Question: How is it that some advanced people do not have to eat at all?

Sri Chinmoy: If people are advanced in age, they don't have to give out as much energy as they did during their youth. At that time, they did much more on the physical plane. Naturally, when one has to offer more on the physical plane, the physical itself needs more sustenance. But when people become old, from the physical point of view they do not offer much to the world at large. Therefore, they do not have to eat much.

People who are spiritually advanced don't have to eat much if they don't want to. If they want to live on earth with very little food, then the Peace that they bring down from above will help them considerably. Their inner food can easily sustain them even if they eat very little material food. They can maintain themselves in this way if they want to. But if they want to remain on earth in a normal, natural way, eating material food, then they will take help from material food. It entirely depends on the individual choice.