Bhagavatgita a detailed study-chapter 6-yoga of meditation

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16. na athyaSnathsthu yogo asthi na cha ekaantham

anaSnathaH

 

na cha athisvapnaSeelasya jaagratho naiva cha arjuna

 

There can be no yoga possible for an overeater or for one who starves: or for one who oversleeps or the one who never sleeps.

 

Krishna warns against overdoing the practice of yoga as well as taking it too easy. One who eats in excess will not be able to meditate because the moment he sits down to do it he will feel sleepy and lethargic. On the other hand if one eats little or starves, eating not enough to keep him active and energetic, he will be overcome with fatigue. Similarly one who sleeps too much will cultivate thamas instead of satthva which is needed to control his mind and concentrate. But one who sacrifices his sleep in order to pursue yoga in earnest will not have the strength to do so.

 

Indulgence in eating has got a wider meaning of indulgence in all sensual enjoyments. As the senses are awake during the time one is not engaged in meditation, the sensual experience must be moderate and conducive to his spiritual uplift. One who strives for yoga should eat the saathvik food and avoid rajasik and thamasik as they will either excite or create indolence. Krishna elaborates on the type of food in a later chapter. Regarding other sense experiences , one should hear ,contact, smell and see only what is good for his spiritual progress. In short those sensations which will increaser satthva and reduce rajas and thamas. Karmayogi who works with detachment is not tempted by the latter kind of sensual experiences. This comes easily to a devotee as he does everything as the service of the Lord as Kulaekara azvar puts it in a sloka in Mukundamala thus.

 

 

`Oh tongue, sing about Kesava., the slayer of Mura. Oh mind, think of SreeDhara. Two hands, you worship Him , Two ears, you hear the stories about Achyutha. Oh eyes, look at Krishna. Pair of feet, you go to the temple of Hari. Oh nose, you smell the tulsi leaves from the feet of Mukundha. Oh head, bow down to ADhokshaja.'

 

When all the senses are thus engaged in the service of the Lord they will cease to be attracted by the worldly sensual pleasures. This reminds one, of the KuraL of the famous Tamil sage Thiruvalluvar, who has given to the world maxims with deep meaning in short sentences.

Pattruga pattrattrAn pattrinai appattrai

pattruga pattru vidarku.

 

It means that in order to relinquish the attachment of the world one has to develop attachment towards the Lord. If we want to give up something it is easier to do so by shifting our attachment to something else which is more desirable.

 

This calls to the mind an episode in the life of Sri Ramanuja. There was a man in Srirangam who had a beautiful wife and he was much enamoured with her and use to spread an umbrella on her head to shield her from the Sun much to the ridicule of others. Ramanuja saw him and took pity on him and asked him what is that he found so attractive in his wife. He replied that she had beautiful eyes. Ramanuja told him that if he finds a pair of eyes more attractive will he switch his devotion to that. When the man asked who has more beautiful eyes, Ramanuja took him inside the temple of Ranganatha and showed him the Lord and asked him has he ever seen a pair of more beautiful eyes. Due to past merit, and due to the grace of the acharya, the man along with his wife became a great devotees of the Lord and great disciples of Ramanuja, renouncing all that he had. This illustrates well the KuraL quoted above .

 

 

17. yukthaahaaravihaarasya yuktha cheshtasya karmasu

 

yukthasvanaavaboDDhasya yogo bhavathi duhkhahaa

 

The yoga becomes destroyer of sorrows for him who is moderate in eating and in relaxation and in all his actions and in sleep and waking.

 

..Hence one should be wise in all his activities and should eat enough to sustain himself and not indulge in food to satisfy his palate. He should also have enough sleep to give his body proper rest and in all activities be moderate and should not overdo work, taking enough time for relaxation and rest.

 

We could understand about moderation in food. But how to define moderation is sleep and work? The sasthra prescribes about six hours sleep in the middle part of the night , that is for two yamas, keeping awake in the first and last yama. But this varies according to the individual requirements of the yogi.

 

The moderation in work means to do the work as karmayoga and not get addicted to work. This addiction is called overwork and those who are addicts to work are workaholics. This occurs because of ego that one is indispensable and the attitude that "I am doing,' and `I alone can do it' etc. No one is indispensable in this world. All actions are by the will of God and is responsibility to take care of all. Man out of ego thinks that he or his work is important. Detachment should permeate not only to possessions and relations but also to the work. A karmayogi does his work as the offering to God and hence he does it well. But he is not anxious about the result., which he knows is not in his control.