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86
BHAKTI-YOGA.
solutely necessary to enable one to arrive at the control of the finer. The beginner, therefore, must pay particular attention to all such dietetic rules as have come down from the line of accredited teachers of bhakti. But the extravagant, meaningless fanaticism, which has driven religion entirely to the kitchen, as may be noticed in the case of many of our sects, without any hope of the noble truth of that religion over coming out to the sunlight of spirituality—is a peculiar sort of pure and simple materialism. It is neither jnana, nor bhakti nor karma. It is a special kind of lunacy, and those who pin their souls to it, are more likely to go to lunatic asylums than to Brahma-loka or the highest sphere. So it stands to reason that discrimination in the choice of food, is necessary for the attainment of this higher state of mental composition which can not be easily obtained otherwise.
Controlling the passions is the next thing
