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. But the same water. Same water, at one time it is happiness, and the same water, at one time it is distress. The same son, when he is born, it is happiness, and the same son, when he's dead, it is distress. But son is the same.
So this material world is duality. You cannot understand happiness without distress, and you cannot understand distress without happiness. Therefore it is called relative world. You cannot understand son without understanding a father, and you cannot understand a father without understanding the son. And spiritual happiness is above this duality. Spiritual happiness. So that is the perfection of yoga. Yoga ādhyātmikaḥ. Ādhyātmā. Ātmika, ātmā, the soul, the happiness of the soul, that is real yoga. The happiness of the soul can be possible when the soul, individual soul, is with the Supersoul, or the Supreme Soul. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). There is the Supreme Soul, or Supreme Being, amongst . . . there are many living beings. We are many. We living beings, or living entities, we are many. But the principal living being is Kṛṣṇa. The fire and the sparks: the sparks are illuminated when it is with the original fire. If the sparks fall down from the association of the original fire, it is extinguished—no more light. Similarly, our real happiness is when we enjoy with the Supreme Being. Supreme Being.