abhÄ«kṣṇÄvagÄha-kapiÅ›Än
jaá¹ilÄn kuá¹ilÄlakÄn
ÄtmÄnaá¹ cogra-tapasÄ
bibhratī cīriṇaṠkṛśam
abhÄ«kṣṇa - again and again; avagÄha - by bathing; kapiÅ›Än - gray; jaá¹ilÄn - matted; kuá¹ila - curled; alakÄn - hair; ÄtmÄnam - her body; ca - and; ugra-tapasÄ - by severe austerities; bibhratÄ« - became; cÄ«riṇam - clothed in rags; kṛśam - thin.
It is the practice of the yogÄ«, brahmacÄrÄ«, vÄnaprastha and sannyÄsÄ« to bathe at least three times daily — early in the morning, during noontime and in the evening. These principles are strictly followed even by some gá¹›hasthas, especially brÄhmaṇas, who are elevated in spiritual consciousness. DevahÅ«ti was a king’s daughter and almost a king’s wife also. Although Kardama Muni was not a king, by his yogic mystic power he accommodated DevahÅ«ti very comfortably in a nice palace with maidservants and all opulence. But since she had learned austerity even in the presence of her husband, there was no difficulty for her to be austere. Still, because her body underwent severe austerity after the departure of her husband and son, she became thin. To be too fat is not very good for spiritually advanced life. Rather, one should reduce because if one becomes fat it is an impediment to progress in spiritual understanding. One should be careful not to eat too much, sleep too much or remain in a comfortable position. Voluntarily accepting some penances and difficulties, one should take less food and less sleep. These are the procedures for practicing any kind of yoga, whether bhakti-yoga, jñÄna-yoga or haá¹ha-yoga.