Mere fasting Vs love on God

[sridatta]

Without devotion to God, the detachment from world is false and meaningless. The detachment from the world should be always with reference to the attachment to God. The Vairagya is always relative with reference to the devotion and is not an absolute concept. The absolute concept is only devotion. You should not give importance to people seeing their detachment but should give value for their attachment to God. Foolish people give value to the detachment even though the attachment to God is absent.

You are giving value to a person who is fasting and you are considering him as devotee. He may be fasting due to stomach ache. If he is fasting due to devotion on God, such fasting is valid. If the devotee forgets food in the memory of God, such fasting is real. But, people are fasting by taking alternative tiffins which are more qualitative and energetic having more taste than ordinary food! Therefore, Datta is not cutting your worldly bonds.



1) A person, who fasts, having increased fascination towards food in the mind without fascination to God is worst. A person, who takes food and worships God, is far better than this worst soul. A person having full fascination to God by forgetting the food is really fasting. Mind is very important that governs the external actions. Mind and practice are equally important. Mind is like the application for job and practice is like the certificate of qualification and experience enclosed with the application.


In fasting (upavaasa) the life-meaning is lost as said by one yogi. This meaning can be observed in other religion also.

[One shall not fast with forced effort by which God can’t be pleased since God is pleased by your devotion only and fasting is not related to His interest in any way. If you forget taking food due to your immersion in devotion to God, it is real fasting. Similarly, not sleeping due to the same reason is real awakening in night. One yogi called as Vema told that in fasting one is digesting the remains of excretion instead of eating food! The real meaning of Upavaasa is to become close to God and forget eating food by that (upa samipamasya vasati iti). The real essence is lost in every step of ritual and only superficial meaning remains like a body after the loss of life! This is the meaning of statement of Jesus that one need not fast when God (groom) is close to devotee.]


I start testing you at every step in the spiritual journey (Nivrutti). When Shankara wanted to leave the house for propagation of spiritual knowledge, His mother obstructed Him. Similarly, when Parvati started her penance, her mother obstructed her and hence she was called as Uma (U= O Parvati! Ma = don’t go for penance). She did penance for Shiva and she was called as Aparna in the climax since she stopped even eating the dropped leaves (A = not even, Parna = dropped leaves). You shouldn’t leave food and sleep by force, which are of no use. They should be dropped spontaneously without any effort. When you are immersed in God, if you forget taking food, it is real fasting (Upavasa). Due to the same reason, if you do not sleep, it is real awakening in night (Jaagaranam).

Why should God be pleased with you if you leave food and sleep forcibly? God is pleased only by your practical sacrifice and service, the source of which should be pure theoretical devotion in climax making you forget food and sleep! I will be happy if you serve Me and sacrifice to Me. Why should I be happy if you fast and not sleep by force for Me like in hunger strike? How I am benefited by such foolish activities, which are in no way connected to Me or to My happiness? Upavasa means foregoing meals spontaneously without any effort due to absorption in nearness to God (Upa = near God, Vasa = staying or absorbed by mind) due to which food and sleep are forgotten in a natural way without any effort!



-By Shri Datta Swami

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