Is fasting now a farce?
FAST or farce? I ask this question as we enter a period of numerous religious events that are generally accompanied by fasting.
From August 30 until last Saturday, many Hindus observed a week-long vegetarian fast to celebrate the appearance of Lord Krishna.
From September 18 until October 17, Tamil and Teluguspeaking Hindus will abstain from non-vegetarian foods for a whole month during Puratasi.
The Hindu festival of Pitr Paksh, from September 28 to October 12, is when Shraddha or Mahalaya Patcham is performed to honour deceased ancestors and to gratify their souls with vegetarian meals.
Most Hindus will abstain from meat during Navarathri from October 13 to 22, when the nine forms of Goddess Shakti are worshipped.
Bringing up the rear of the fasting season will be Diwali, which will be celebrated in 2015 by Tamils on November 10 and the Hindi, Telugu and Gujarati communities on November 11.
To keep a proper fast generally means to take nothing by mouth.
That’s the strict way of fasting, as is done by our devout Muslim brothers and sisters during the holy month of Ramadan in which Allah revealed the Qur’an as a moral compass for the whole of mankind.
Muslims worldwide fast from dawn to dusk and do not eat, drink, smoke or engage in sexual intercourse during the fast. Not a single drop of liquid or grain of solid is allowed during daylight hours. Even swallowing one’s own spit is forbidden, such is the solid faith of Muslims.
Then there is the so-called fast that is kept for Puratasi, Navarathri and Pitr Paksh. During these so-called fasting periods, Hindus are required to abstain from eating meat, chicken, fish and eggs. However, they may eat vegetables in quantity.
Centuries ago Christians also fasted strictly, abstaining from all foods during the day – as Muslims do over Ramadan.
Nowadays orthodox Christians observe a 40-day selective fast during Lent, staying away from luxury foods like meat, dairy products and eggs.
Catholics refrain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent. Besides fasting, Christians may also voluntarily refrain from “bad” habits during Lent – giving up anything from eating chocolate to watching TV, as a way to imitate Christ’s life.
Many Christians also observe the Daniel Fast, a 10 or 21day religious diet when foods declared unclean by God in the Laws of Moses are avoided.
Now where is the true fasting, if you are allowed to eat vegetables and drink liquids all day provided that no meat is involved?
I have personally kept the socalled fast of Puratasi for as long as I can remember. I recall that my mother would change all pots, pans and utensils and bring out a set that was used exclusively for vegetarian foods during the auspicious month. However, in later years she became less rigid, when she noticed around her that the fervent spirit of Puratasi was fading.
I can also remember that even as a youngster I would compare the rigours of the Muslim fast with the relatively easy ride the Hindu has during his so-called fasting periods, when he can eat and drink to his stomach’s desire.
While I quickly realised there could simply be no comparing the two distinct fasting practices of Muslims on the one hand, and Hindus and Christians on the other, at least during Puratasi and Navarathri and Lent there was some discipline being imposed on members of the latter group, who otherwise would have been eating large quantities of meat.
I must not forget to mention that Hindus also have some other restrictions during their so-called fasting periods. They must refrain from drinking alcohol, smoking or engaging in sexual intercourse.
That the consumption of booze and cigarettes has always been widely sacrificed each Puratasi has been easy to notice, with the large numbers of drinkers and smokers visibly abstaining.
However, I have realised there cannot be many strict adherents of the third limitation, on the pleasures of the flesh, with so many Tamil and Telugu acquaintances having their birthdays during the first half of July. But that there was some frenzied sexual activity among keepers of the fast nine months earlier does not bother me.
Hypocrisy
What irks me – and the irritation grows each year – is the hypocrisy among many Hindus who take the easy route to fasting. While they sacrifice meat products, they crave meaty flavours. Hence there is a glut of soya products that are vigorously marketed during Puratasi and Navarathri.
Readily available are soya sausages, prawns, polony, hotdogs, burgers, fish sticks, chicken sticks, kebabs, mince and viennas.
Three decades ago these ‘artificial meat’ products were unheard of. At the rate new items are filling supermarket freezers, it may not be long before you can take home a soya leg of lamb. It’s bad enough when Hindus refer to being on a fast while gorging contentedly on vegetables. But they also want to enjoy the different flavours of meat products.
The preponderance of soya products is not helped by the get-rich-quick attitude of some traders, who hike the price of vegetables during Hindu religious festivals.
Also annoying for me are those – especially Tamils – who will find every excuse to shorten the so-called fast of Puratasi, which is supposed to last a whole month.
Some will claim to be observing Puratasi by abstaining from eating meat on the Saturdays only during the month. Big deal. Who can’t do that?
Then there are some who will say that they keep the fast only during the first week. Thus if Puratasi were to commence on a Thursday, for example, they would not eat meat until Saturday when they would perform a Puratasi prayer and “break the fast” with lamb chops, mash and chutney on Sunday morning.
Others still will say health problems forbid them from keeping the Puratasi fast – while contentedly clogging their arteries with meat dishes high in cholesterol.
Why is fasting approached with dread and trepidation by so many Hindus?
In an effort to make the month of Puratasi more bearable, some people host fridge parties on the eve of Puratasi when all the meat in the house is cooked for one gigantic, gluttonous feast.
Finally there are those who will count the minutes to the end of Puratasi, even calling up the local temple priest to enquire what time the Puratasi flag will be lowered so that they can crack open the beers and get the braai fires going.
Fasting is meant to instil a sense of discipline and self-sacrifice. Soya products are good if only to provide protein in the diet. Hindus should not indulge their hankering for the flavours of meat, fish or eggs when they should be keeping a vegetarian fast. This is self-deception and constitutes insincerity.
Use the true form of fasting as an instrument to strengthen moral fibre – as Mahatma Gandhi did – and do not take short cuts which feed the degeneration of spiritual character.