Many religions recommend fasting for spiritual progress. Spiritual upliftment may go hand in hand with how much we are able to restrain our senses. Abstaining from sex, food or sleep is also considered good for fast spiritual progress. Only those who have not been able to overcome material conditioning indulge too much in sense gratification. The more enlightened we become spiritually the more control we have over our senses. Let’s explore why fasting is necessary for spiritual progress.
A period of introspection
Consuming food requires you to prepare it. You will need ingredients. If you don’t have them, you may have to go to the market. In case, you are feeling lazy, you may order it through home delivery. Or, you have to visit a restaurant. It takes time. You need four meals in day. So, spending at least an hour or two goes into preparation.
On the days we fast, the focus is on introspection. Ekadashi falls once every 15 days. In the time we save on preparing food, we can introspect on the purpose of human existence. For example who are we and what is the higher goal of human existence? So, is it just eating or procreating?
Not only Hindu religion but other religions also recommends abstaining from food. In Christianity you have Lent. During Lent Christians abstain from consuming something they find tasty. Jainis also observe different kinds of fasting to purify themselves.
We devote more time on Bhakti
Fasting lets us turn our senses inward. This may be ultimately good for controlling our senses. Those who fast regularly tend to have better self-control. They don’t lose their temper easily. The more we can control our senses, the more we’ll devote our time on Bhakti like Shravan and Kirtan.
Imagine a person who hasn’t been able to control his senses. He or she gets easily attracted to pleasant music or cinema. You will find such persons spending hours gossiping. Such gossip is not fruitful. You are just wasting your time back-biting.
An offering for God
Fasting on Ekadashi or on other occasions is like expressing gratitude to what we have. Most of us are not grateful for what we possess. We go on cribbing about what is lacking in our lives. We forget all the good things we have in the process. All of us are rich in a way. We may not have a huge bank balance but we possess good health. We may not have girlfriends but we have a family. So why not say thanks to God for this? Fasting is a way to offer our gratitude to God.
Good for self-realization
We may read books on Spirituality and meditate regularly. But fasting deepens the understanding that we are something beyond our body, mind or intellect.
It is our body which feels hunger. It is our mind which says that oh this food is very nice. And it is our intellect that says that this food is full of nutrition.
Consequently, our belief in ‘I am That’ becomes more steadfast. I am That is a Maha Vakya in Mandukya Upanishad. This simple sentence has a profound meaning. And reflecting on it can be a source of enlightenment. So, when we fast we are actually telling our body, mind and intellect to stop for a while and think. Who are we actually?
Put a leash on monkey mind
Our mind keeps wandering from one thing to another. The mind is like a monkey which wants enjoyment in mundane things. Be it food or entertainment. We can gain an upper hand over mind by telling it to stop for at least one day. Can we abstain from using mobile phone for just one day? Very few can. That is because we haven’t trained our minds. Fasting may put a leash on monkey mind.
Understanding things are illusory
All that we feel with our senses are illusions. Hunger is just an illusion. Beauty is an illusion. For a dead person, hunger and beauty are immaterial. When you are full on stomach, you don’t get attracted to the same food. Fasting on Ekadashi or any other occasion is supposed to instill the fact that everything is an illusion.
Our faith in God increases
Fasting is a test of our determination and belief in God. If we pass in this test, our faith in God increases. In a way when we fast, we surrender to God. You leave everything to God. The one and only thing which must come in your mind while fasting is this: ‘Oh God I surrender to you. I am dependent on you.’ In Gita Lord Krishna asks you to take his shelter. If we take the shelter of God nothing can defeat us. Not even hunger!
Concluding remarks
Fasting as a tradition is observed in many religions. But it has a special meaning for Hindus. Ekadashi is an occasion when many Hindus fast. It serves as a way to offer our respect and gratitude for everything that we have. Fasting doubles our faith in God. But this is not to say that everyone should fast. If your health or medical condition doesn’t permit you fast, you can skip it. But those who are capable enough should certainly observe fasts. It will help you grow spiritually.
