The famous musician, Ustad Bismillah Khan, a player of the Indian shehnai flute, was awarded the Bharat Ratna. This is India’s highest civilian state award, a sign of recognition for the highest level of service to society. Even after receiving this highest recognition, Ustad Bismillah Khan still continued his daily riyaz (daily musical practice). Until the end of his days, every morning he would sit with his instrument and hone his mastery. He has now passed away. Before his death, he expressed only one wish: that the flute remain in his hands until the very end. He achieved international recognition, had many students, but he never stopped his abhyasa.
Besides abhyasa, you need to subject your life to a certain routine, daily schedule. You must meditate with rhythmic regularity at a specific time and in a specific place. You’ll need to enter into a precisely tuned rhythm of life – getting up at the same time in the morning, eating at the same time, going to bed at the same time.
Great attention must be paid to what you eat. Diet affects your health, mind, and psyche. Proper sattvic nutrition gives us a state of even peace and ability to concentrate. Intense-tasting food, such as overly spicy, salty, or sour items leads to an excited, agitated state of mind. It will be difficult for you to control yourself. Eat sattvic food – eat more fruits, vegetables, drink juices, milk. Such nutrition will maintain you in a state of calm, clear mind and concentration. It will support your abhyasa, practice.
The Bhagavad Gita5 says:
For those who are regulated in their habits of
Eating, sleeping, recreation and work,
the practice of Yoga becomes
the destroyer of suffering.
Adhere in your sadhana to rules that contribute to achieving your intended goal. Choose an appropriate diet. The time you wake up in the morning is very important. It’s best to wake up early in the morning, at 4 o’clock. Ten minutes before sunrise. If we want to establish contact with the Divine, we must wake up before our God awakens. As poet Vanshidhara Shukla wrote:
When you sleep – you lose.
When awakening – you find.
Open your eyes!
Turn your attention to God.
How can you sleep,
When your God is awake!
You can’t let your God wake up while you’re still sleeping. Rise before dawn. Wash yourself. Do puja6 and immerse yourself in dhyana, meditation. Stick to such a schedule. And if the one whom you love with all your soul has already awakened, while you still remain in the darkness of sleep, then who is to blame?
Further regarding the amount of food we should consume. The human stomach has three compartments. Any machine has an engine, tanks for gasoline, oil, and water. Similarly, the stomach has space for food, water, and air. And the stomach needs equal space for these three components. If we stuff the stomach completely with food, there will be no room left for water and air. Therefore, food should only occupy one-third of the stomach, no more, leaving room for water and air. If you consume a moderate amount of food, you won’t be overcome by drowsiness and laziness. On a full stomach, concentration of consciousness is impossible.
Siddharth: I’ve heard about these rules, read about them, but I want to clarify how much really depends on human capabilities here? How far do real human powers extend here? After all, we are all limited by our karmic conditions. For example, you explain how we should eat properly, but in our lives we all have certain habits, preferences, attractions. Moreover, we are bound by different circumstances. For instance, some often have to eat away from home, while others can’t break their family traditions and are forced to eat as is customary there. In general, sometimes it’s not so easy to change our way of life, even if we want to. What do you advise in this case?
Maharaj: One must firmly determine for oneself that I am not the body, I am Atma. One must establish oneself in this knowledge. Karma from previous lives influences the unfolding events and circumstances in this life. But you must establish yourself in the consciousness: I am not the body, I am Atma. Eternal, indestructible and unchangeable. Remain firmly in this consciousness, and circumstances will cease to affect you. Karma will not affect you. Often from hurtful words said by someone, we flare up in anger. But one who has this knowledge and firm conviction will not experience anger. He will not feel offense. Abiding in this consciousness, he pays no attention to hunger and cold. All his attention is focused on Atma. Atma neither eats nor drinks. Neither sleeps nor stays awake. It is unshakeable. Everything is the same to it. It is unchangeable. It is beyond karma. Neither heat nor cold frightens it. Though it is connected to the body, circumstances do not affect or change it in any way. It experiences no torment. It has no desires or doubts, no whims – I’ll eat this but not that. This is all external, superficial. And when a person abides in the firm knowledge that they are Atma, they most naturally accept evenly and calmly everything that comes their way – whatever God has sent is good. God will leave no one hungry. Everyone will get their roti.
We say: «my hand,» «my leg,» «my body.» We don’t say: «I am a hand» or «I am a leg.» That is, my hand or leg is something separate from me, a part of my body. So who is it that says «my»? The body doesn’t say that I am the body. Therefore, I am one thing, and my body is something else, separate from me. If a person says «this is my house,» then the difference between the «house» and this person is obvious, they are separate from each other.
Only one who seeks themselves has a chance to know another. First find yourself, understand who you are. Who am I – Atma or body? Here, for example, is my hand. What does «my» mean? And whose hand is it really? My leg hurts. Whose leg? Mine. Good, but who are you? The leg isn’t you if you say «my.» The one who says «my» – that is you.
This element needs to be caught – this is Atma. Atma is the awareness sitting within me, the sensation, the vision of Self. Catch this sensation – who says «my»? Once you grasp this sense of «Self», you’ll gain awareness and much knowledge will open up. Gradually, through abhyasa, practice, reflection, and training, you’ll accumulate certain experience, the realization that I am not the body, I am Atma.
The first Adiguru of the Jains, a famous rishi, held one hand over fire while holding his wife with the other. With one hand he gained the experience of suffering, with the other the experience of bliss. And he tried to maintain balance, to remain at the neutral point of non-suffering and non-bliss. This is the state of understanding that you are Atma. His name was Rishi Vishabdev. Mahavira, the founder of Jainism, was his disciple. It’s like with the Sikhs – Guru Nanak didn’t officially create Sikhism, its creator is considered to be his disciple Guru Govind. Similarly with the Jains: the spreader of Jain teaching was Vishabdev’s disciple – Mahavira.
In Tamil Nadu state lived a holy mahatma, this was a hundred years ago. In his youth, his parents arranged his marriage by contract, hardly asking his opinion or consent, as was customary in those times. But he didn’t even pay any attention to this. All his attention was directed towards sadhana practice, he devoted all his time to meditation. He lived in a separate room, hardly ever left it, and meditated by the light of an oil lamp. He had no concern for what was happening in his family. All household members respected his practice, tried not to disturb him, simply cared for and looked after him, providing everything necessary to sustain life. Thus years passed. Fifteen years went by. Once, his lamp was running out of oil, and its light began to dim. His wife noticed he was sitting almost in darkness, approached him and added oil. The light flared brightly, and the mahatma startled from surprise. He raised his eyes, stared in amazement at his wife