Text 291
Transcendental Knowledge
253
पारंपरिक परिचय
These sacrifices may be fitted into various divisions. There are persons who are sacrificing their possessions in the form of various kinds of charities. In India, the rich mercantile community or princely orders open various kinds of charitable institutions like  dharmaśālā ,  anna-kṣetra ,  atithi-śālā ,  anathalaya ,  vidyāpīṭha , etc. In other countries, too, there are many hospitals, old age homes and similar charitable foundations meant for distributing food, education and medical treatment free to the poor. All these charitable activities are called  dravyamaya-yajña . There are others who, for higher elevation in life or for promotion to higher planets within the universe, voluntarily accept many kinds of austerities such as  candrāyana  and  cāturmāsya . These processes entail severe vows for conducting life under certain rigid rules. For example, under the  cāturmāsya  vow the candidate does not shave for four months during the year (July to October), he does not eat certain foods, does not eat twice in a day and does not leave home. Such sacrifice of the comforts of life is called  tapomaya-yajña . There are still others who engage themselves in different kinds of mystic  yogas  like the Patañjali system (for merging into the existence of the Absolute), or  haṭha-yoga  or  aṣṭānga-yoga  (for particular perfections). And some travel to all the sanctified places of pilgrimage. All these practices are called  yoga-yajña , sacrifice for a certain type of perfection in the material world. There are others who engage themselves in the studies of different Vedic literatures, specifically the  Upaniṣads  and  Vedānta-sūtras , or the  sāṅkhya  philosophy. All of these are called  svādhyāya-yajña , or engagement in the sacrifice of studies. All these  yogīs  are faithfully engaged in different types of sacrifice and are seeking a higher status of life. Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is, however, different from these because it is the direct service of the Supreme Lord. Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be attained by any one of the above-mentioned types of sacrifices but can be attained only by the mercy of the Lord and His bona fide devotee. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is transcendental.
TEXT 29
अपाने जुद्धति प्राणं प्राणेऽपानं तथापरे ।।
प्राणापानगती रुद्धा प्राणायामपरायणाः॥
अपरे नियताहाराः प्राणान्प्राणेषु जुहति ॥२९॥