BHAGAVAD-GITA 6:16

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 6:16

 

naty-asnatas tu yogo 'sti

na caikantam anasnatah

na cati-svapna-silasya

jagrato naiva carjuna

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

na--never; ati--too much; asnatah--of one who eats; tu--but;

yogah--linking with the Supreme; asti--there is; na--nor; ca--also;

ekantam--overly; anasnatah--abstaining from eating; na--nor; ca--also;

ati--too much; svapna-silasya--of one who sleeps; jagratah--or one who

keeps night watch too much; na--not; eva--ever; ca--and; arjuna--O

Arjuna.

 

TRANSLATION

 

There is no possibility of one's becoming a yogi, O Arjuna, if one

eats too much or eats too little, sleeps too much or does not sleep

enough.

 

PURPORT

 

Regulation of diet and sleep is recommended herein for the yogis. Too

much eating means eating more than is required to keep the body and

soul together. There is no need for men to eat animals, because there

is an ample supply of grains, vegetables, fruits and milk. Such simple

foodstuff is considered to be in the mode of goodness according to the

Bhagavad-gita. Animal food is for those in the mode of ignorance.

Therefore, those who indulge in animal food, drinking, smoking and

eating food which is not first offered to Krsna will suffer sinful

reactions because of eating only polluted things. Bhunjate te tv agham

papa ye pacanty atma-karanat. Anyone who eats for sense pleasure, or

cooks for himself, not offering his food to Krsna, eats only sin. One

who eats sin and eats more than is allotted to him cannot execute

perfect yoga. It is best that one eat only the remnants of foodstuff

offered to Krsna. A person in Krsna consciousness does not eat

anything which is not first offered to Krsna. Therefore, only the

Krsna conscious person can attain perfection in yoga practice. Nor can

one who artificially abstains from eating, manufacturing his own

personal process of fasting, practice yoga. The Krsna conscious person

observes fasting as it is recommended in the scriptures. He does not

fast or eat more than is required, and he is thus competent to perform

yoga practice. One who eats more than required will dream very much

while sleeping, and he must consequently sleep more than is required.

One should not sleep more than six hours daily. One who sleeps more

than six hours out of twenty-four is certainly influenced by the mode

of ignorance. A person in the mode of ignorance is lazy and prone to

sleep a great deal. Such a person cannot perform yoga.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.