Devanagari
नारायणपरो योगो नारायणपरं तप: ।
नारायणपरं ज्ञानं नारायणपरा गति: ॥ १६ ॥
Verse text
nārāyaṇa-paro yogo
nārāyaṇa-paraṁ tapaḥ
nārāyaṇa-paraṁ jṣānaṁ
nārāyaṇa-parā gatiḥ
Synonyms
nārāyaṇa
—
paraḥ — just to know Nārāyaṇa
;
yogaḥ
—
concentration of mind
;
nārāyaṇa
—
param — just with an aim to achieve Nārāyaṇa
;
tapaḥ
—
austerity
;
nārāyaṇa
—
param — just to realize a glimpse of Nārāyaṇa
;
jṣānam
—
culture of transcendental knowledge
;
nārāyaṇa
—
parā — the path of salvation ends by entering the kingdom of Nārāyaṇa
;
gatiḥ
—
progressive path .
Translation
All different types of meditation or mysticism are means for realizing Nārāyaṇa. All austerities are aimed at achieving Nārāyaṇa. Culture of transcendental knowledge is for getting a glimpse of Nārāyaṇa, and ultimately salvation is entering the kingdom of Nārāyaṇa.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Yoga is dependent on Nārāyaṇa. Austerity is dependent on Nārāyaṇa. Knowledge is dependent on Nārāyaṇa. Liberation is dependent on Nārāyaṇa.
Purport
In meditation, there are two systems of
yoga,
namely
aṣṭāṅga-yoga
and
sāṅkhya-yoga.
Aṣṭāṅga-yoga
is practice in concentrating the mind, releasing oneself from all engagements by the regulative processes of meditation, concentration, sitting postures, blocking the movements of the internal circulation of air, etc.
Sāṅkhya-yoga
is meant to distinguish the truth from ephemerals. But ultimately both systems are meant for realizing the impersonal Brahman, which is but a partial representation of Nārāyaṇa, the Personality of Godhead. As we have explained before, the impersonal Brahman effulgence is only a part of the Personality of Godhead. Impersonal Brahman is situated on the person of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and, as such, Brahman is the glorification of the Personality of the Godhead. This is confirmed both in the
Bhagavad-gītā
and in the
Matsya Purāṇa.
Gati
refers to the ultimate destination, or the last word in liberation. Oneness with the impersonal
brahmajyoti
is not ultimate liberation; superior to that is the sublime association of the Personality of Godhead in one of the innumerable spiritual planets in the Vaikuṇṭha sky. Therefore the conclusion is that Nārāyaṇa, or the Personality of Godhead, is the ultimate destination for all kinds of
yoga
systems as well as all kinds of liberation.
Commentary (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Gatiḥ means liberation.