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According to Hindu philosophy, food means satisfaction of the sense organs, and to starve the senses means to elevates them to contemplation. Fasting in Hinduism, is a method to attain control over one's desires and senses for the sake of spiritual gain. Doing it for a cause has always strengthened people's minds to attain their goals. This has been demonstrated by the greatest leaders history has seen, like Jesus Christ, Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh, etc. Besides, fasting clears the body of harmful toxins which would be slower when the stomach is full and busy in digestion.

Ancient Indian scriptures indicate that fasting creates attunement of the mind and the soul. And it goes without saying that or the well being of a human being, both his/her physical and spiritual demands should be met in a balanced way. Luqman, is said to have quoted, "When the stomach is full, the intellect begins to sleep. Wisdom becomes mute and the parts of the body restrain from acts of righteousness."

On a daily basis, how many times do we think of God? We are so preoccupied by our hectic schedules. But fasting in the name of God keeps us aware of his presence in our lives. It also makes us compassionate towards the hungry, needy and destitute who have been denied of food and basic comforts in life. Thus we become

Fasting can be done in many ways. Hindus fast on certain days of the month viz., Purnima (full moon day) , Ekadasi (11th day of the fortnight) or even Navaratri festival, where people fast for nine days. Another way to fast is abstain from taking salt on particular days, which is a simple way to avoid hypertension. Fasting is also performed by abstaining from cereals and whole foods. Women fast for the longevity of their spouses on the KarvaChout day (another way of enhancing love between the couple ). Fasting for a cause has always been a harmless strategy by social activists to voice their opinions and bring about social reforms.

Ayurveda summarizes the positive effects of fasting stating that it provides rest to the digestive organs and so all body mechanisms are cleansed and corrected. The discharge of toxins, enabled by fasting, is a vital cure for many diseases encouraged by their accumulation. Human body has a vital water composition which is highly influenced by the gravitational forces of the moon. These forces causes emotional unrest and upsets. Fasting is an anti-dote to these changes, as referred to in Ayurveda. For all these reasons, Hinduism incorporates fasting as an integral part of its religious and cultural beliefs.

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