Nau Raatri Vrat: Why is Fasting Necessary?

During the auspicious period of Nau Raatri, Hindus undergo various forms of austerities in order to attain maximum spiritual benefits. ‘Vrat’ or fasting is one discipline which is engaged in by many since it is an essential ingredient for physical and inner purification, self control and the acquisition of positive qualities.

At the physical level, the aspirant who engages in fasting denies himself various foods as he attempts to transcend the six tastes of sweet, sour, bitter, salty, pungent and astringent. These conditions together with the five organs of action, the five senses of perception, the qualities of sattva (Truth), tamas (sluggishness) and rajas (materialism) and the five elements (earth, ether, air, fire and wind) establish a relationship between the mind and the outer world of materialism. When one undergoes a conscientious fast, one rises beyond these twenty-four ‘upaadhis’ or limitations of the body. By going beyond these limitations, man frees himself from worldliness and attains a high state of purity. In addition, one transcends the ‘annamaya kosha’ or food sheath and draws closer to attaining inner purity.

One should bear in mind that fasting is not merely an exercise of denying oneself food and drink. Rising beyond the physical level, one should engage in the following activities to accelerate the purification process:

1. Practise ‘moun’ or silence as far as possible.
2. Read scriptures or other religious texts that would uplift one’s sphere of consciousness.
3. Practise truthfulness in speech. The word ‘vaani’ means ‘speech. The Goddess of Speech is Vaani Maataa, Herself. Every word is formed by using vowels which represent the five ‘shaktis’ (gyaan, icchaa, chid, kriya and aanand).Therefore, truthful and positive words help to develop the shakti within, thus building spirituality.
4. Avoid environment or activities that are solely for the gratification of the senses. Engaging in such activities would encourage the flames of desires to grow which can ultimately lead to straying from one’s goal of subduing the negative tendencies.
5. Intensify the worship of the Divine through additional mantra japa, recitation of scriptural verses, shlokas, chaaleesas, havan and other forms of smaran.
6. Focus on the glories of the Divine.

Some benefits of fasting are:

1. Fasting is a form of ‘tapas’ or sacrifice and through it, the fruits of past ‘karma’ or actions are burnt away, leaving a pure individual.
2. Fasting develops in one an inner peaceful mind and a state of tranquillity. It draws one closer to the Divine.

Fasting has been proven to be a prominent factor in intensifying prayer. Spiritual aspirants have discovered that abstaining from salt not only frees one to focus upon God with fresh intensity, but opens avenues of spiritual perception and understanding quite easily.