Not too much, not too little

nātyaśnatastu yogo’asti na caikāntamanaśnataḥna cātisvapnaśīlasya jāgrato naiva cārjuna

Yoga is not for one who eats too much or not at all, nor for one who sleeps too much or too little, Arjuna.

What it means

Here Krishna rejects extremes. In his time, some seekers starved themselves or stayed awake for days, believing harshness was holiness. Krishna says no. Overdoing and underdoing both make yoga, the steady path, impossible. The body is not an enemy to defeat. It is an instrument to tune.

The story

Arjuna's brother Bhima was famous for his giant appetite. Arjuna himself was called Gudakesha, conqueror of sleep. Krishna, who knows them both well, reminds him that even strengths become obstacles when pushed to extremes.

In your life

During exam week, Chloe lives on energy drinks and four hours of sleep. Her grades are slipping anyway. Tonight she eats a real dinner, closes her books at eleven, and sleeps.