Chaitra Navratri 2023: Fasting Rules, Reasons And Methods

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Fasting symbolizes sacrifice where the cravings for food are sacrificed as a mark of the Sadhaks bhakti towards god. Fasting cleanses you from the soul, subdues negative emotions, and flare up of sensuality in a person. It is also a way, as per some of us, to get rid of sins in one's life.

Devotees of Lord Shiva fast on Mondays and on the day of pradosha, whereas devotees of Lord Vishnu fast on Saturday. South Indians fast on Tuesday for Mariamman, who is a form of Goddess Durga.

Reasons Behind Fasting

1. People fast and worship for some personal benefits that Goddess Durga bestows at the end of the Navratri, if the puja and fast are done as per rules. Some people give up on their favourite eatables or ban some favourite items from using, and worship Durga. Even this gives good results. By sacrificing and fasting good sense of self control is achieved.
2. People believe that by fasting and sacrificing some personal interests, one devotes his or her respect for goddess Durga. By doing this the person can achieve the blessings of goddess Durga. Fasting gives a sense of self control and disciplines you without your being aware of it. Discipline not only pushes you towards material achievements but also takes you a long way ahead in spiritual efforts.
3. Navratri arrives at the meeting point of seasons, that is when one seasons fades away to give rise to the next season. Due to Seasonal changes that come along, fasting these nine days without consuming anything that would hurt the stomach will help get blessings from Durga. Of course this should be conducted along with the worship and meditation.

Rules And Methods

1. Vrats and fasting are only for the able bodied, that is for those who are above 12 years of age and below 55 years of age. Since physically very young, very old or even pregnant woman can't withstand the demands of strict austerities, due to weak health, they are exempted from doing the vrat or fast.
2. One must follow shoucha practices very strictly. They must get up in wee hours of the morning, take ritualistic bath and wear fresh clothes. This is all that it asks for. Drinking smoking and eating tamasic food, are also taboo.
3. While fasting, you must perform puja twice during the day during sandhi kala, that is dawn and dusk. Charity is a good cleansing exercise for your soul. It bathes you from within and cleanses you of all soul impurities.
4. Fasting is a tough proposition indeed and it involves a great deal of self-control especially when you have promised yourself that you wouldn't eat anything beyond fruits. However, You are deviating from the fasting rules if you take excess of fruits. You are supposed to take very less food, otherwise if you are unable to bear with your hunger, you can try any dish made of buckwheat and Rajgira flour dish. Avoid salt altogether. Fruit juices and fruits are the best alternatives.
5. Another rule you have to abide by is to sleep on the floor and not on the cot. If you so insist, then you can choose to sleep on wooden cot without mattress.
6. The ten evils of human life, are lust, anger, greed, attachment and so on. The main intention of worshipping Goddesss on all the nine days is to bring these evil instincts under our control. The person who is fasting has to find a way to keep at bay, the baser emotions like the above. This is at least for nine days of Navratri.
7. Lies, and gutkha tobacco are both enemies for your soul and they need to be avoided during the nine days. Excessive water consumption is also taboo as it betrays the main purpose of self-control. This rule applies to those not on fast as well, for these nine days.
8. After the nine day Durga worship, the fasting person should do meditation focusing on his ishta devata.
9. Fasting during Navratri, as a tradition is practiced only in some states of India. They have a particular diet which are designed to be followed and these do not deviate from the main menu consideration.
10. Disclaimer: The information is based on assumptions and information available on the internet and the accuracy or reliability is not guaranteed. Boldsky does not confirm any inputs or information related to the article and our only purpose is to deliver information. Kindly consult the concerned expert before practising or implementing any information and assumption.