SB 1.9.23 (1964)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT No. 23
Bhaktya avesya manoyasmin vacha yat nama kirtayan Tyajan kalevaram yogi muchyate kamakarmabhih.
ENGLISH SYNONYMS
Bhaktya—in devout attention, Avesya—meditating, Mano—mind, Vacha—by words. Yat—whose, Nama—holy Name, Kirttayan—by chanting, Tyajan—quiting, Kalevaram—this material body, Yogi—the devotee, Muchyate—gets release, Kamakarbhih—from fruitive activities.
TRANSLATION
(He) the Personality of Godhead, Whose appearance in the mind by devotional attention and meditation of the devotee and chanting of holy name at the time of quiting this material body, makes the devotee released from the bondage of fruitive activities.
PURPORT
Yoga means concentration of the mind detached from all other subject matter. And actually such concentration is meant for Samadhi or cent per cent engagement in the service of the Lord. And one who concentrates his attention in that manner is called a Yogi. Such Yogi devotee of the Lord engaged himself 24 hours in the service of the Lord so that his whole attention is engrossed with the thoughts of the Lord in nine-fold devotional service namely hearing, chanting, remembering, worshipping, praying, becoming a voluntary servant, or offering all that one may possess, in the service of the Lord. By such practice of Yoga or linking up in the service of the Lord one is recognised by the Lord Himself as it is explained in the Bhagwat Geeta about the highest prefectional stage of Samadhi. Such a devotee of rare type, is called by the Lord as the best amongst all the Yogis. Such perfect Yogi is enabled by the Divine Grace of the Lord to concentrate his mind upon the Lord with perfect sense of consciousness and thus chanting of His Holy Name before quiting the present body is made easily possible. And by quiting the body the Yogi is at once transferred by the internal Energy of the Lord to one of the eternal planets where there is no question of material life and its concomitant factors. In the material existence only a living being has to drag on the material conditions of threefold miseries, life after life, according to one's fruitive work. Such material life is produced by material desires only. Devotional service of the Lord does not kill the natural desires of the living being but they are applied in the right cause of devotional service which qualify the desire to be transferred in the spiritual sky. General Bhismadeva is referring to the particular type of Yoga called Bhaktiyoga and he was fortunate enough to have directly the Lord in his presence before he quitted his material body. He, therefore, desired that the Lord may stay there before his view in the following verses.