Hare Krishna!Overcomng sleep is one of the main obstacles in the path of my spiritual progress. All my life so far I have been used to sleeping unrestrictredly. And the reason always was "What will I do after waking up anyway?".
However, now-a-days, I have started attending the morning program at Yoga (more about Yoga in another article). I try to reach there before 0530. This is quite a feat for me and its very clear that I am able to do so everyday only by the grace of Srila Prabhupada.
As Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, when one finds a higher taste, the lower tastes (or attractions) go away! Earlier I had nothing to do after getting up. Well, there were always some alternatives like trekking, playing, going for a picnic, etc. but all these occasions were few and far in between. This is another example of how for an activity one likes to do, one can get up early in the morning too :-) And Prabhupada has given all the world an option for developing the highest taste, love of God! All fortunate people will sooner or later discover this taste once they get in touch with Prabhupada through ISKCON. Let us pray that all people in the world become fortunate enough by getting the causeless mercy of Srila Prabhupada!
One important thing I have recently reaslised. That if I keep waiting for the opportunity to sleep, then it becomes very frustrating if I do not get the opportunity. In other words, if I am more sleep-conscious than Krishna conscious, then there is every chance that I will feel frustrated, grumpy, tired, and so on. However, if I reduce the priority of sleep and if I dont eagerly wait for the opportunity to sleep and instead become more and more eager to find an opportunity to serve Krishna, then my days become very very joyful and full of energy!
This gives us an indication of how Maya works through the mind. If I let my mind dictate to me that sleep is very important, or that I need sleep more than others, or that I am a new devotee so I can sleep more, and so on... then I will always be unenthusiastic about service to Krishna if it is hampering my sleep (sense gratification in general). However, if I dictate the mind to force it to act according to what I think is right (i.e. service to Krishna), then I can gradually get out of the clutches of Maya!
Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, the uncontrolled mind is ones greatest enemy while the controlled mind is ones greatest friend. It is difficult to control the mind but it is possible by strong determnation. The choice is ours. Are we ready to take some pains for a higher goal? Are we ready to bear some temporary inconvenience for eternal joy? The choice is ours!
Your servant,
Abhijit.
