Text 14] The History of the Life of Ajamila 21
In the bhakti-marga, the path of devotional service, one must strictly
follow the regulative principles by first controlling the tongue (sevon-
mukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah). The tongue (jihva) can
be controlled if one chants the Hare Krsna mahd-mantra, does not speak
of any subjects other than those concerning Krsna and does not taste any-
thing not offered to Krsna. 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 ac-
tivities and the path of knowledge. Quoting from the Vedas, Srila
Viraraghava Acarya explains that austerity involves observing fasts as
fully as possible (tapaséndsakena). Srila Ripa Gosvami has also advised
that atyahdra, too much eating, is an impediment to advancement in
spiritual life. Also, in Bhagavad-gita (6.17) Krsna says:
yuktahara-viharasya
yukta-cestasya karmasu
yukta-svapnavabodhasya
yogo bhavati duhkha-ha
“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 dhirah, meaning “those who are undisturbed
under all circumstances,” is very significant. Krsna tells Arjuna in
Bhagavad-gita (2.14):
matrda-sparsds tu kaunteya
Sitosna-sukha-duhkha-dah
agamapayino ’nityds
tams titiksasva bharata
“O son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and dis-
tress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and
disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense per-
ception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without
being disturbed.” In material life there are many disturbances (adhyat-
mika, adhidaivika and adhibhautika). One who has learned to tolerate
these disturbances under all circumstances is called dhira.
