Should we fast on every acharya’s appearance and disappearance – how important is austerity in bhakti?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
So, how important is austerity in bhakti especially? We have so many acharyas their appearance or disappearance. Is it important to fast for all of those acharyas? There is confusion also about whether to fast from grains or not.
So, first thing is that ārādhito yadi hari tapasātata kim nārādhito yadi hari tapasātata kim He says that if you are worshipping Lord Hari what is the need for the austerity and if you are not worshipping Lord Hari what is the use of austerity. So, the focus is on worshipping Lord Hari on connecting with Krishna, on becoming more devoted to Him. Fasting is an aid and as Krishna says that eating too much or eating too little, sleeping too much or sleeping too little it causes problems.
So, similarly we have to find out what level of austerity works for us. I don’t see any need that we have to fast on each each festival. We can but it’s not necessary.
Even in our Vaishnav calendar only in some acharyas’ days it’s said you should fast otherwise just celebration is there. We speak about an acharya or we hear about an acharya, that’s all. We don’t do anything more than that.
So, here you can consider that there are different bodily types. Some bodies they find fasting not very difficult. And this also is actually a result of past life’s karma.
Generally, we talk about renunciation as something which results from devotion. Vāsudeve Bhagwati Bhakti Yoga That is true but then vairagya is also one of the opulences of Krishna. So, just as wealth is an opulence of Krishna, beauty is an opulence of Krishna.
Some people may be wealthy, some people may be beautiful. That doesn’t necessarily mean that they are spiritually advanced. Wealth and beauty can be used to serve Krishna.
Somebody is attractive then they can attract many people and then people will naturally get attracted and then they can serve Krishna and attract those people towards Krishna. Somebody is wealthy, people are attracted towards wealthy. So, similarly renunciation is an opulence some of us may get from our past life.
And some of us may not have it from our past life. So, if somebody has that capacity to be renounced with respect to food and they can serve Krishna that way, then let them do that. We don’t have to make it a absolute need for us.
We don’t have to become insecure if somebody else is doing that and we are not able to do it. nowadays we take this Pandanujal Ekadashi very seriously. So, many Prabhupada disciples have told me, especially in America, that during Prabhupada’s times, we didn’t even know that there was anything special about his Ekadashi.
So, he says, I was 10 years with Prabhupada. I mean, 10 years more or less is there in the movement after, while Prabhupada was there, 68 to 69. Not once did anyone do Pandanujal Ekadashi at that time.
Now, does that mean Pandanujal Ekadashi should not be done? It is not that. It is that Prabhupada some different devotees may have different attitudes. Prabhupada, he was there only for a short time, all the devotees were very young at that time.
That’s why Prabhupada did not give all the standards. That’s one way of looking at it. Another could be that Prabhupada felt love was a preaching movement and he did not consider this as very important.
So, now, which is the reality, Prabhupada is not there for us to ask. So, I would say that we just do what is Anukulyasa Sankalpa, Patikulyasa Varjanam. And as far as taking grains is concerned, on say fasting days, traditionally on Vishnu Tattva appearance days, grains would not be taken.
But again, when I say traditionally, it’s very subjective. Subjective in the sense that different traditions had different understandings. In the Sri Vaishnava tradition in South India, on Ekadashi, they, you equate the word Anna with rice.
And they on Ekadashi will not take rice, but they’ll take other grains. So, different traditions have different understandings of what vegetables can also be taken, what vegetables cannot be taken. So, I’d say that you don’t get too caught in technicalities.
Because ours is a preaching movement and if we often have festivals and say like Ram Navami, Janmashtami, these are big festivals. And if on those festivals we decide we will not have any grains and then many new people come and we don’t have really very attractive prasad for them, then the preaching is going to get affected by that. So, I’m a part of the Shastric Advisory Council.
We just made a wrote a paper on Ram Navami fasting. Some people say that fasting should be till noon, some people say it should be till evening. So, Prabhupada said in writing on few occasions that we should fast till the evening.
But actually on all the Ram Navamis that we could connect with, we could find out when Prabhupada’s servants or some other devotees are there, Prabhupada fasted till noon. Prabhupada asked devotees that do you need to fast till noon? Letters are there where he says fast till, he says Ram Navami we fast till evening. But actually fasted till noon.
And that’s the standard everywhere in other organizations, in Gaudiyamat and other places because that’s what is expected. Lord Ram appeared at noon. So, we say, our conclusion more or less overall was that we don’t have to make one statement of Prabhupada the absolute for everyone.
So, we can find out whatever works best for us and move towards Krishna. Posterity is not a vital, indispensable thing. It is to be subordinate to our connection with Krishna.
So, don’t make it into a big issue. You see how best you feel inspired to serve and just do that.