Text 14]
The History of the Life of Ajāmila
21
In the  bhakti-mārga , the path of devotional service, one must strictly follow the regulative principles by first controlling the tongue ( sevon-mukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ ). The tongue ( jihvā ) can be controlled if one chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa  mahā-mantra , does not speak of any subjects other than those concerning Kṛṣṇa and does not taste anything not offered to Kṛṣṇa. If one can control the tongue in this way,  brahmacarya  and other purifying processes will automatically follow. It will be explained in the next verse that the path of devotional service is completely perfect and is therefore superior to the path of fruitive activities and the path of knowledge. Quoting from the  Vedas , Śrīla Vīrarāghava Ācārya explains that austerity involves observing fasts as fully as possible ( tapasānāśakena ). Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has also advised that  atyāhāra , too much eating, is an impediment to advancement in spiritual life. Also, in  Bhagavad-gītā  (6.17) Kṛṣṇa says:
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.”
In text 14 the word  dhīrāḥ , meaning “those who are undisturbed under all circumstances,” is very significant. Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna in  Bhagavad-gītā  (2.14):
mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya 
    śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ 
    āgamāpāyino 'nityās 
    tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata
“O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.” In material life there are many disturbances ( adhyāt-mika ,  adhidaivika  and  adhibhautika ). One who has learned to tolerate these disturbances under all circumstances is called  dhīra .