Krishna says in Gita 3.41: “Therefore, O Arjuna, best of the Bhäratas, in the very beginning curb this great symbol of sin [lust] by regulating the senses, and slay this destroyer of knowledge and self-realization.” This verse has often come to mind when I am having difficulty. One reason is because I am usually acting whimsically rather than following my schedule. Like anyone else, I can't help sometimes getting off track, but since I am aware of the many benefits of staying regulated, I try to get back on course as soon as possible.
First of all, regulating the senses elevates us from the bodily dictations. When we do things according to plan, especially when we don't feel like it, we are acting according to our higher intelligence, letting the senses know who's boss. Thus, we become more and more free from the grip of bodily consciousness.
It is an interesting experience, for example, to have the urge to say something at an angry moment, but by putting it off in order to get one's regular activities done first, may change into a far better reaction.
Furthermore, when the senses are regulated, it is easier to remember to do things; it is easier to concentrate and feel the determination to do them, and they get done in much less time than when one is stuck on the mental platform. Otherwise, when there is no plan for the day, one immediately feels spaced out and unmotivated. Stress begins to mount, compounding the problem and, for the inexperienced, making it is harder to become motivated once again.
Besides that, regulated living promotes good health. For one thing, if there is any bodily disturbance it is easier to trace the cause by looking for any recent irregularity in regards to eating, sleeping and so on. It also gives a healthy balance or moderation in daily activities. Otherwise, with the exception of Krishna consciousness, too much of anything is not good. Too much study, for example, wearies the body. Too much eating creates a need for excess sleep.
Here's help for getting regulated:
RISING EARLY
We've heard from the spiritual master dozens of times to rise early and chant Hare Krishna. It's one of the most important things we can do each day for both spiritual and material reasons. First of all, early morning really makes a big difference for spiritual practices. There is less going on and the association with the mode of goodness is prominent. Second, there are health benefits. For example, giving the stomach more time to get hungry and thus creating a better appetite and digestion when breakfast time rolls around. There is time to drink more water, too. Third, rising early helps for avoiding sexual agitation or drowsiness from sleeping too long, as well as ghostly association. And by learning to get up early on a regular basis, one discovers more energy in the morning to get things done.
WAKING UP IS HARD TO DO
Some tips for early rising:
A good morning program begins the night before. An evening routine, such as getting one's chores done, having a evening spiritual program and getting to bed at a decent hour, all help make the following morning much easier to deal with. It enables us to wake up feeling good and therefore better able to chant and continue with our duties. Also Bhagavad gita 6.16 cautions, "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." Often we are concerned as devotees not to waste time sleeping too much, but we should be just as concerned not to sleep too little. Sufficient sleep makes a huge difference .
To get to bed on time, it helps to be aware of Maya’s distractions throughout the day that waste time and potentially disrupt one's evening routine such as TV watching, overeating, thoughtless talk, laziness, and daydreaming. All these anarthas may take much time to overcome, but when they begin to disappear from a devotee's life, it is a fascinating discovery that one can be very happy without them and have enough time to get to bed at a reasonable hour.
Often we don't want to go to sleep because we have projects going on. It helps to think how quickly time passes while sleeping that actually we will be able to get back to our projects very shortly.
It’s a good idea also to eat a light or early dinner, so that we’ll want an earlier breakfast, earlier lunch and thus get to bed early each day. Breakfast and dinner should be sufficient, therefore, so that an evening meal can be light. Otherwise, eating heavily before retiring may increase a need for sleep or promotes a lot of dreaming which may make sleep not as deep as it can be.
Another thing to watch out for is oversleeping. It seems that the more we sleep the sleepier we can get, thus making it difficult to rise early. Better to get out of bed right away. Remembering and offering obeisances to one's guru along with chanting prayers and the Hare Krishna mantra as one awakens and or playing transcendental recordings helps to do this. Some leave their alarm clock at a distance, so that they have to get out of bed to shut it off. Also putting on any lights, and contacting water by rinsing the face and mouth. Also taking a bath as cool as possible. A cool bath is a devotee's morning coffee.
Next comes the morning program. This is so important because the Lord’s association, by attending a Krishna conscious morning program, further frees one from all traces of fatigue and prepares us for a day of remembering Krishna.
“The desert of material existence has exhausted me. But today I will cast aside all troubles by diving into the lake of Lord Hari and drinking freely of the abundant waters of His splendor. The lotuses in that lake are His hands and feet, and the fish are His brilliant shining eyes. That lake's water relieves all fatigue and is agitated by the waves His arms create. Its current flows deep beyond fathoming." - Mukunda mala stotra, sutra 8
Waking time should be kept strictly regular, even on weekends, holidays and difficult days. If extra tired, it's important to resist "sleeping in" (unless it's very minimal like 1/2-1 hr). It is better to resolve to go to sleep earlier or take short naps during the day instead. Short naps (10-30 min) are very helpful. After a while one discovers it is possible to sufficiently rest the body without having to fall asleep. This kind of napping simply allows the body to regain energy. Plus, by the bhakti process, gradually we will get used to tolerating fatigue, just like we tolerate hunger pangs while fasting, knowing that they will pass. In the meantime, however, it is best not to shorten sleep artificially. One should sleep as much as they need to, but no more. Some bodily types need more than others.
.
So we need to decide. Either we can get up late and feel tired all day and get little done and feel awake in the evening and unable to go to sleep at the proper time, or we can get up early and get a head start and feel awake during the day and tired as night approaches. It is a matter of training the body. Either we suffer physically by getting up early, or we suffer mentally, being disturbed all day by a late start.
Even successful karmis rise early for money. As devotees we may not feel like getting up for these things, but we get up for Krishna. For devotees, it's not just a job, either, the morning program is a favorite form of recreation which gives eternal, as well as material benefits.
SCHEDULE SUGGESTIONS
As mentioned before, it's good to have a morning and evening routine and regulated meals. At least meals, rising and rest should be very regular, acting as the backbone of any schedule. The activities between these times may be much more flexible or variable.
Ideally, early morning is the best for devotion, morning is good for more intense activities such as academic study or physical labor, the afternoon is good for less physical, more sedentary activities or recreation, allowing one to gradually unwind as evening approaches, and the evening should, once again, be reserved for devotion. Regulated recreation means setting a time limit so not to get carried away, thus neglecting other duties.
It helps to do everything as scheduled each day even if an activity must be cut short. For example, on a busy day one may need to shorten an exercise routine. Five minutes of reading the sastras is better than not reading. Or one may take darshan only a few minutes. But those few minutes are better than none.
When you mess up or there are interruptions, just get back on track as soon as possible. It's nice also to have a plan B, a more relaxed schedule to follow for sick days or days when one simply needs to do a lot less.
GOOD HABITS
Good habits are a result of regulated living, and every moment is a chance to reinforce a good habit or a bad one. Along with routines, good habits make a day go a lot smoother. Some examples of good habits would be:
Fixing one's bed immediately after rising.
Putting on tilak after every bath.
Taking darshan at least once a day.
Cleaning while cooking.
Washing mouths, dishes, eating place, pots and entire kitchen without delay after each meal.
Folding and putting laundry away as soon as its taken down.
Picking up and putting a thing back in its proper place after using it
Turning off lights not in use.
It is better to have developed good habits early in life, but for someone with a late start, it is not impossible to improve, since attraction for Lord is so powerful. In the meantime, the order of the spiritual master should give sufficient impetus to become disciplined.
As for other training courses and support for developing good routines and habits, signing up at FlyLady.net (see link on the right) is suggested (although the website has changed greatly over the years, looking rather..."cluttered").
MORE HELPFUL QUOTES:
“Anyone who wants to make progress in spiritual life, he must be sadäcära. His behavior must be very regulated." --rm conversation, 12/12/70, Indore
DON’T BE KUMBHAKARNA
“Anyone who sleeps more than six or seven hours, he is a Kumbhakarna. Kumbhakarna as the brother of Ravana. He was sleeping six months, and six months he was awake. That means anyone who sleeps half the, 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.”--SB 6.3.18 lecture, 2/11/71, Gorakhpur
DON’T BE ARTIFICIAL
Prabhupada: “No, you can sleep till you are refreshed. Somebody’s refreshed by sleeping four hours. Somebody is refreshed by sleeping ten hours.” -morning walk, 3/23/68, SF
“We don't say that "Don't sleep." No, you sleep, but must rise early in the morning for mangala-ärati." -morning walk, 5/30/74, Rome
MORNING BEST FOR SPIRITUAL ACTIVITIES
"Spiritual activities performed early in the morning have a greater effect than in any other part of the day.”---SB 3.20.46 purport
THE SPIRITUAL TEST
“One who cannot rise early in the morning, he is not spiritually serious. That is test. Brahma-muhürta, this hour, one hour before sunrise, is very auspicious moment.”- rm conversation, 12/13/70, Indore
RISING EARLY TIPS
“ In the morning, in the early morning hours (known as brähma-muhürta) one should get up and immediately chant the Hare Krsna mantra, or at least 'Krsna, Krsna, Krsna.' In this way, one should remember Krsna. Some slokas or prayers should also be chanted. By chanting, one immediately becomes auspicious and transcendental to them infection of material qualities.”--Madhya 24.331
TOUCHING WATER TO RELIEVE FATIGUE
“I (Narada Muni) felt tired, both bodily and mentally, and I was both thirsty and hungry. So I took a bath in a rive lake and also drank water. By contacting water, I got relief from my exhaustion.” SB 1.6.14
PRABHUPADA'S SUGGESTION
Prabhupäda: People still, in India, those who are rich men, they have got their family temple Deities. One temple is there in Kanpur. The family members, they are very rich. The rule is that if the family members do not come in the temple to offer obeisances to the Deity, they'll be fined... So if somebody misses to go in the temple one day, the priest presents the bill: "Sir, you have been fined five rupees." (Laughter) So they pay. Yes. So we should also enforce that rule. Anyone who is not attending mangala-ärati should be fined. (laughter) And the fine should be that he must sell one Krishna book. (laughter) Is that all right? --SB 2.3.25 lecture, 6/1/72, LA
First of all, regulating the senses elevates us from the bodily dictations. When we do things according to plan, especially when we don't feel like it, we are acting according to our higher intelligence, letting the senses know who's boss. Thus, we become more and more free from the grip of bodily consciousness.
It is an interesting experience, for example, to have the urge to say something at an angry moment, but by putting it off in order to get one's regular activities done first, may change into a far better reaction.
Furthermore, when the senses are regulated, it is easier to remember to do things; it is easier to concentrate and feel the determination to do them, and they get done in much less time than when one is stuck on the mental platform. Otherwise, when there is no plan for the day, one immediately feels spaced out and unmotivated. Stress begins to mount, compounding the problem and, for the inexperienced, making it is harder to become motivated once again.
Besides that, regulated living promotes good health. For one thing, if there is any bodily disturbance it is easier to trace the cause by looking for any recent irregularity in regards to eating, sleeping and so on. It also gives a healthy balance or moderation in daily activities. Otherwise, with the exception of Krishna consciousness, too much of anything is not good. Too much study, for example, wearies the body. Too much eating creates a need for excess sleep.
Here's help for getting regulated:
RISING EARLY
We've heard from the spiritual master dozens of times to rise early and chant Hare Krishna. It's one of the most important things we can do each day for both spiritual and material reasons. First of all, early morning really makes a big difference for spiritual practices. There is less going on and the association with the mode of goodness is prominent. Second, there are health benefits. For example, giving the stomach more time to get hungry and thus creating a better appetite and digestion when breakfast time rolls around. There is time to drink more water, too. Third, rising early helps for avoiding sexual agitation or drowsiness from sleeping too long, as well as ghostly association. And by learning to get up early on a regular basis, one discovers more energy in the morning to get things done.
WAKING UP IS HARD TO DO
Some tips for early rising:
A good morning program begins the night before. An evening routine, such as getting one's chores done, having a evening spiritual program and getting to bed at a decent hour, all help make the following morning much easier to deal with. It enables us to wake up feeling good and therefore better able to chant and continue with our duties. Also Bhagavad gita 6.16 cautions, "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." Often we are concerned as devotees not to waste time sleeping too much, but we should be just as concerned not to sleep too little. Sufficient sleep makes a huge difference .
To get to bed on time, it helps to be aware of Maya’s distractions throughout the day that waste time and potentially disrupt one's evening routine such as TV watching, overeating, thoughtless talk, laziness, and daydreaming. All these anarthas may take much time to overcome, but when they begin to disappear from a devotee's life, it is a fascinating discovery that one can be very happy without them and have enough time to get to bed at a reasonable hour.
Often we don't want to go to sleep because we have projects going on. It helps to think how quickly time passes while sleeping that actually we will be able to get back to our projects very shortly.
It’s a good idea also to eat a light or early dinner, so that we’ll want an earlier breakfast, earlier lunch and thus get to bed early each day. Breakfast and dinner should be sufficient, therefore, so that an evening meal can be light. Otherwise, eating heavily before retiring may increase a need for sleep or promotes a lot of dreaming which may make sleep not as deep as it can be.
Another thing to watch out for is oversleeping. It seems that the more we sleep the sleepier we can get, thus making it difficult to rise early. Better to get out of bed right away. Remembering and offering obeisances to one's guru along with chanting prayers and the Hare Krishna mantra as one awakens and or playing transcendental recordings helps to do this. Some leave their alarm clock at a distance, so that they have to get out of bed to shut it off. Also putting on any lights, and contacting water by rinsing the face and mouth. Also taking a bath as cool as possible. A cool bath is a devotee's morning coffee.
Next comes the morning program. This is so important because the Lord’s association, by attending a Krishna conscious morning program, further frees one from all traces of fatigue and prepares us for a day of remembering Krishna.
“The desert of material existence has exhausted me. But today I will cast aside all troubles by diving into the lake of Lord Hari and drinking freely of the abundant waters of His splendor. The lotuses in that lake are His hands and feet, and the fish are His brilliant shining eyes. That lake's water relieves all fatigue and is agitated by the waves His arms create. Its current flows deep beyond fathoming." - Mukunda mala stotra, sutra 8
Waking time should be kept strictly regular, even on weekends, holidays and difficult days. If extra tired, it's important to resist "sleeping in" (unless it's very minimal like 1/2-1 hr). It is better to resolve to go to sleep earlier or take short naps during the day instead. Short naps (10-30 min) are very helpful. After a while one discovers it is possible to sufficiently rest the body without having to fall asleep. This kind of napping simply allows the body to regain energy. Plus, by the bhakti process, gradually we will get used to tolerating fatigue, just like we tolerate hunger pangs while fasting, knowing that they will pass. In the meantime, however, it is best not to shorten sleep artificially. One should sleep as much as they need to, but no more. Some bodily types need more than others.
.
So we need to decide. Either we can get up late and feel tired all day and get little done and feel awake in the evening and unable to go to sleep at the proper time, or we can get up early and get a head start and feel awake during the day and tired as night approaches. It is a matter of training the body. Either we suffer physically by getting up early, or we suffer mentally, being disturbed all day by a late start.
Even successful karmis rise early for money. As devotees we may not feel like getting up for these things, but we get up for Krishna. For devotees, it's not just a job, either, the morning program is a favorite form of recreation which gives eternal, as well as material benefits.
SCHEDULE SUGGESTIONS
As mentioned before, it's good to have a morning and evening routine and regulated meals. At least meals, rising and rest should be very regular, acting as the backbone of any schedule. The activities between these times may be much more flexible or variable.
Ideally, early morning is the best for devotion, morning is good for more intense activities such as academic study or physical labor, the afternoon is good for less physical, more sedentary activities or recreation, allowing one to gradually unwind as evening approaches, and the evening should, once again, be reserved for devotion. Regulated recreation means setting a time limit so not to get carried away, thus neglecting other duties.
It helps to do everything as scheduled each day even if an activity must be cut short. For example, on a busy day one may need to shorten an exercise routine. Five minutes of reading the sastras is better than not reading. Or one may take darshan only a few minutes. But those few minutes are better than none.
When you mess up or there are interruptions, just get back on track as soon as possible. It's nice also to have a plan B, a more relaxed schedule to follow for sick days or days when one simply needs to do a lot less.
GOOD HABITS
Good habits are a result of regulated living, and every moment is a chance to reinforce a good habit or a bad one. Along with routines, good habits make a day go a lot smoother. Some examples of good habits would be:
Fixing one's bed immediately after rising.
Putting on tilak after every bath.
Taking darshan at least once a day.
Cleaning while cooking.
Washing mouths, dishes, eating place, pots and entire kitchen without delay after each meal.
Folding and putting laundry away as soon as its taken down.
Picking up and putting a thing back in its proper place after using it
Turning off lights not in use.
It is better to have developed good habits early in life, but for someone with a late start, it is not impossible to improve, since attraction for Lord is so powerful. In the meantime, the order of the spiritual master should give sufficient impetus to become disciplined.
As for other training courses and support for developing good routines and habits, signing up at FlyLady.net (see link on the right) is suggested (although the website has changed greatly over the years, looking rather..."cluttered").
MORE HELPFUL QUOTES:
“Anyone who wants to make progress in spiritual life, he must be sadäcära. His behavior must be very regulated." --rm conversation, 12/12/70, Indore
DON’T BE KUMBHAKARNA
“Anyone who sleeps more than six or seven hours, he is a Kumbhakarna. Kumbhakarna as the brother of Ravana. He was sleeping six months, and six months he was awake. That means anyone who sleeps half the, 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.”--SB 6.3.18 lecture, 2/11/71, Gorakhpur
DON’T BE ARTIFICIAL
Prabhupada: “No, you can sleep till you are refreshed. Somebody’s refreshed by sleeping four hours. Somebody is refreshed by sleeping ten hours.” -morning walk, 3/23/68, SF
“We don't say that "Don't sleep." No, you sleep, but must rise early in the morning for mangala-ärati." -morning walk, 5/30/74, Rome
MORNING BEST FOR SPIRITUAL ACTIVITIES
"Spiritual activities performed early in the morning have a greater effect than in any other part of the day.”---SB 3.20.46 purport
THE SPIRITUAL TEST
“One who cannot rise early in the morning, he is not spiritually serious. That is test. Brahma-muhürta, this hour, one hour before sunrise, is very auspicious moment.”- rm conversation, 12/13/70, Indore
RISING EARLY TIPS
“ In the morning, in the early morning hours (known as brähma-muhürta) one should get up and immediately chant the Hare Krsna mantra, or at least 'Krsna, Krsna, Krsna.' In this way, one should remember Krsna. Some slokas or prayers should also be chanted. By chanting, one immediately becomes auspicious and transcendental to them infection of material qualities.”--Madhya 24.331
TOUCHING WATER TO RELIEVE FATIGUE
“I (Narada Muni) felt tired, both bodily and mentally, and I was both thirsty and hungry. So I took a bath in a rive lake and also drank water. By contacting water, I got relief from my exhaustion.” SB 1.6.14
PRABHUPADA'S SUGGESTION
Prabhupäda: People still, in India, those who are rich men, they have got their family temple Deities. One temple is there in Kanpur. The family members, they are very rich. The rule is that if the family members do not come in the temple to offer obeisances to the Deity, they'll be fined... So if somebody misses to go in the temple one day, the priest presents the bill: "Sir, you have been fined five rupees." (Laughter) So they pay. Yes. So we should also enforce that rule. Anyone who is not attending mangala-ärati should be fined. (laughter) And the fine should be that he must sell one Krishna book. (laughter) Is that all right? --SB 2.3.25 lecture, 6/1/72, LA