Fasting: The Smart Body System Cleaner
Hygiene is what everyone likes. We try to keep the environment around us as clean as possible. Mahatma Gandhi has said that
where there is cleanliness, there is the presence of God.
We strive every day for external physical hygiene. But we are probably doing very little to clean our inner mind and body. If we take work continuously from a machine, after some capacity it will start deteriorating, the efficiency of that machine will decrease. Constantly overloading of work weakens the body in its physical functioning and the mind in its conceptual functioning and makes it unable to perform its proper function. At such times, if the machine/organ of the body or the mind is given rest from time to time, then it able to do its job well again. Whether it is body, mind, or machine, it is very important to service them periodically.
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A proverb of Ayurveda has been prevalent since time: a Yogi (marked reflective person) eats once, a Bhogi (an enjoyer) eats twice and a Rogi (sick person) eats frequently.
People who work hard need to eat more. But speaking of today’s time, our physical labor has decreased by the time and quantity of meals has increased a lot. So there is a lot of stress on our digestive system. A digestive system is a machine of our body that is working for us day and night. Our digestive system cannot function properly due to overwork. According to Ayurveda, the root of most diseases is poor digestion. To give relaxation from overeating and kindle the digestive fire, Ayurveda suggests a method of Fasting.
The act of going hungry in a certain way is called “fasting”. In Sanskrit its called “UPVAAS”. The Sanskrit word “Upvaas” is made up of two different words. “Up” means near, and “vas” means to live.
Another meaning in Sanskrit is also like this, Up + vasat: meaning to live or to live at a higher level.
The essence of both the meanings is that through fasting we get closer to our inner soul. The purpose of fasting is to transcend physical values and inculcate one’s mind and body in spiritual values.
Indian tradition is the spiritual tradition through which the ultimate goal of life is to achieve Moksha. Not only in Hinduism but also in Jainism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity fasting and its benefits are written in detail. In Hinduism fasting is suggested to understand spirituality in name of Ektana, Upvas, and Vrat, In Jainism it’s suggested for patience and restraint as the name of Aekasana, chovihar. In Buddhism, it’s suggested as Upostha vrat, and as a Rosa fast in the Muslim religion, In Christianity, the fasting is suggested as Latent Fast, Black Fast, etc.
The texts of Ayurveda are the science that explains the lifestyle. The sages who wrote the texts of Ayurveda were long-sighted and shrewd. From the medium of Ayurveda, sages have shown the ideal concept that the life of a human being should remain healthy till death and by which the values of life increase and salvation is obtained.
जठरो भगवान अग्नि : ईश्वर: अन्नस्य पाचक : ॥
In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says that
I am the real digestive fire that digests food in every living person. And that is why Agni is called God in Ayurveda.
Overcoming the temptations of the tongue and the senses, we eat a variety of foods daily. According to Ayurveda, one should take the next meal only after complete digestion of the first meal. According to Ayurveda, one should eat the food only after the complete digestion of the previous meal! If food is taken before the digestion of the previous meal, then a poisonous element produces in the body called “Aam Dosh”. This increases the chances of the disease by spreading and accumulation to various parts of the body. As a result, various diseases are born. Moreover, fasting is not limited to the digestive system. Fasting is to keep every sense of the body away from its subject, to have restraint. That is why the idea of fasting due to more sense sacrifice has been mentioned in Ayurveda by sages. Through which we can enjoy perfectly healthy longevity. Such an excellent thing was associated with religion and spirituality so that the common man could follow it, sometimes with fear and sometimes with faith.
In Ayurveda, two main types of treatment exist, one is called aptarpan and another is santarpan. In which fasting therapy is a type of aptarpan therapy. Fasting in the form of this therapy can be done with the advice of an authentic Ayurveda doctor. Normal fasting can be done at any time. According to a survey, our body does not feel like eating or taking food once every 15 days or so. Such a thing exists not only in human beings but also in the animal kingdom too. You may have noticed that many animals do not eat at some point in the month or eat very little. Nowadays man is so busy in his daily life that he is no longer conscious of his own body. If you are aware of the subtle messages coming from your body, you can understand this for sure. To simplify it, according to the Hindu calendar, scholars have suggested fasting once every 15 days during Ekadashi. Here is a subtle idea of faith as well as health.
चातुर्मास्ये नरो यो वै त्यजे अन्नादि भक्षणं I
स गच्छति हरि सायुज्यं न भूयस्तु प्रजायते II
In India, especially during the monsoon season, the rate of fasting increases according to religions, especially in the Chaturmas. If we pay attention to the Ayurveda texts, the power of the sun on the earth has dimmed due to the cloudy atmosphere in the monsoon season. The digestive fire of our body is also weakly depleted according to the principle that what is in the external universe is in our body. Besides, during the monsoon, rainwater is used to soaked by vegetables, tubers, and foods. Due to low sunlight and humidity, the food gets pests quickly and it starts to rot. In a body with poor digestion, such heavy and perishable foods not advisable at this time. Hence the importance of fasting in Ayurveda increases during this time. It is said that a person who abstains from food during Chaturmas finds the company of God. Here God can be said to be found in the form of health and well-being. Simply linking this scientific matter with religion makes the wider class understand and follow this matter so that one can remain in good health both individually and socially.
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