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THE PATH OF PERFECTION
defense force. So who is free from anxiety? The conclusion is that if we want peace without anxiety, we have to come to Krṣṇa consciousness. There is no alternative.
In order to attain peace, we must meditate on Krṣṇa, and by meditating on Krṣṇa, we can control the body. The first part of the body to control is the tongue, and the next part is the genital. When these are controlled, everything is controlled. The tongue is controlled by chanting and eating  krṣṇa-prasāda . As soon as the tongue is controlled, the stomach is controlled, and next the genitals are controlled. Actually, controlling the body and mind is a very simple process. When the mind is fixed on Krṣṇa and has no other engagement, it is automatically controlled. Activities should always be centered on working for Krṣṇa—gardening, typing, cooking, cleaning, whatever. By engaging the body, mind, and activities in the service of Krṣṇa, one attains the supreme  nirvāṇa , which abides in Krṣṇa. Everything is in Krṣṇa; therefore we cannot find peace outside Krṣṇa conscious activities.
The ultimate goal of  yoga  is thus clearly explained.  Yoga  is not meant for attaining any kind of material facility; it is to enable the cessation of all material existence. As long as we require some material facilities, we will get them. But these facilities will not solve the problems of life. I have traveled throughout the world, and it is my opinion that American boys and girls have the best material facilities, but does this mean that they have attained peace? Can anyone say, “Yes, I am completely peaceful”? If this is so, why are American youngsters so frustrated and confused?
As long as we practice  yoga  in order to attain some material facility, there will be no question of peace.  Yoga  should only be practiced in order to understand Krṣṇa.  Yoga  is meant for the re-establishment of our lost relationship with Krṣṇa. Generally, one joins a  yoga  society in order to improve his health, to reduce fat. People in rich nations eat more, become fat, and then pay exorbitant prices to so-called  yoga  instructors in order to reduce. People try to reduce by all these artificial gymnastics; they do not understand that if they just eat vegetables or fruits and grains, they will never get fat. People get fat because they eat voraciously, because they eat meat. People who eat voraciously suffer from diabetes,
Moderation in  Yoga
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overweight, heart attacks, etc., and those who eat insufficiently suffer from tuberculosis. Therefore moderation is required, and moderation in eating means that we eat only what is needed to keep body and soul together. If we eat more than we need or less, we will become diseased. All this is explained in the following verses:
nāty-aśnatas tu yogo 'sti na caikāntam anaśnataḥ na cāti-svapna-śīlasya jāgrato naiva cārjuna
“There is no possibility of one’s becoming a  yogī , O Arjuna, if one eats too much, or eats too little, sleeps too much, or does not sleep enough.” (Bg. 6.16)
yuktāhāra-vihārasya yukta-ceṣṭasya karmasu yukta-svapnāvabodhasya yogo bhavati duḥkha-hā
“He who is temperate in his habits of eating, sleeping, working, and recreation can mitigate all material pains by practicing the  yoga  system.” (Bg. 6.17) It is not that we are to starve ourselves. The body must be kept fit for any practice; therefore eating is required, and according to our program, we eat only  krṣṇa-prasāda . If you can comfortably eat ten pounds of food a day, then eat it, but if you try to eat ten pounds out of greed or avarice, you will suffer.
So in the practice of Krṣṇa consciousness, all these activities are present, but they are spiritualized. The cessation of material existence does not mean entering into “the void,” which is only a myth. There is no void anywhere within the creation of the Lord. I am not void but spirit soul. If I were void, how would my bodily development take place? Where is this “void”? If we sow a seed in the ground, it grows into a plant or large tree. The father injects a seed into the womb of the mother, the body grows like a tree.