Indian man: I have no understanding. I want to know this. (laughter)
Prabhupāda: Sarvāṇīndriya-karmāṇi ātma-saṁyama. This yoga, the haṭha-yoga system, means to control the senses and control the mind. Sarvāṇi karmāṇi indriyāni, karmendriya. The yoga system's basic principle is to stop the material activities. Sarvāṇīndriya karmāṇi prāṇa-karmāṇi cāpare.
There are the controlling of different airs passing within this body: apāna-vāyu, vyāna-vāyu, prāṇa-vāyu. That is the yoga system, controlling the breathing. Ātma-saṁyama. The whole thing is for ātma-saṁyama, for controlling the mind and senses. If one is unable to control the mind and senses, then he is simply wasting time. And that ātma-saṁyama can be directly practiced by bhakti-yoga.
What is that? Now the same example can be given, that Arjuna was a fighter. So in the beginning he was considering, "Whether I shall fight or not." That was also ātma-saṁyama. But actually ātma-saṁyama was when he did not fight for his sense gratification. That is. Similarly, when we engage our senses . . .
Because senses means they want some activity. Just like our eyes. If . . . the eyes want to see something beautiful. The tongue, tongue wants to taste something very sweet. The ear, it wants to hear something very melodious. In this way we have got our different senses. But the yoga system is trying to stop them. Now, just try to understand.
Now, here, the bhakti-yoga system is that if you stick to the hearing of Hare Kṛṣṇa and the music, melodious music of khol, karatāla, then naturally you become detestful for hearing other songs. So this is practically indriya-saṁyama. The bhakti process is that sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). You cannot stop the senses to work. That is the negative process. Because the senses are meant for working. Therefore you have to give better engagement to the senses. That will be explained in the . . . it is already explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, Second Chapter, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. If you force one . . . if you force one to stop, it is very difficult. Therefore so many yogīs also failed.
Just like Viśvāmitra Muni. By force, he was trying to control his senses, but as soon as the sense got opportunity, one Menakā, a heavenly society girl, came before him, he became captivated. He became captivated. These examples are there. And the child was born, Śakuntalā. You know, everyone. So he was a great yogī. He also failed, because it was artificially being tried.
But there is another instance, Ṭhākura Haridāsa. He was to be . . . he was also enticed by a prostitute at night, but he turned the prostitute to be a devotee. You see. At night, she came. She was induced by some of Haridāsa's opponent's party, and she came, very beautifully dressed, at night, and Haridāsa Ṭhākura said: "How you have come here?" "Oh, you are so nice, so beautiful, so young. So I have come to embrace you." Like that, whatever. So "All right. Please sit down. I shall fulfill your desire. Let me finish my chanting, then we shall enjoy life." (laughter)
So he was chanting, the morning came. So the prostitute became disturbed. "It is now . . ." "All right. I could not finish my chanting. So come this night, I shall fulfill." In this way, second night, third night, when she came, she surrendered: "Sir, I came with this purpose. Please save me. This is my business." So Ṭhākura Haridāsa told, "Yes, I know that. But because you came to me, therefore I stayed for three days . . . three days to purify you. Now I'm glad that you are purified. You sit down here, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. I am going from this place."
(break) . . . Viśvāmitra failed, but this bhakti-yogī, he conquered. This is karmendriya. If you want to force your senses to stop work, it is very difficult. But if you engage your senses for transcendental loving service of the Supreme Lord, it will be automatically, automatically stopped. That is stated. Ātma-saṁyama juhvati jṣāna-dīpite (BG 4.27). That jṣāna, that jṣāna means knowledge. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19). If that stage of knowledge is achieved, that "Kṛṣṇa, or Vāsudeva, is everything, and I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa," that is perfection of.