Prabhupada 0668 - At Least Two Compulsory Fastings in a Month
Lecture on BG 6.16-24 -- Los Angeles, February 17, 1969
So here the suggestion is that this body is useless, but that does not mean we should not take care. Just like you are going, from one place to another place, on your car. The car, you are not this car, but because you have to use the car for your work, you have to take care of the car also. But not much care that you simply become absorbed in the car business and no other business. Just like somebody, too much attachment to the car is polishing the car whole day, you see, polishing. So we should not be too much attached to this body. But because with this body we have to execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness, therefore we should keep it fit also. That is called yukta-vairāgya. We shall not neglect. We shall take regular bath, we shall, regular nice food, Kṛṣṇa prasādam, keep our mind and body healthy. That is required.
So Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement does not say that artificially you simply make some renouncement, all nonsense. And to recompensate we take to some drugs, take to some intoxication, no. You take nice food. Kṛṣṇa has given nice food. Fruits, grains, milk - you can prepare hundreds and thousands of preparations, nice, with these foodgrains, and we are doing that. Our purpose for inviting you in the love feast is that: replace Kṛṣṇa prasādam with your all nonsense foodstuff. They are not healthy. These are healthy food. Healthy food. Palatable, healthy food. So, eat Kṛṣṇa prasādam, nice prasādam. If your tongue wants some nice palatable dishes we can supply you hundreds, thousands, offered to Kṛṣṇa. Samosā and this sweet ball, rasagullā, so many things we can supply. You see? You are not prohibited. But don't take too much. "Oh, it is very palatable, let me take one dozen of rasagullā." No, don't take that. (laughs) Then that is not good. That is greediness. You should simply take so much as will keep your body fit, that's all. You should sleep so much as will keep your body fit, that's all. Nothing more. Yuktāhāra vihārasya yogo bhavati siddhi (BG 6.17). This is called yukta. We should eat simply for keeping healthy condition. We shall sleep simply for keeping healthy. But if you can reduce, that's nice. But not at the risk of becoming sick.
Because in the beginning, because we are accustomed to eat voraciously, so don't try to eat less artificially. You eat. But try to minimize it. The more… Therefore there are prescription of fasting. At least two compulsory fastings in a month. And there are other fasting days. The more you can reduce your sleep and eating, you keep good health, especially for spiritual purposes. But not artificially. Not artificially. But when you advance, naturally you'll not feel, just like Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. There are examples. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was very rich man's son. And he left home. So he joined Lord Caitanya. So his father - he was the only son, very beloved son. Very nice wife. Left everything. And left means stealing, without saying anything. Somehow or other he left home. And the father could understand he has gone to Lord Caitanya at Purī. So he sent four servants, because he was very rich man. And four hundred rupees - five hundred years ago four hundred rupees means twenty times at the present value. So first of all he accepted, that, "Oh, father has sent, all right." So how he was spending money? So he was inviting all the sannyāsīns, in Jagannātha Purī there were many sannyāsīns, renounced order. And every month he was offering feasting. Then after few days, Lord Caitanya inquired His secretary, Svarūpa Dāmodara, "Oh, nowadays I don't get any invitation from Raghunātha. What happened?" "Oh, Sir, he has stopped accepting his father's money." "Oh, that's very nice." He thought that, "I have renounced everything and I am enjoying my father's money. This is all nonsense." He refused. He asked the man, "You go home. I don't want money." Then how he is living? "Oh, he's standing on the staircase of Jagannātha Temple, and when the priests go home with their prasāda, they offer something and he's satisfied with that." So Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, "Oh, this is all right, very nice." Then Caitanya Mahāprabhu was inquiring how he's standing there. So he saw, standing. So Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, after a few days, he stopped that standing also. Then Caitanya Mahāprabhu inquired his secretary, "I don't see Raghunātha standing there. What he is doing?" "No sir, he has given up that standing because he thought, 'Oh, I'm standing just like a prostitute, somebody will come and give me some… No no, I don't like this.'" "Oh, that's very nice. Then how he is eating?" "He's collecting some rejected rice in the kitchen, and that he is eating."
So to encourage Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, one day Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to his room. "Raghunātha? I heard that you are eating very nice foodstuff, and you are not inviting Me?" So he was not replying. So He was finding out where he has kept that rice and He took and immediately began to eat. "Sir, You do not eat, this is not for You." "Oh! It is Jagannātha's prasādam, how do you say it is not fit?" Just to encourage him. He may not think, that, "I am eating this rejected," you see? In this way, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī reduced his foodstuff - ultimately, every alternate day only one piece of what is called, butter, so much. And he was offering, even bowing down hundreds times, and chanting so many times. Saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma - you have heard it while singing Six Gosvāmīs song. Saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ kālāvasānī-kṛtau. So there are very nice examples of minimizing. Minimizing all material necessities. Up to the point nil. You see? But that is not possible for everyone. Don't try to imitate Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. But because they were associates of Lord Caitanya, each one of them showed some example, unique example of how Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be advanced. But our business is not to imitate them, but try to follow them. Try to follow them, as far as possible. Not artificially.
Therefore here it is said, "There is no possibility of one's becoming a yogi…" If you try to become immediately Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, by imitating, you'll fail. Whatever progress you have made, that will be finished. No. Not that. You eat. But don't eat more. That's all. Eating more is no good. You eat. If you are elephant you eat hundred pounds, but if you are ant you eat one grain. Don't eat hundred pounds imitating the elephant. You see? God has given food to the elephant and to the ant. But if you are actually elephant then you eat like elephant. But if you are ant, don't eat like elephant, then you'll be in trouble. So here it is said, "There is no possibility of one's becoming a yogi, O Arjuna, if one eats too much, or eats too little." Very nice program. Don't eat too little. You eat whatever you require. But don't eat more. Similarly don't sleep more.
If you can… Keep your health perfect, but try to reduce it. Suppose you are sleeping ten hours. But if I keep myself fit by sleeping five hours, why should I sleep ten hours? So this is the process. Don't do anything artificially. So far the body is concerned, we have got four demands. Eating, sleeping, mating and defending. The defect is that, modern civilization, that they are thinking that this eating process, sleeping process if we can increase, that is very nice. If we can sleep the whole day and night on Saturday and Sunday, oh it is great profit, enjoyment, you see? That is the civilization. They think it is an opportunity to enjoy life, to sleep, thirty hours a day. You see? No. Don't do that. Reduce it. Try to reduce it but not artificially. Go on.