Hare Krishna dear devotees, accept my humble obeisances AGTSP!
Every month devotees are said to fast from kind of food stuff (eg. in third month of Caturmasya we are said to fast from milk). I don't know how essential it is to fast from all these therefore I don't fast. I sometimes only follow these fast. So I kindly request devotees to describe the essence of fasting from certain food item in every month, do we really need to fast from all these to progress in KC?
Pls put forward your valuable knowledge. Thankyou. Haribol!
Your humble servant
Replies
Hare krishna mataji
I'll surely try to fast but hope it will not harm my devotion if I'm sometimes unable to.
Your servant
Hare Krishna dear Priya Mataji, please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Srila Prabhupada says that for a Devotee fasting on Ekadashis and in basic festivals enough. Because of that Chaturmasya is observed if Devotee has health and desire to do so but not important.
These 4 months Lord Vishnu sleeps and some Demigods also.
Since all products are digested by particular Demigods when they sleep they do not do that. Because of that there won't be much use of eating those food stuffs.
Also it says that in the first months of Chaturmasya we fast from vegetables because it is their season. When it is a season we will eat more then forget about our service to Krishna.
For example, in our country whole year there is no fresh fruits. But in august - September all fruits ripe and become very, very cheap. That time there is big chance of over eating....
We fast from milk because it says that usually cows begot a child that particular months, because of that milk is not drinkable...
Also in countries like India those months there is rainy season. It is not possible to go out and do sankirtan. Because of that Devotees of Lord do bhajana staying in one place and doing austerities.
Your servant,
Hare krishna dear mataji, humble obeisances
Thank you very much for your simple and nice reply. But I'm still confuse should I fast or not? myself being a fallen soul, if I ask you to suggest me whether I should fast or not, what will you suggest? Waiting for your reply. Haribol
Your humble servant
my humble obeisances dear Mataji,
to fast is better.
Chanakya Pandit says:
---if you do not know whether to go or not to go. Do not go!
---if you do not know whether to eat or not. Do not eat!
---if you do not know whether to marry or not. Marry!
in this way if You have desire and capability and health then it is better. But it should not disturb Your devotional Sadhana in any ways. If You have desire to do it in order to please the Lord then it will be nice. But with the permission of Your PARENTS or SENIOR DEVOTEES!
Anyways to fast just from milk is not difficult, at least for one month.
But i have a friend who is little bit sick, who has to eat nicely. So Devotee doctor told her not to fast from milk but drink plenty of it.
Your servant,