Ways to Regulate Our Sleep - Part 1

Date: 2015-10-25 Author: Sudarshana devi dasi

Hare Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

When Srila Prabhupada was giving class on Srimad Bhagavatam verse 6.3.18 in Gorakhpur on February 11 1971, few devotees dozed away. Inquiring with concern the reason for sleeping in class, His Divine Grace with right mix of humour and strictness gave many wonderful instructions which on constant hearing would definitely wake us from the deep slumber. The following are few drops of nectar from His Divine Grace's inspiring lecture.

1. Anyone who sleeps more than six or seven hours, he is a Kumbhakarna. Kumbhakarna was the brother of Ravana. He was sleeping six months, and six months he was awake. That means anyone who sleeps half the (day), out of twenty-four hours, anyone, if he sleeps twelve hours, he's a Kumbhakarna. So at least I think that one should not sleep more than seven hours utmost. That is sufficient, sufficient, seven hours. So you can sleep six hours at night and one hour to rest in daytime. That is sufficient. But if you sleep more than that, then you are Kumbhakarna. You should adjust things.

2. We should not take very leniently that we are going back to Godhead. Of course, there is so many concession for the... But at the same time, we should be very much aware of the responsibility that we have decided to go back to Godhead after leaving this body, so we have to perform some austerities.

3. The austerity in our Gaudiya sampradaya is very simple:- following the four principles, restriction, avoiding the offenses, and chanting regular beads. That's all.

4. And hearing. Chanting and hearing, both things. Not only chanting; we have to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam. In this way we should engage twenty-four hours' business. Hear and chanting... When you speak, when you go to a lecture for preaching, that is also chanting, when you speak. And automatically there is hearing. If you chant, there is hearing also.

5. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ [SB 7.5.23]. There is memorizing also. Unless you memorize all the conclusions of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-Gita, you cannot speak.

Krishna willing we shall continue to hear more nectar on this topic in the subsequent offering.

Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Sudarshana devi dasi. Ways to Regulate Our Sleep - Part 2

Date: 2015-10-26 Author: Sudarshana devi dasi

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

This is in continuation of the previous topic, "Ways to Regulate Sleep", which is based on sublime instructions given by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada on Srimad Bhagavatam verse 6.3.18 in Gorakhpur on February 11 1971. Srila Prabhupada mentions how the nine ways of devotional service (as mentioned in Srimad Bhagavatam verse 7.5.23) starting from śravaṇaṁ - hearing can help us to regulate our life. Now we shall continue to hear powerful instructions by His Divine Grace on how we can regulate sleep.

1. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ, offering prayers. is also prayer. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna: "O Krishna, O the energy of Krishna, please engage me in Your service ." This Hare Krishna is simply prayer. So Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ. Always remain engaged as servant, dāsyaṁ. Sakhyam, always think that Krishna is your best friend, ātma-nivedanam, and dedicating everything to Krishna. This is our process.

2. And we have to be utilized under these processes twenty-four hours. Out of that, because we have got this body, it requires eating, sleeping, mating. So the arrangement is there.Eating is there; sleeping is there; mating is there; defending is there—but not excessively.

3. nāma-gāna... Saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ kālāvasānī-kṛtau nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau. The very word is used, vijita. You should not be conquered by them. Eating, sleeping, mating, defending required, but you should not be conquered by them. You shall conquer them. The maya is forcing me that, "You sleep twenty-four hours." But I have to conquer maya: "No. I shall not sleep more than seven hours." That is your business.

4. And how this maya can be conquered? That is also said. mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te: [Bg. 7.14] "Anyone who is fully surrendered, he can conquer the maya." Just like Thakura conquered maya. She came at dead of night, beautifully dressed, very young girl, and offered herself. But he conquered. "Yes, I shall do. I shall enjoy with you. Please sit down. Let me finish my regular chanting process. Then we shall enjoy." So he conquered maya. Maya could not conquer.

5. And if we fall flat to be conquered by the maya, then, we have to struggle. This is also another struggle for existence. As the materialists, they are also struggling for existence for a few days or few years only, our struggle is not for few days or few years, but eternally. The same struggle is there. Their process is different, our process is different. So we should be always conscious of our responsibility and that will help us.

6. We must stay awake. uttiṣṭha. Always remain awakened. So regular, seven hours sleep is sufficient. Why it should be more than that? What is the cause? Another cause may be that if we eat more, then sleep more. So in order to reduce the sleeping process, the eating process should be reduced. You can take (less), you fast one day, don't take anything, you will see that there will be less sleep. Is it not? Yes.

Krishna willing we shall continue to hear the sublime instructions from Srila Prabhupada in the next offering.

Hare Krishna. Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Sudarshana devi dasi. Ways to Regulate Our Sleep - Part 3

Date: 2015-10-27 Author: Sudarshana devi dasi

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

This is in continuation of the previous topic, "Ways to Regulate Sleep", which is based on sublime instructions given by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada on Srimad Bhagavatam verse 6.3.18 in Gorakhpur on February 11 1971. Now we shall continue to hear from Srila Prabhupada.

1. "Anyway, that you have to adjust, all of you, that "How I shall not sleep more than seven hours." Six hours, from ten to four, that is six hours, complete. And one hour during daytime. Then no more sleeping unless you are sick. But why you young boys and girls, why should you fall sick? There is no question of falling sick. You have got your now blood running on. You are not old. Your stomach is working nice. So you should adjust."

2. Srila Prabhupada then gives us practical examples of six of never slept for more than two hours and so it is not impractical thing to reduce sleep. He then gives examples how even materialists like Subhash Chandra Bose, Napoleon and Gandhiji also never slept. Napoleon slept only when he was travelling from one war-field to another and Gandhiji also slept only while travelling. One of the devotees then mentions of how Srila Prabhupada just slept only for five minutes on some days and then remaining time he used for serving Krishna. His Divine Grace then continues to say how regulating our eating habits helps us a lot in regulating our sleep. Taking the example of Gandhiji, His Divine Grace says, "Gandhi was very regular in his eating. He would take simply a cup of goat's milk and few peanuts and some day one or two capatis. Otherwise he will not take anything. And some oranges."

3. "That means when one is engaged in some serious business, he sleeps less. When I was in your country and was not attacked by the heart, so at night I was taping, and I was taping still two tapes. Two tapes. Therefore I was able to write so many books. Yes. So one should be engaged in serious business; then sleeping will be less. If there is no..., if we become lazy, if we have no sufficient engagement, then sleeping will come. And if no sufficient engagement, but sufficient eating, then the next result is sleeping."

4. From medical point of view, they say six hours sleeping is sufficient, six hours.

5. This way, personally we have to adjust things, not that by dictation or by rules and regulations. Personal affairs cannot be adjusted by rules and regulation. It can be adjusted by oneself. And then everything will be all right.

Krishna willing we shall continue to hear the sublime instructions from Srila Prabhupada in the next offering.

Hare Krishna. Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Sudarshana devi dasi. Ways to Regulate Our Sleep - Part 4

Date: 2015-10-28 Author: Sudarshana devi dasi

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

This is in continuation of the previous topic, "Ways to Regulate Sleep", which is based on sublime instructions given by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada on Srimad Bhagavatam verse 6.3.18 in Gorakhpur on February 11 1971.

1. Srila Prabhupada then quotes one of the verses from Sri Sad--ashtaka composed by Srinivasa acarya which explains how by properly engaging themselves in service of Krishna, the six Goswamis were able to regulate the eating and sleeping habits.

saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ kālāvasānī-kṛtau nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau cātyanta-dīnau ca yau rādhā-kṛṣṇa-guṇa-smṛter madhurimānandena sammohitau vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the six Goswamis, namely Sri , Sri , Sri Raghunatha Bhatta Goswami, Sri Raghunatha dasa Goswami, Sri , and Sri Gopala Bhatta Goswami, who were engaged in chanting the holy names of the Lord and bowing down in a scheduled measurement. In this way they utilized their valuable lives and in executing these devotional activities they conquered over eating and sleeping and were always meek and humble enchanted by remembering the transcendental qualities of the Lord.

2. Devotional service is not a stressful activity, but a joyful one - susukham kartum avyayam. So His Divine Grace says that "the six Goswamis saved time in this way, and -krishna-padaaravinda-bhajananandena mattaalikau, be jolly in the service of Radha-Krishna, bhajanananda. That should be the basis of jolly, jollyness. And this should be adjusted or minimized according to... Our real pleasure should be in bhajanaanandena. Radha-Krishna- padaravinda-bhajananandena."

3. "In this way we have taken very serious job. In this life we want to finish this material existence for good. That should be the responsibility, that "We are going to finish this material existence for good. No more coming." tyaktvaa deham punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. If you take responsibility in that way, then everything will be adjusted. Serious."

4. "My Guru Maharaja (HDG Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarawati Maharaj) used to say like that, that "Finish this business in this life. Don't delay for the next life." He was telling also that "Don't give me trouble again to come here to deliver you." That is the responsibility of spiritual master. Spiritual master responsibility is to take the disciple to Krishna, until he is able to do, to help him, to help him, to help him. That is the verdict of the shastras. Just like Bilvamangala Thakura. His spiritual master delivered him, taking the shape of a prostitute."

5. "We have to take responsibility. The first thing is that we have taken very, very responsible task, to finish this so- called lording over this material nature. The material life means everyone is trying to lord over the material nature, bhoga. And we cannot do that. That is not possible. Therefore we are in trouble...And our business is not to lord it over but to serve Krishna."

Krishna willing we shall continue to hear the sublime instructions from Srila Prabhupada in the next offering.

Hare Krishna. Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Sudarshana devi dasi. Ways to Regulate Our Sleep - Part 5

Date: 2015-10-29 Author: Sudarshana devi dasi

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

This is in conclusion of the previous topic, "Ways to Regulate Our Sleep", which is based on sublime instructions given by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada on Srimad Bhagavatam verse 6.3.18 in Gorakhpur on February 11, 1971.

1. We have to become Vishnudutas. Our preachers are Vishnudutas, just to give protection to any person who is slightly inclined to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is pancaraatra-vidhi. We shall give all help, all assistance, to such persons. That is our business. It is not sleeping business, it is not lazying business. We should be always active. We shall always make plan, think how to protect this miserable condition of the material world.

2. (People in the material world) They cannot understand. They are fools. They are rascals. So you have to give them knowledge. You have to give them help. That is missionary activity. Missionary activity is not laziness or sleeping. His Divine Grace then goes on to share the instructions of his spiritual master HDG Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswathi Maharaj who insisted that one should never become complacent in preaching. If for the sake of getting name and fame, one just simply chants and makes a show of devotional service then such kind of process is very much condemned.

3. Srila Siddhantha Saraswati Prabhupada said, "prāṇa āche yāra sei hetu pracāra, that "I have got some dozens of disciples, and I have got a temple, and people are contributing. Now I have got good arrangement for eating and sleeping. Now I am perfect. Because I am getting some food without any work, and honor, then I am perfect." This is not the mentality. Prāṇa āche yāra. You must be engaged continually for these missionary activity."

4. His Divine Grace further says that his Guru Maharaj wanted to see that everyone is engaged in preaching work, some sort of preaching work, either indoor or outdoor. When you are indoor you have to be busy writing articles for a magazine and proofread and so many things indoors. And outdoors you have to go door to door, make them members, make them interested in this movement, collect money for expenses, outdoor.

5. Preaching, you have to meet opposing elements. So many will criticize, so many will attack. Nityananda Prabhu was hurt personally, but still, outdoor. This is missionary work, not that "Whenever I find some opportunity, go to some solitary place and sleep." This is not missionary life.

6. So we should adjust things, not that "All right, it is going on. That's all." You have got very responsible business, this Krishna consciousness. It is genuine, it is authorized, and Lord Caitanya wants us to do it all over the world. The things should be adjusted and keep us always alive to our self responsibility. That is missionary life, not to give away.

Our heartfelt thanks to His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada for providing us these inspiring instructions and reminding us of the responsible business which is entrusted to us. Let us pray at the lotus feet of all the Vaishnavas so that we follow these instructions, regulate our lives and properly utilise our lives in Their service.

Hare Krishna. Thank you very much. Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva, Sudarshana devi dasi.