Question: Do we receive anything from you when we sleep during meditations? Do you scold us?

Sri Chinmoy: When some of you are really asleep, sometimes it happens that you help me, even in a negative way. Sometimes you come to meditation agitated and angry with me or some of the disciples. When you are angry with me, you are consciously hurting me. You are not surrendering; you are only striking me again and again. But if you get tired of your action and you fall asleep, at that time what actually happens is that you surrender to me consciously or unconsciously, and you give up the fight. You are no longer striking me. At that time I am in a position to place you on my shoulder. You are like a child who is angry with the mother. He goes on throwing everything that he finds — dolls, toys, and everything — and then he becomes tired. Then what happens? When he is totally tired, he falls asleep and the mother can do anything with him. Similarly, when a disciple falls asleep, I can carry him, and show him light. So in such cases, it is better to fall asleep during meditation, so that you don't throw your anger and depression and other negative forces into me. Instead of throwing these forces into me, if you consciously fall asleep, then at that time I will lift them and I will lift you on my shoulder. Whatever you have and whatever you are will be on my shoulder. So at that time sleep is helpful.

But if you come to me with devotion, love, aspiration and intensity at that time, then it is a bad thing to fall asleep. At that time if you can give me all the good qualities that you have got, the father and son or father and daughter become one, and we become much stronger. I deal with infinite Light and Bliss, but the very fact that you are giving me something very good and very divine adds to your own capacity. When you offer any good quality, immediately it adds. If you have to fight against a tiger or a person, when you take my side and I take your side, it becomes very easy. When you have come with aspiration, it is really harmful for you to sleep. It is harmful in the sense that if you come with aspiration, then you can really be of great help to me. But if you don't come with aspiration, if you come with agitation and anger and depression, then the best thing is to fall asleep.