material happiness, neither to become distressed by the material inconveniences. This is perfection of yoga. Everyone is trying to get out of the material distress and get some happiness, but anything material—happiness, so-called happiness, or so-called distress... Just like here, the firework is going on.
It is happiness for somebody, but it is distress for us. Is it not? They are thinking they are enjoying, and we are thinking it is inconvenience. So that is material way: happiness..., one side happiness, another side distress.
So both the happiness and distress, they are illusion. Illusion. There are many examples. Just like water: in summer season it is happiness, and in winter season it is distress.