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## The Benefits of Yoga
**Yoga Shastra, First Light, Verse 8, The Story of Sanatkumar Chakravarti:**
In the city of Hastinapur, the fourth Chakravarti named Sanatkumar ruled over six regions. Once, in the assembly of the gods, Indra Maharaj, filled with wonder, praised his unparalleled beauty and wealth, saying, "The appearance of Sanatkumar Chakravarti, the crown jewel of the Kuru dynasty, is unmatched in the heavens or on earth."
Not believing this praise, two gods named Vijay and Vaijayant came to the mortal realm to test Sanatkumar. They assumed the form of Brahmins and approached the gatekeeper of Sanatkumar's palace to see his form. At that time, Sanatkumar was preparing for his bath, having removed all his clothes and wearing only a loincloth, while receiving an oil massage. The gatekeeper informed Sanatkumar Chakravarti about the arrival of the two Brahmins at the gate. The just Chakravarti immediately granted them entry.
Seeing Sanatkumar, the two gods, their eyes wide with wonder, shook their heads and pondered, "Oh! His forehead is like the moon on the eighth night, his eyes reach his ears, his body radiates a brilliance that surpasses the blue lotus. His lips are like ripe bimba fruit, his ears like conch shells, his neck surpasses even the Panchajanya conch, his arms rival the trunk of an elephant, his chest steals the glory of Mount Meru, his waist is like the belly of a lion cub. What more can we say, the beauty of his entire body is beyond description. Oh! We cannot comprehend the loveliness of his radiance, like the moonlight, bathing his body in the flow of the river. His form is even more magnificent than Indra Maharaj described."
The great ones never speak falsehood. At that moment, the Chakravarti spoke, "O learned Brahmins, what is the purpose of your visit?" They replied, "O Narasimha! Your form is extraordinary and wondrous in this world of moving and unmoving beings. Hearing descriptions of your form from far and wide, a desire to see it arose in our hearts, and that is why we have come here. Until today, we had only heard descriptions of your wondrous form, but never seen it with our own eyes. Now, seeing your form, our eyes are satisfied."
Smiling, Sanatkumar said, "O learned Brahmins! The radiance of an oiled body is nothing. Stay a while, sit down, and wait until I have finished my bath. See, when I am adorned with various wondrous garments and precious ornaments, then behold my form, like golden studded with jewels."
Saying this, Sanatkumar bathed, donned his garments and ornaments, and sat on his throne in the royal court, shining like the moon in the sky. The king immediately summoned the two Brahmins. Standing before the king, they gazed at his form and thought, "Where is that form and radiance, and where is this faded form and loveliness now? Truly, all things in the world are transient."
The king asked, "O learned Brahmins! You were delighted to see me earlier, why is your face now so gloomy?" Then, with words like nectar, they said, "O great one! We are both gods, residents of the Saudharma heaven. Indra Maharaj praised your form in the assembly of the gods. We did not believe his words. Therefore, we assumed the form of humans and came here to see your form. We saw your form, as described by Indra Maharaj, in its true form earlier. But now, that form is no longer the same. Just as a mirror becomes tarnished by breath, so too has the radiance of your body become tarnished. Your form has become distorted, your loveliness faded. Your body is now surrounded by many diseases."
Having spoken the truth, the two gods disappeared.
The king looked at his lifeless body, like a scorched tree. He thought, "This body, always like a house of disease, is to be condemned! Foolish fools, with dull minds, are attached to it in vain. Just as a large log is eaten by terrible worms, so too are various kinds of terrible diseases, born in the body, eating away at it. No matter how good this body may appear from the outside, it is full of worms inside, like a ripe fruit. Just as the beauty of a magnificent lake is destroyed when algae covers its water, so too is the beauty of this body destroyed when disease covers it."