One attains the supreme peace and bliss

Meditation Yoga

Chapter 6, Verse 17

yuktāhāra vihārasya

yukta ceṣṭasya karmasu

yukta svapnāvabodhasya

yogo bhavati duḥkha-hā

Yoga becomes the destroyer of sorrow for one who is moderate in food and recreation, who is temperate in actions, who is moderate in sleep and wakefulness.

“Yoga becomes the destroyer of sorrow for one who is moderate in food and recreation.” When people have control over their diet and their leisure time, this shows that they have control over the senses, the body, and the mind, and so they enter the Samadhi state in meditation. They show their purity, their clarity, their faculty of concentration, their willingness, liveliness, their willingness, excitement, and enthusiasm for doing their sadhana.

“...temperate in actions...” Controlling the food and the sleep affect what you reflect externally. If people have no control over food, they overeat and get heavy; then they can’t even do any asana postures.

“...who is moderate in sleep and wakefulness.” Here Lord Krishna emphasises that it is not about stopping sleeping and then afterwards looking like a zombie. He says that there is a time to sleep, a time to rest. There is time to be awake and a time to eat. The whole day is divided into four parts: twenty-four hours divided by four means that there are six hours for each part of the day. Now, you are already wondering, “How will I sit and meditate for six hours?” No. I am sure that you are actually thinking, “How can I eat for six hours?” Some people are probably wondering, “Why is Swamiji telling me to sleep for only six hours? This is terrible! How can I do that?” No, no! You have to sleep according to what your body needs. If you need eight hours, then sleep eight hours. If you need four hours, then sleep four hours. If you need three hours, then sleep three hours. It doesn’t matter. You have to respect what your body needs, so that you don’t ruin yourself and your dhyaan can be done properly. What is the use of not sleeping and then when you sit for meditation, you are falling left and right? It’s useless, isn’t it? What is the use of not eating and then when you sit for meditation, you see a plate of food in front of you? Or when you have eaten too much, you can’t even sit for meditation? If you have slept too much or if you have not slept at all, it doesn’t help, you know? Excesses don’t help one’s meditation. Even if the shastras say that it is good to sleep less and stay awake, one has to observe oneself and see what one really needs.

“Yoga becomes the destroyer of sorrow...” Success in Dhyaana Yoga elevates one to God-Realisation, and one attains the supreme peace. In that state, one is fully absorbed in the ocean of bliss.

Bhagavad Gita