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## The Harms of Nighttime Meals
**From Yoga Shastra, Third Light, Verses 49-53**
**Verse 49:** In the depths of darkness, where eyes are useless, and creatures fall unseen, who would eat at night, unable to discern what they consume?
**Explanation:** In the darkness, eyes cannot function. Ants, insects, flies, and other living beings may fall into food like oil, ghee, buttermilk, etc., and remain unseen. Who would be wise enough to eat at night under such circumstances?
**Verses 50-52:** Now, we describe the visible harms of nighttime meals in three verses.
* An ant, if eaten, destroys intelligence.
* A louse, if swallowed, causes dropsy.
* A fly, if ingested, leads to vomiting.
* An earwig, if consumed, causes leprosy.
* A thorn or piece of wood, if lodged in the throat, causes pain.
* A scorpion, if present in vegetables, can pierce the palate.
* A hair stuck in the throat can cause voice impairment.
These and other such harms are evident to all who eat at night.
**Explanation:** Eating at night can lead to many harms. If an ant is consumed, it destroys intelligence. If a louse is eaten, it causes dropsy. If a fly is ingested, it leads to vomiting. If an earwig is consumed, it causes leprosy. A thorn or piece of wood, if lodged in the throat, causes pain. If a scorpion is present in vegetables and eaten, it can pierce the palate. A hair stuck in the throat can cause voice impairment.
**Question:** Ants and other small creatures are invisible, but a scorpion is large and visible. How could it be swallowed?
**Answer:** A scorpion might be mistaken for a vegetable like eggplant, which is similar in size. If eaten, the consequences would be dire.
**Verse 53:** Even if the tiny creatures are not visible, and the food is inanimate, like dry grains, one should not eat at night. Those who have attained perfect knowledge, with their knowledge-eyes, have neither accepted nor prescribed nighttime meals.
**Explanation:** Even if the food is inanimate, like dry grains, and prepared during the day, one should not eat at night. Why? Because even in the brightest light, tiny creatures like mites and ants are invisible. Those with perfect knowledge, using their knowledge-power, have recognized this and therefore have not prescribed or accepted nighttime meals.