56 THE PATH OF PERFECTION Moderation in Yoga 57
| Krsna as his spiritual master, the Lord immediately chastised him, __. this end we should keep it fit and healthy, but we should not be-
just as a master chastises his disciple in order to teach him. Essen- come too attached to it. That is called yukta-vairagya. The body
tially, Sri Krsna told Arjuna, ‘‘You are talking very wisely, as if i should not be neglected. We should bathe regularly, eat regularly,
you know so many things, but actually you are speaking nonsense, I sleep regularly in order to keep mind and body healthy. Some
because you are speaking from the bodily position.’ Similarly, people say that the body should be renounced and that we should
people throughout the world are posing themselves as highly ad- take some drugs and abandon ourselves to intoxication, but this is
vanced in education, science, philosophy, politics, etc., but their not a yoga process. Krsna has given us nice food—fruits, grains,
position is on the bodily platform. vegetables, and milk—and we can prepare hundreds and thou-

A vulture may rise very high in the sky—seven or eight sands of nice preparations and offer them to the Lord. Our process
miles—and it is wonderful to see him fly in this way. He also has is to eat krsna-prasdda and to satisfy the tongue in that way. But we
powerful eyes, for he can spot a carcass from a great distance. Yet should not be greedy and eat dozens of samosas, sweetballs, and
what is the object of all these great qualifications? A dead body, a rasagullas. No. We should eat and sleep just enough to keep the
rotting carcass. His perfection is just to discover a dead piece of body fit, and no more. It is stated,
meat and eat it. That’s all. Similarly, we may have a very high
education, but what is our objective? Sense enjoyment, the enjoy- yuktahara-viharasya
ment of this material body. We may rise very high with our space- yukta-cestasya karmasu
ships, but what is the purpose? Sense gratification, that’s all. This yukta-svapnavabodhasya
means that all the striving and all this high education are merely yogo bhavati duhkha-ha
on the animal platform.

Therefore we should first of all know that our miserable ma- ‘He who is temperate in his habits of eating, sleeping, working,
terial condition is due to this body. At the same time, we should and recreation can mitigate all material pains by practicing the
know that this body is not permanent. Although I identify with my yoga system.” (Bg. 6.17)
body, family, society, country, and so many other things, how Although we should minimize our eating and sleeping, we
long will these objects exist? They are not permanent. Asat is a should not attempt this too rapidly, at the risk of becoming sick.
word meaning that they will cease to exist. Asann api klesada dsa Because people are accustomed to eating voraciously, there are
dehah: “The body is simply troublesome and impermanent.”’ prescriptions for fasting. We can reduce our sleeping and eating, i

Many people come to us saying, ‘‘Svamiji, my position is so but we should remain in good health for spiritual purposes. We
troublesome,”’ but as soon as we suggest the medicine, they will should not attempt to reduce eating and sleeping too rapidly or ar-
not accept it. This means that people want to manufacture their tificially, when we advance we will naturally not feel pain due to
own medicine. Why do we go to a physician if we want to treat the reduction of these natural bodily processes. In this respect,

| ourselves? People want to accept only what they think is palatable. Raghunatha dasa Gosvami offers a good example. Although a

| Although we are suggesting that this body is useless and is a very rich man’s son, Raghunatha dasa left his home to join Lord
form of contamination, we are not recommending that it be Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Because he was the only son, Raghunatha
abused. We may use a car to carry us to work, but this does not dasa was very beloved by his father. Understanding that his son

| mean that we should not take care of the car. We should take care had gone to Jagannatha Puri to join Lord Caitanya, the father sent _
of the car for it to carry us to and fro, but we should not become so four servants with money to attend him. At first, Raghunatha ac-
attached to it that we are polishing it every day. We must utilize cepted the money, thinking, ‘‘Oh, since my father has sent all this

| this material body in order to execute Krsna consciousness, and to money, I will accept it and invite all the sannydsis to feast.” .

t.
