I was having lunch with a colleague, and as I waited for him to join me at the table with the food ordered from the café, I was surprised to find that he was having only fruit slices for lunch. Being a good eater myself, I asked him what the matter was, and he said, between mouthfuls, that he was fasting today since it was Shivaraathri. He went on to add disapprovingly, still between mouthfuls, that they – the caterers – did not offer any upvaas food on this occasion. Did you notice the oxymoron in “upvaas food”, or is it just me?
It’s sometimes really funny what we do in the name of God. We observe fasts in deference to Him; we also feast, delighting in His victory over evil (ignore, for a moment, that God has no good or evil, since He is above all attributes). Is it normal that human beings can starve themselves as well as gorge themselves in the name of one Divine entity? Does it even make sense?
My take on fasts is that they are useful for us, humans, in two ways:
- they help us keep our taste buds in check
- they give our digestive system a break from their daily, almost non-stop routine
What do you think? Is there any hope for human beings at all in the light of such oddball behaviour?
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:) Nice post again!! I think its done probably because we always remember and pray to god more when we are in need of something!! food for instance when we are hungry fasting all day long!
ReplyDeleteHa ha! Nice observation. I am sure it's true in at least a few cases! :-)
ReplyDeleteyeah...
ReplyDeletei do wonder.. how can anyone concentrate on anything for that matter (forget about spiritual thoughts) on a hungry stomach..
or sacrifice a fellow creature in the name of affection
@mangai: Well, people do manage to forget their hunger when they're hot on the pursuit of something intellectual, so that's not surprising at all.
ReplyDeleteBut I know what you're saying :-)
Maybe people should stop breathing to "give our respiratory system a break from their daily, almost non-stop routine"?
ReplyDeleteWhy am I wrong?
@Anonymous: Strange as it sounds, that's precisely what many advanced yogis do, so you're not far off the mark!
ReplyDelete