Ways to Regulate Our Sleep - Part 1 Date: 2015-10-25 Author: Sudarshana devi dasi Hare Krishna 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. Hare Krishna 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 Haridasa 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 Goswamis of Vrindavan 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-Goswami-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.