On holy days if new people can either fast or do service what should we encourage them to do?

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Thank you.
Question on festivals like Janmashtami, which involve a full day of fasting. Many new people, say for example, students, they find the fasting very difficult. So somehow they manage to fast, but they have no energy to do anything and they don’t do any services.
They just scrape through till 12 o’clock. Austerity is of course important on the, at least on auspicious days like Janmashtami. But then services also need to be done, especially if we also, as temple leaders, need services that somebody has to do.
So, should we encourage people to fast and rest or should we encourage them to, if that’s what they need to do while fasting, or should we encourage them to do some new services and take whatever food is required to be active? Answer, we have to keep the purpose in mind, the purpose of fasting as well as the purpose of serving, of doing services is to be Krishna conscious, is to keep our consciousness fixed on Krishna. And the purpose of Janmashtami and festivals like Janmashtami is also especially to make our consciousness more and more receptive for remembering Krishna and for coming closer to Krishna. So, now, if we can fast and be Krishna conscious, that is the best.
If we can do both, there’s nothing like it. And it is possible that if we become devotionally absorbed, then we may be able to do both. And at the same time, we should not misinterpret or misrepresent a physical limitation to be a spiritual disqualification.
That is, physical limitation means some people just don’t have the body, bodily capacity to fast. That is not a spiritual disqualification. You should not say that, because you are not sufficiently absorbed in Krishna, because you are not determined enough to be absorbed in Krishna, that’s why you are not able to fast.
No. Some people’s bodies may just find it extremely difficult to fast. For example, if we consider the Ayurvedic body types, Kapha, Vata, Pitta, then it’s understood that people with too much Pitta, with a Pitta kind of body will get a lot of acidity and will find it very difficult to fast.
For such people, it is best recommended that they eat food, they can eat limited quantity of food, they can eat simple food, but they will need to eat food to be able to function. So, if someone is not able to fast and be spiritually absorbed, then it is best to encourage them to do what it takes to be spiritually engaged. That means, if they are fasting nirgala, they can try to fast with water and move on.
If they are taking water, if they need to take some fruits, that’s okay. If they need to take some non-grains food, that is also okay. If they need to take once or twice or even thrice, whatever is required, that is okay.
Now, this doesn’t mean that we should not make any attempt to fast at all. The important thing is that the attempt to fast should aid the attempt to be spiritually conscious, to be conscious of Krishna. The attempt to fast should not impede that attempt.
Otherwise, if it starts impeding, then it becomes an obstacle. So, how can it aid if we recognize that the only way I will be able to fast, my body is craving so much for food, the only way I will be able to fast is if I can absorb myself in Krishna and thus we feel impelled to absorb ourselves in Krishna, that is positive. But if the bodily agitation becomes so great that we can’t transcend it by absorption in Krishna or rather it obstructs even a basic connection with Krishna also, what to speak of absorption.
So, for example, say somebody starts vomiting and has problems like that because of which they can’t chant, they can’t hear, they can’t do anything, then it is better that they take some food and move on. So, the important thing in devotional life is to stay connected with Krishna. And generally, when people are fasting and they don’t have the physical capacity to fast, then even if they drag through, they scrape through to come to the deadline of 12 o’clock.
They are basically dragging their feet. And even if they scrape through, in the future, they will look for Janmashtami not with enthusiasm but with apprehension, with dread. Oh, another day when I have to fast and fasting is so difficult.
Actually, the day the Lord is going to appear, we want to look forward to that day with anticipation, with jubilation. And if fasting creates such a strongly negative perception about that day, then it is best that we avoid that negative perception by taking some level of food. Also, it’s not just that we need services to be done and that’s why we are telling people no need to fast, just do services.
Rather, services are often the only ways in which most people can be conscious of Krishna. Most people can’t hear about Krishna constantly for hours and hours. And most people can engage in services and can engage in activities but often they don’t get the opportunity to engage in services and be in the association of devotees, in a temple, in a festive atmosphere such as Janmashtami.
So, if they are having the opportunity to be in that festive atmosphere and being in that atmosphere requires them to take some food, then it is better that they take that food and be in that festive atmosphere rather than they be away, resting in their rooms or something like that because of finding fasting extremely difficult. So, to summarize, we have to put first things first. The first thing is our connection with Krishna, is the spiritualization of our consciousness and whatever level of fasting helps us in that spiritualization of consciousness, we adopt that and if fasting comes in the way, then we have to bring the fasting down to a lower level and we take in a regulated intake of food so that we can have a more sustained and regular intake of Krishna conscious vibrations and Krishna conscious stimuli.
Thank you.