Question: Why does sleep have such a complete and powerful grasp on my life? When it comes to me I am so completely and hopelessly overcome.

Guru: I have told you many, many times that in this world nobody wants to remain indebted to others. Eventually everybody wants to be even, because by remaining indebted to somebody else one gets the experience of inferiority. Therefore, everybody wants to be even, equal, on the level of friendship or oneness.

Now you love sleep far beyond your imagination. Similarly, the Sleep-Queen also loves you far beyond your imagination. If you love the Sleep-Queen so intensely and continuously, how can the Sleep-Queen remain without loving you to the same extent? Everything is reciprocal. You love her and she loves you. If you withdraw your love, you will see that the Sleep-Queen will also withdraw her love.

There is one thing you can tell the Sleep-Queen. Tell her, “I shall be extremely grateful to you, Queen, if you allow me to come to you whenever I want. And when you want to come to me, you will kindly let me know beforehand.” Then you will go to the Sleep-Queen only when you desperately need her help — when you are tired, exhausted, dead, and you have to sleep, then go. But when you are quite fresh, energetic, and you have work to do, at that time if the Sleep-Queen wants to come to you, you will simply refuse. Then the Sleep-Queen will be extremely displeased with you. She will say, “When you needed me, you came to me. Now I need you, but you won’t see me.” The Sleep-Queen will be displeased with you and stop coming to you.

You have come into the world to accept the spiritual life. You have to do much for the Supreme. When you are ready to work for the Supreme, eager to work for the Supreme, just because you want to become a faithful, devoted instrument, the Supreme will always give you work. If He sees that your health is breaking from lack of sleep, He will feel sorry, and He will give you the necessary sleep, but not unnecessary sleep. The hours that you need — six to seven maximum — He will give you, so that you can do His work. But if you want eight, nine, ten hours, He will say, “Then go back to the Sleep-Queen. I don’t need you.” Then you will be totally lost, because the Sleep-Queen by this time has left you, feeling that it is beneath her dignity to maintain a friendship with you when you have played the role of a rogue. But of course, you have played the role of a divine rogue.

So remember always what you have come here for: to work for the Supreme. I assure you that neither your body, nor anybody’s body, will ever be shattered by working for the Supreme. The Supreme grants each individual infinitely more capacity than the individual needs to do the Supreme’s work. Your body will not fail; nobody’s body will fail, if he or she works for the Supreme. What the Supreme wants is the fulfilment of His Mission. If He has to fulfil His Mission, He will keep His instruments in perfect shape. Nobody’s body will be ruined by working for the Supreme. Nobody’s body will fail because of obeying the dictates of the Supreme for His manifestation.