Mukunda Mala Stotra 21 – 2: When fasting becomes a mere fat reducing exercise
veda-vratany anv-aham medash-cheda-phalani “[Without remembrance of Krishna’s lotus feet,] regular observance of severe vows enjoined in the Vedas is no more than a way to lose weight.”
Transcript
This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Shri Harnaam Prabhu ki Jai Mukund Mala Stotra verse 21 part 2 Veda Vritanya Anvaham Medha Cheda Phalani so we are discussing a series of how without the remembrance of Krishna even religious activities become futile so Kulshekar Maharaj is in this part of the verse saying that even if one does fasting Veda Vritanya daily one does serious rigorous fasting as given in the Vedic scriptures then that will simply be a Medha Cheda Phalani only fruit will be just decreasing the fat in the body so the purpose of fasting in the Vedic context of spiritual advancement is to go closer to God by turning our minds away from the world which distracts us and which diverts our desires away from Krishna so when we have made a resolve that there is nothing that I am going to eat on this day or these days then we can just say a firm no to all the desires for eating and then the full power of our desires can be concentrated on remembering Krishna on desiring Krishna on serving Krishna and in this way we can intensify our devotional service to Krishna however if there is no remembrance of Krishna then the fasting becomes simply a bodily exercise and as a bodily exercise fasting can help in that is the only gain that a person will have so fasting can be a sacred activity but it can become mundane activity without the right consciousness and the right consciousness is remembrance of Krishna I am fasting to increase my desire for Krishna to please Krishna by showing Him that I want Him so much that I don’t want anything else not even what is normally a necessity for me, food so remembrance of Krishna this intense desire for Krishna is primarily stimulated for us by the chanting of the holy names so when we chant the holy names attentively that is a very easy and effective way to remember Krishna and when we remember Krishna by chanting the holy names then gradually that remembrance of Krishna attracts our heart and that permeates underlies orients all other activities that we do even religious activities that we do so as devotees when we fast on special occasions like Ekadashi or Janmashtami or Pandanirjal Ekadashi at that time the remembrance of Krishna has to be foremost that we have to focus on desiring Krishna on seeking to intensify our hankering for Krishna that is our objective when we fast then may this cheda phalani the fat decreasing will be an insignificant by-product that will not be at all consequential for us what will be consequential will be that actually the fat around the heart the accumulation of anarthas that is weighing us down spiritually will get cut down that all these anarthas will fall away anartha basically means a desire for something which is having no value as when we desire the supreme artha that is Krishna and intensify that desire through fasting based on remembering Krishna while fasting as that artha desire increases meaningful desire increases all the anarthic desires meaningless desires fall away and we start marching swiftly and steadily shri harinam brahmam ki jai