Answer
They will progress, but it is a much longer process. Through the aṣṭāṅga-yoga system, one gradually comes to the stage of complete meditation on the Paramātmā. The whole process of samādhi is meant to absorb one’s consciousness in the Supersoul within the heart.
As the contamination covering the consciousness is gradually removed, the yogi begins to perceive the Lord within. From that perception, attachment to the Lord develops. When one becomes perfected in this process, one can attain the spiritual realm—because the Paramātmā, the four-armed Viṣṇu form upon whom they meditate, ultimately leads them to the Vaikuṇṭha planets.
However, there is an important point. Krishna explains that this aṣṭāṅga-yoga process generally takes many, many lifetimes to reach perfection. It is not something easily achieved in a single lifetime. That is the difficulty.
So the question is: do you want a direct process or a roundabout one?
It is like asking, “Where is your nose?” One person simply points directly—this is bhakti-yoga. Another takes a longer, indirect route—this is the aṣṭāṅga-yoga process.
Bhakti-yoga is simple and direct. The other path is more complicated and gradual. The ultimate result may be similar, but the effort, time, and accessibility are very different.
So the real choice is: do you want the easier, more direct path, or the more complex and time-consuming one?
That is why Śrīla Prabhupāda would often present these parallels—to help us understand the practical advantage of bhakti-yoga.
