Why fast on the 11th day of the Lunar Calender?

[Guest guest]

We had asked Sunder about the importance of fasting on the

11th day of the Lunar calendar. The response is worth

sharing with the list. jay

 

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The reasons underlying this are as follows:

 

1. Moon is regarded as the 'devata' influencing the functions of the Mind.

 

2. Mind is regarded as the 11th 'instrument' ['indriyas']; 5 of senses, and

5 of action. (Gita says : indriyaaNaaM manashchaasmi - I am the mind among

the indriyas).

 

3. Mind is the instrument that is the cause of bondage and liberation.

 

4. Control of the Mind is a central feature of all sadhanaas.

 

5. The 11th day of the Lunar cycle, known as 'ekaadashii', is regarded as

particularly favorable in performing saadhanaa.

 

6. Fasting is called 'upavaasa' in Sanskrit - meaning staying (vaasa), and

near (upa) - staying near God.

 

7. Mind tends to get fixed on food (and other organs of senses and action)

for most of our time; ekaadashii is a day when diverting the mind from food

to God would be most salutary.

 

8. Thus 'fasting' actually is 'fastening' one's mind to contemplation of

Truth/Reality/God.

 

There is a more severe form of such fasting, known as

'kR^ichchhraayaNa vrata' - in which one tries to focus the mind on God by

adjusting eating to the number of morsels of food per day by the day of the

moon phase, e.g. 1 morsel on 1st day to 15 on Full Moon Day, increasing by

one morsel daily. In the second half of the cycle, the morsels are reduced

from 15 to 0 on New Moon Day.

 

Hope this answers your question.

 

Regards,

 

Sunder