Question: Sometimes when I meditate I feel as though I am being drained of energy, and I go into a type of sleep that is hard to come out of.

Sri Chinmoy: You are relaxing too much. It is not good to be tense when you meditate, but you are going to the opposite extreme. When you meditate you have to make a conscious effort. This does not mean an aggressive effort. But in your case, while you are meditating you are unconsciously enjoying a kind of lethargy in your being.

When you meditate please feel that there is someone who is watching you. That person is not a detective. He is only watching how sincerely and devotedly you are praying and meditating. When we perform, if there is an audience, we tend to do our best, or at least try to offer all our capacity. But when we see that there is nobody looking, we often just waste time. You have to realise that God is watching you, observing you. You have to feel that He is giving you marks. This is absolutely true. He is very impartial. You may not see Him, but He is watching you at every second. But the Supreme is not an inspector. He gives you the mark that you deserve and then, like a private tutor, He tells you how you can raise your grade.