[Sri Ramakrishna] Why fast on the 11th day of the Lunar Calender?

[Guest guest]

hello,

but don't u think that, on that day one feels to have more or a

sort of weakness. what one has to do on this day. is fasting

really important from scientific pt. of view.

 

how can we develop in the new generation the faithin this supreme

GOD. as new generation is not of a kind who will believe blindly

as we.

 

roopa

 

On Fri, 19 Apr 2002 Vivekananda Centre wrote :

>

>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

>

>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>

>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

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

Faith is an inborn trait of humanity, be it faith in intellect

['scientific'] or in the Spirit, or some ideal.

 

Faith in the three principal moral values [ dama or self-

control; daana or charity; and dayaa or compassion ] have

no 'scientific' basis, but are necessary for the promotion of welfare

and peace in humanity. They have been empirically tested for

thousands, if not millions of years. In that sense, they are as

scientific as physics or chemistry.

 

Fasting is a type of tapas or austerity. Just as a mountain-

climber has to master the art by physical exercise, acclimatisation,

etc., a hero of the Spirit has to master the instincts. Fasting is

only one of the means of self-control; there are many others, and

people choose them according to their tastes/aptitudes/ etc.

 

The most famous example of generation of Spirit-force or Soul-

force is Mahatma Gandhi's fasts during Satayagraha and other

movements. His fasting was a national/international event. How truly

even Einstein could exclaim: " A thousand years from now, people would

scarcely believe that such a man walked on this earth " .

 

 

Regards,

 

Sunder

 

 

 

 

Ramakrishna, " roopa r. kulkarni " <roopsrk@r...> wrote:

> hello,

> but don't u think that, on that day one feels to have more or a

> sort of weakness. what one has to do on this day. is fasting

> really important from scientific pt. of view.

>

> how can we develop in the new generation the faithin this supreme

> GOD. as new generation is not of a kind who will believe blindly

> as we.

>

> roopa

>

> On Fri, 19 Apr 2002 Vivekananda Centre wrote :

> >

> >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

> >

> >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> >

> >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

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >