World Religion: Religious fasting in Hinduism

Fasting in Hinduism indicates the denial of the physical needs of the body for reasons of spiritual gains. According to the scriptures, fasting helps to create a harmony with the Absolute by establishing a harmonious relationship between the body and the soul. This is thought to be an imperative for the well-being of a human being as it feeds both his physical and spiritual needs.

Hindus believe that it is not easy to continually pursue the path of spirituality in one's daily life. We are offended by many considerations and worldly indulgences do not allow us to focus on spiritual achievement. Therefore an worshiper must strive to impose restrictions on himself to focus the mind. Fasting is one form of moderation.

Self-discipline
However, fasting is not only a part of worship but also an excellent tool for self-discipline. It is a training of the mind and body to resist and harden against all difficulties, persevere in difficulties and not give up. According to Hindu philosophy, food means sense gratification and starving the senses means elevating them to contemplation. Luqman the wise once said, “When the stomach is full, the intellect begins to sleep. Wisdom becomes silent and parts of the body are held back by acts of justice. "

Different types of fasting
Hindus fast on certain days of the month such as Purnima (full moon) and Ekadasi (the eleventh day of the fortnight).
Some days of the week are also marked for fasting, depending on your individual choices and your favorite god and goddess. On Saturday, people fast to appease that day's god, Shani or Saturn. A few fasts on Tuesday, the auspicious day for Hanuman, the monkey god. On Friday devotees of the goddess Santoshi Mata refrain from taking anything citric.
Fasting at festivals is common. Hindus from all over India quickly observe festivals such as Navaratri, Shivratri and Karwa Chauth. Navaratri is a festival where people fast for nine days. Hindus in West Bengal fast on Ashtami on the eighth day of the Durga Puja festival.
Fasting can also mean refraining from eating only certain things, both for religious reasons and for reasons of good health. For example, some people refrain from consuming salt on certain days. Excess salt and sodium are known to cause hypertension or increased blood pressure.

Another common type of fasting is giving up on cereal intake when eating only fruits. Such a diet is known as phalahar.
Ayurvedic point of view
The principle behind fasting is found in Ayurveda. This ancient Indian medical system sees the fundamental cause of many diseases such as the accumulation of toxic materials in the digestive system. Regular cleaning of toxic materials keeps one healthy. On an empty stomach, the digestive organs rest and all body mechanisms are cleaned and corrected. Complete fasting is good for the heath and occasional intake of hot lemon juice during the fasting period prevents flatulence.

Since the human body, as explained by Ayurveda, is made up of 80% of liquid and 20% of solid like earth, the gravitational force of the moon influences the fluid content of the body. It causes emotional imbalances in the body, making some people tense, irritable and violent. Fasting acts as an antidote, since it reduces the acid content in the body which helps people maintain their sanity.

A non-violent protest
From a question of dietary control, fasting has become a useful tool for social control. It is a non-violent form of protest. A hunger strike can draw attention to resentment and can result in an amendment or compensation. Interestingly, it was Mahatma Gandhi who used fasting to catch people's attention. There is an anecdote to this: workers from the Ahmedabad textile factories were once protesting about their low wages. Gandhi told them to go on strike. After two weeks when the workers took part in the violence, Gandhi himself decided to speed up until the matter was resolved.

Sympathy
Finally, the hunger pangs experienced during fasting make one think and extend one's sympathy towards the poor who often go without food. In this context, fasting functions as a social gain in which people share a similar feeling with each other. Fasting offers the privileged an opportunity to give cereals to the less privileged and alleviate their discomfort, at least for the moment.