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TEXT 16 naty-asnatas 'tu yogo 'sti
SYNONYMS  na--never;
ati--too much; asnatah--of one who eats so; tu--but;
yogah--linking with the Supreme; asti--there is; na--nor;
ca--also; ekantam--very low; anasnatah--abstaining
from eating; na--nor; ca--also; ati--too much; svapna-silasya--of
one who sleeps too much; jagratah--or one who keeps night watch
too much; na--not; eva--ever; ca--and; arjuna--O
Arjuna.
TRANSLATION 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.
PURPORT Regulation of
diet and sleep is recommended herein for the yogis. Too much eating
means eating more than is required to keep the body and soul together.
There is no need for men to eat animals, because there is an ample supply
of grains, vegetables, fruits and milk. Such simple foodstuff is considered
to be in the mode of goodness according to the Bhagavad-gita. Animal
food is for those in the mode of ignorance. Therefore, those who indulge
in animal food, drinking, smoking and eating food which is not first offered
to Krsna will suffer sinful reactions because of eating only polluted things.
Bhunjate te tv agham papa ye pacanty atma-karanat. Anyone who eats
for sense pleasure, or cooks for himself, not offering his food to Krsna,
eats only sin. One who eats sin and eats more than is allotted to him cannot
execute perfect yoga. It is best that one eat only the remnants
of foodstuff offered to Krsna. A person in Krsna consciousness does not
eat anything which is not first offered to Krsna. Therefore, only the Krsna
conscious person can attain perfection in yoga practice. Nor can
one who artificially abstains from eating, manufacturing his own personal
process of fasting, practice yoga. The Krsna conscious person observes
fasting as it is recommended in the scriptures. He does not fast or eat
more than is required, and he is thus competent to perform yoga
practice. One who eats more than required will dream very much while sleeping,
and he must consequently sleep more than is required. One should not sleep
more than six hours daily. One who sleeps more than six hours out of twenty-four
is certainly influenced by the mode of ignorance. A person in the mode
of ignorance is lazy and prone to sleep a great deal. Such a person cannot
perform yoga.
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