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Hare krsna

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada

If one eats too austerely, or if in the name of selflessness one accepts impure food, surely one loses control of the mind.

On the other hand, if one eats food that is excessively fatty or rich there will be an unwanted increase in sleep and semen, and thus the mind and speech will be overwhelmed by the modes of passion and ignorance.

SB 11.7.39

If we can practice accepting only remnants of food offered to Krsna, it is possible to get free from maya’s victimization. Vegetables, grains, fruits, milk products and water are proper foods to offer to the Lord, as Lord Krsna Himself prescribes. However, if one accepts prasada only because of its palatable taste and thus eats too much, he also falls prey to trying to satisfy the demands of the tongue. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught us to avoid very palatable dishes even while eating prasada. If we offer palatable dishes to the Deity with the intention of eating such nice food, we are involved in trying to satisfy the demands of the tongue. If we accept the invitation of a rich man with the idea of receiving palatable food, we are also trying to satisfy the demands of the tongue.

NoI: verse 1

Krsna proclaims that yoga cannot be properly performed by one who eats too much or eats too little. One who starves himself cannot properly perform yoga. Nor can the person who eats more than required. The eating process should be moderate, just enough to keep body and soul together; it should not be for the enjoyment of the tongue. When palatable dishes come before us, we are accustomed to take not just one of the preparations but two, three and four — and upwards. Our tongue is never satisfied. But it is not unusual in India to see a yogi take only a small spoonful of rice a day and nothing more.

Yoga as Body and Mind Control