CONTENTS:
- How to observe Ekadasi, Part 2;
- Srila Prabhupada's Appreciation; and
- Guru Maharaja’s Instructions.
1. HOW TO OBSERVE EKADASI PART 2
Let us consider why this is important for us. Throughout the year we cannot observe all the Ekadasis’ properly but at least if we observe one Ekadasi properly then we get the benefit of observing all the Ekadasis’. That means Nirjala, when Krishna told Bhima to observe this Ekadasi, what does this observance mean? Not even drinking water. Those who really want to observe Ekadasi properly, how would they do that? Fasting also from water. In the early days when we were not so old, we used to observe Ekadasi in a very special way, we used to fast even from water, we used to chant 64 rounds and we used to stay up the whole night doing kirtan. Tamal Krishna Maharaja and I started this, one day I told Tamal Krishna Maharaja the real way to fast so he became very inspired and he started to observe Ekadasi in that way. Tamal Krishna Maharaja was such a person that when he did something he wanted everyone to do the same. Wherever we went we used to make everybody fast like that, we started that in Vrindavan, in Kartik around 1988,89, when we used to be there for Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education seminars. That’s how we used to do and from that time many other devotees also observed Ekadasi like that even fasting from water.
And how did you feel, now that you are observing Nirjala Ekadasi? How many of you are observing Nirjala Ekadasi today? Very good, you like it? Isn’t it fun? Fasting is fun. In Calcutta, those days I used to take care of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) and there was one devotee called Morari and because I used to fast Morari used to also fast. Generally, on those days I used to tell them not to do any work, Morari used to go out and see different activities going on in different places in Calcutta. In those day we did not have the press in Mayapur, so Morari used to go out and follow up on the work. On the Ekadasi day Morari was most active not because he was not eating, and wasted no time in eating but the next day Morari could not do anything. I asked him what happened. He said on the Ekadasi day because he was fasting he used to feel very energetic but the next day when he ate he felt like sleeping the whole day. That is also another thing that happens, when we fast we feel very energetic but when we eat especially after fasting we tend to eat a lot so that should not be done also.
Eating also should be regulated, how should one eat, Prabhupada said this and it is also from Ayurveda, the eating should be done like half of your stomach will be filled with food, one quarter with water and one quarter with air meaning empty. Three fourth is full and one forth is empty. Srila Prabhupada used to say we should eat in such a way that our stomach remains empty partly. Srila Prabhupada said we should eat in such a way that right after eating we can sit for a feast because your stomach is not full. The unhealthy way to eat is to completely stuff your stomach, that is not good because overeating, stomach is full and then we eat. Our way of eating is often very unhealthy we eat full stomach then what happens then comes sweets and everybody loves sweets. So, after full stomach he puts the sweets in there and sugar is the heaviest thing to digest. So healthy eating is eat light and not full stomach. There is a saying Prasadam you can eat up to your neck but then what? All the time you chant sankirtan and the food will be digested. But if we don’t do anything then what will happen? The food will sit in the stomach and become undigested food, toxin, poison. Food that we cannot digest becomes toxic and the toxins remain in the body and becomes disease.
Anyway, Ekadasi is not only beneficial for our spiritual life, Ekadasi is also very beneficial for our physical health because giving the stomach a rest for two days a month is very good for health. So that is why I was asking how do you all feel. Most of the other grains you can’t eat raw, you have to grind it where rice you can take whole. Our understanding is that all the sins are entering into grains, maybe they enter more into rice, I don’t know, sometimes in India, in some places, people think that fasting on Ekadasi you can take chapatti because it is grain but its powder, so sin cannot enter into the powdered grain (laughing). Another thing that is happening nowadays Ekadasi what to speak of fasting we have the non-grain feast, the biggest feast sometimes on Ekadasi. We should be careful to follow the proper standard, do it in a proper way, not just fasting from grains and beans but fast as much as possible, not feast as much as possible. The next day we used to break Ekadasi fast by drinking milk diluted with water, half milk and half water with lots of sugar but later on I found out that, that also is not very good, better is take goor in water with some black pepper because black pepper is soothing for the stomach. How you break the fast that’s not important but fasting Ekadasi is important and breaking the fast in whichever way but its better to not eat too much the next day because in empty stomach if you eat too much. When you fast, you break at specific times, remember Ambarish Maharaja the Brahmana suggested that the time for breaking fast is going away so please break the fast because unless you break the fast in the particular time then you don’t get the benefit of fasting, so that is why he took some water. The day begins at some time and ends at a certain time, so that is astrological calculation. In Vrindavan on Ekadasi days they chant Gopi Gita so I thought it will be a good idea to chant Gopi Geet, what is Gopi Geet? It’s the Gopis’ song of separation.
2. SRILA PRABHUPADA'S APPRECIATION
Srila Prabhupada used to say we should eat in such a way that our stomach remains empty partly. Srila Prabhupada said we should eat in such a way that right after eating we can sit for a feast because your stomach is not full.
3. GURU MAHARAJA’S INSTRUCTIONS
Those who really want to observe Ekadasi properly, how would they do that? Fasting also from water;
Fasting is fun;
When we fast, we feel very energetic but when we eat especially after fasting we tend to eat a lot so that should not be done also;
Eating also should be regulated, how should one eat, Prabhupada said this and it is also from Ayurveda, the eating should be done like half of your stomach will be filled with food, one quarter with water and one quarter with air meaning empty. Three fourth is full and one forth is empty;
Ekadasi is not only beneficial for our spiritual life, Ekadasi is also very beneficial for our physical health because giving the stomach a rest for two days a month is very good for health;
We should be careful to follow the proper standard, do it in a proper way, not just fasting from grains and beans but fast as much as possible, not feast as much as possible;
So please break the fast because unless you break the fast in the particular time then you don’t get the benefit of fasting; and
In Vrindavan on Ekadasi days they chant Gopi Gita so I thought it will be a good idea to chant Gopi Geet.
(The content of this E-magazine is based a lecture given by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami on 9 June 2014 in New Orleans)
(Compiled and Edited by Hemavati Radhika Dasi)