Prabhupāda: . . . study. This meditation and breathing exercise is not part of our study. Because we are following a method which is direct method. I will give you the example. Just like there is a skyscraper house, and there are staircases to go to the top floor, say, hundredth floor, and there is elevator also. So if you take advantage of the elevator, you reach immediately hundredth floor within a minute, but if you go step by step, step by step, it will take hours.
So this meditation process is not possible at the present age. This meditation was recommended, according to Vedic literature, in the golden age, when the duration of life was very, very long, people were peaceful, there was no disturbance. The exact version in the Vedas is kṛte. Kṛte means in the golden age, when everyone is pious. That is called kṛta-yuga, age of kṛta, very pious age. So in those ages people used to live one hundred thousands of years, and they were very pure; there was no sinful activity. In that stage, meditation was possible.
Meditation requires certain principles. You have to select a solitary, sacred place. You have to sit alone. You have to close your eyes half, not full. If you close your eyes full, then you will sleep. And you have to concentrate on the tip of your nose, and you have to sit straight under posture, and then you have to exercise the breathing. If your inhalation is going this side, then you have to breathe this side. There are so many processes.
So these things are not possible. Because our mind is so disturbed, we are engaged in so many outside work, it is not possible to concentrate on . . . you cannot find out a solitary place. The so-called meditation going on in a class, oh, that is not meditation. Meditation cannot be performed in that way. It must be very solitary place, sacred place, and you have to do it alone. You see? So these facilities are not available at the present age. Besides that, that meditation process will take you a very long time to realize yourself.
So meditation is there in our process, but it is a very quick process. What is that? We loudly chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. So even if your mind is diverted to some other subject, you will be forced to hear Hare Kṛṣṇa. You have to apply your mind. You see? Either you take it, "Oh, somebody is disturbing," or you are enjoying, you have to . . . you are forced to turn your mind to this side.
And if we go on chanting for a short time, the meditation is always there. And with the dancing, the breathing is also there, but it is a shortcut policy. That policy, the yogic meditation or breathing exercise, samādhi, it is already there in our process. But we don't take in that prescribed way of meditation, because that is not possible in this age. It is very difficult.
So meditation and breathing exercise is not a part of our program, but it is automatically performed by this process of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma . . . that is automatically done. It is so nice process.
Then your next question is, "Is diet an important segment of the work?" Yes. Diet is very important thing. Just like when a patient goes to a physician, he prescribes a certain type of diet. Why? That's a practical fact. Why you accept a physician prescription of diet? Suppose a man is suffering from diabetes; his diet is different. A man is suffering from tuberculosis; his diet is different. A man is suffering from typhoid fever, his diet is different. Therefore diet shall not be extravagant or whimsical, they must be selected.
First of all we have to see what is the diet of the human being. Actually, I have read in some scientific magazine, a medical magazine, that our teeth is not meant for eating meats. These teeth are meant for eating fruits. Actually the shape of the teeth is like that, just like sharp knife. You can . . . apple you can take immediately. But if you take one piece of meat, you cannot eat so easily with these teeth.
So first of all you have to understand what is your diet. So your diet is different from animals' diet. You take anything. Even stool is food for a certain animal, but that does not mean I have to eat stool also. Stool may be eatable for a certain type of animal. "Oh, that is not my diet, or food." Similarly, we have to discriminate.
Now so far we are concerned, Kṛṣṇa conscious person—we are studying Kṛṣṇa conscious—what is our diet? Our diet is kṛṣṇa-prasādam, what is offered, as I told you, that something is offered to Kṛṣṇa, then we take. We don't take anything direct. Just like these fruits, we have first of all offered to Kṛṣṇa. Here is a plate. Then we take. That is our system. Even we take vegetables, fruits, we don't take directly. We first of all prepare or cut into pieces, offer to the Deity; then we take. Now, the idea is that we take the remnants of food offered to Kṛṣṇa.
Now, when you offer something to some respectable person, you ask him, "What can I offer you?" If I go to your house, and if you want to offer me something to eat, you will ask me what I wish to eat. That is the etiquette. So similarly, we have to offer Kṛṣṇa what Kṛṣṇa likes to eat. So how we can know? In this book we have the things, what Kṛṣṇa wants. He says: "You give Me foodstuff," patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ (BG 9.26), "fruits, flowers, grains, milk, like that." So our diet is Kṛṣṇa prasādam.
Therefore . . . Kṛṣṇa wants these things. We prepare these things, and we eat the remnants of food. If Kṛṣṇa says that, "You give me meat," then we can offer Kṛṣṇa meat also. But Kṛṣṇa does not say that. Kṛṣṇa says, "Give Me fruits, flowers, grains." So we have no quarrel with the meat-eaters. Let them do whatever he likes. But our concern is that unless Kṛṣṇa takes, we don't take.