Stories of Great Fasting Celebrations of Ekaadashi (Ekaadashi Mahoutsav Varat Katha)

Millions of Hindus (I really don’t have a source for this figure. I am just assuming it is a million looking at the extra-large crowds that gather on Ekaadashi in temples across Kashi) on the 11th lunar day of the Vedic Calendar observe fast by consuming only water or fruits, and refraining from eating grains, beans, and certain vegetables. There are different personalised motives of each person undertaking this regular bodily cleansing based on autophagy that has spiritual cleanse in its centre. 

Motivated by the need to stop being a glutton, among other many things wrong with her, the writer is attempting these periods of abstinence from solid food every Ekaadashi for the Vikram Samvat year 2080.  

Rules of My Fast 

The rules I have set for myself are simple as I don’t want to over commit and fizzle out. While there are general rules of fasting in my Sanatani home, like no onion garlic, no grain etc each member has their own version customised to their need. Some take only fruits when fasting, some allow themselves a single fast specific cooked meal and the customisation are endless within the broader guidelines of fast. For me for whatever reason, after many trials and errors, a complete water fast has proven to suit well. 

I will be undertaking a 36 hours water fast on each Ekadashi. If I am on my period during an Ekadashi I will not be fasting. We will get to this rule some other time.  Ekadashi follows the moon cycle and often falls between two solar days. I will be following the solar day fasting and not the moon tihti timing window. Eating stops from sun set to day after tomorrow’s sun rise. 

Reading the Story behind Each Ekaadashi  

In an attempt to compensate my semi heathenistic way of life and my utter lack of undertaking Sandhya, I will also be reading the Ekaadashi Mahoutsav Varat Katha (published by Babu Madav Prasad Sharma, Varanasi), and dive into the stories of each Ekadashi. And there are many stories to be read and shared. 24 Ekaadashis a year and some years have it at 26. Some Ekadashis are more famous than the others and we can see that based on the What’s app we get for some of them. But all Ekadashi are important regardless of their fame. 

By reading the Ekaadashi Mahoutsav Varat Katha (loosely translated: Stories of the Great Fasting Celebrations of Ekaadashi), I am attempting to connect to the spiritual significance of each Ekadashi. Each Ekaadashi has its own story, and reading it can help us to understand the deeper meaning behind the fast. For example, the story of Devutthana Ekaadashi, in the month of Kartik, tells the tale of how Lord Vishnu woke up from his four-month-long slumber and defeated a terrorising demon. And if nothing at least my reading comprehension of Nepali/Sanskrit text will improve. 

Benefits of Water Fast and other Generic Gyan about Fasting 

Yoshinori Ohsumi won the Nobel Prize in Medicine (2016) for his discoveries into the mechanisms of autophagy, a process by which a cell destroys old, damaged, or abnormal proteins and other substances in its cytoplasm. Fasting is an excellent trigger of autophagy. Please feel free to google the countless benefits of fasting including . Let’s not word space here for that. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, observing an Ekaadashi fast can have numerous benefits for both the body and the soul. While it is rooted in religious beliefs, the practice can also be secularized and used as a means of health practice and self-control. My decision to observe every Ekaadashi fast for a year is an attempt for self-improvement and spiritual growth. By combining the fast with the reading of the Ekaadashi Mahoutsav Varat Katha, I am to be more self-aware.