In the ashram, the room next to mine stays an elderly brahmacari. Well-nigh eighty years old, he has been serving at the temple for the last 25 years. Now, at an advanced age, he has stopped doing physical service and is focusing more on sadhana, meditation and prayers.
Due to bodily limitations, it takes him almost 2 hours to get ready for the temple morning program at 4:30 am. With great determination, he wakes up early without fail and attends the morning prayer, worship, and the Srimad Bhagavatam class.
After the morning program and breakfast, he continues with his sadhana or sometimes offers valuable advice to the pilgrims and younger residents of the Dham.
To keep himself fit and occupied, he saves the lunch prasadam for temple priests and other devotees who may have missed it because of services. He walks up and down to different devotees at the temple to give them prasadam.
In the village ashram where he stays, he distributes prasadam to the neighbours. They gladly accept it from him.
Around midday, he returns to his room for a short nap, washes his laundry, and chants Gayatri mantras. After that, he goes to the ashram to honour the lunch prasadam.
After lunch, he usually chants extra japa and worships Tulsi devi by circumambulating her. Devotees notice him walking around the Tulsi house for a long time, often until sunset.
Then he returns to the ashram for a cup of hot Goshala milk and goes to his room for his daily scriptural studies with the devotees online.
Around 10 pm, he takes rest, sleeps for 4 hours, and follows the same routine the next day. That is his daily routine.
Dinacharya is a principle in Ayurveda. It refers to a daily routine that helps to maintain physical health.
According to Ayurveda, establishing a healthy and consistent dinacharya allows the body to be in tune with the cycles of nature, promoting optimal wellness.
Routine helps to establish balance by regularising a person’s biological clock, aiding digestion, absorption and assimilation, and generating self-esteem, discipline, peace, happiness, and longevity.
Bhagavat Gita also teaches us that regulation is the critical component for success in the practice of yoga.
Bg 6.17- He who is regulated in his habits of eating, sleeping, recreation and work can mitigate all material pains by practising the yoga system.
My senior brahmacari friend fully realised the benefits of being regulated in his daily activities and is experiencing the results of the same- absorption in his spiritual practices.
Ananta Gopal Das
29.1.2023
Bhakti Wisdom 