Bhagavad Gita 6.16
Spoken by Krishna · Verse 16 of 47
नात्यश्नतस्तु योगोऽस्ति न चैकान्तमनश्नतः | न चातिस्वप्नशीलस्य जाग्रतो नैव चार्जुन ||१६||
nātyaśnatas tu yogo'sti na caikāntam anaśnataḥ | na cātisvapnaśīlasya jāgrato naiva cārjuna || 16 ||
Yoga fails for those who eat or fast to excess — and equally for those who sleep too much or too little. Regulate.
Word by word (3)
- na ati-aśnataḥ yogo'sti
- — yoga is not for the one who eats too much · ati (excessive) + aśnataḥ (of the one who eats, from √aś). yogo'sti = yoga exists/is possible. Overeating (ati-āhāra) dulls the mind, creates heaviness, and promotes tamasic states — the opposite of the alert yet relaxed state required for meditation. The classical teaching (Yoga Sūtra and Āyurveda both agree): a half-full stomach is optimal for practice — enough to sustain, not so much as to cloud.
- na ca ekāntam anaśnataḥ
- — nor for the one who fasts completely · ekāntam = utterly, absolutely. anaśnataḥ = of the one who does not eat. Complete fasting creates weakness, agitation (vāta disturbance in Āyurvedic terms), and an inability to sustain the sustained attention required for deep practice. The Buddha famously discovered this: middle path between extreme asceticism and excessive indulgence is what actually works. V16 is the Gita's version of that discovery.
- na ati-svapna-śīlasya / jāgrataḥ naiva
- — not for the one who sleeps too much / nor for the one who stays awake too long · ati-svapna-śīla = habitually over-sleeping. jāgrata = staying awake (from √jāgṛ, to be awake). The sleep dimension parallels the food dimension: too much sleep = tamasic dullness (the mind is heavy, practice is impossible); too little sleep = rajasic agitation (the mind is too turbulent for meditation). Both extremes destroy the conditions for the subtle, alert-yet-settled quality that meditation requires. The V16 principle: moderation and regulation of the body's basic rhythms — eating, sleeping, waking — is the foundation of a sustainable practice.
Yoga is not for one who eats too much, nor for one who eats nothing at all; not for one given to too much sleep, nor for one who stays ever awake, O Arjuna.
A modern analogy
Think of a high-performance engine: it needs the right amount of fuel (not too rich, not too lean) and the right maintenance schedule (adequate downtime, not over-revved). An overfuelled engine floods; an under-fuelled engine stalls. An over-rested engine never warms up; an overworked engine burns out. This verse is the Gita's maintenance manual for the human system as a vehicle for yoga practice.
What it does NOT mean
This verse does NOT mean yoga requires perfect diet and sleep before you can start. It means: as you deepen your practice, pay attention to these two levers. Gradually regulate. The extremes are the enemies of practice — not occasional imperfection.
Take with you
- Food: the classical guideline (from Swarupananda's footnote on this verse): half the stomach for solid food, one quarter for liquid, one quarter left empty. For meditation, eat your last significant meal at least 2-3 hours before sitting.
- Sleep: 6-8 hours of regular, consistent sleep is the practical equivalent of this verse's middle path. Irregular sleep patterns (staying up very late, then compensating with long sleep) create exactly the tamasic/rajasic alternation that destroys practice quality.
- Both principles apply to any intense work, not just meditation. Athletes, artists, and thinkers have all discovered this verse's principle independently: extremes of any basic bodily rhythm impair the quality of the work.
Public-domain translations (6) compare all →
Yoga is not for the one who eats too much, nor for the one who fasts completely, nor for the one who sleeps too much, nor for the one who stays awake too long. [1]
Success in Yoga is not for him who eats too much or too little — nor, O Arjuna, for him who sleeps too much or too little. [4]
Yoga is not for him who eateth too much, nor for him who eateth too little; nor for one who sleepeth too much, nor for one who keepeth too long awake, O Arjuna. [5]
This Yoga is not for the man who eats too much or too little, nor for him who sleeps too much or too little. [6]
This Yog is not for him who eateth overmuch, nor for the faster; not for him who sleepeth overmuch, nor for the ever-watchful. [7]
This concentration is not for him who eats too much, nor who eats too little, nor who sleeps too much, nor, O Arjuna, who watches too long. [9]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Practising thus always, with a controlled mind — the yogi reaches the supreme peace of nirvāṇa, abiding in the Supreme.
Regulate food, recreation, effort and sleep — and yoga becomes the destroyer of all pain.
Sāttvic food enhances life, sattva, strength, health, joy, delight — savoury, oleaginous, substantial, heart-pleasing.
Greed, restless activity, and longing surge — know that rajas is predominant and karma-saṅga is binding.
Bodily tapas: honouring Devas/dvija/guru/wise; purity, straightforwardness, brahmacarya, non-injury.
Supreme bliss comes naturally to the yogi whose mind is fully at peace, passion quieted, stainless — Brahman-become.
Verse 16 of 47 · back to Chapter 6