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Lord Sainath never asked His devotees to pray on an empty stomach. He was
against fasting as a person cannot concentrate on God. Still His devotees
practice occasional fasts or even skipping a meal on Thursdays as on austerity
towards Sai Maharaj.
Mahatma Gandhi was the most prolific faster, abstaining from food for a total
of 14 times in protest of various social injustices. His fasts lasted from 3 to 21
days. His opinion on fasting was : '' It doesn't begin and end with mere
deprivation of physical food."
But this pathway to God is often His-inter-preted. Christians and Muslims fast
for a given period of time in a year. The fast of Sai devotees on every Thursday
is normally not so rigorous, only one meal is eliocinated and the rest of the
day's supply remains at its normal level.
Before considering a fast, you should ask yourself a few questions. What is the
purpose of my fast ? What guidelines Sainalh gave me about fasting ? How
long should I attempt the discipline ? What benefits do I expect ?
EVALUATION
Take time to evaluate your fast. How successful were you in maintaining your
discipline ? What benefits have you noticed ?
* An increased sense of concentration for prayer.
* The ability to distinguish between desire and basic needs.
* More power for intercessory prayers.
* Thankfulness, doing without highlights the good we have. In conclusion, by
deliberately withholding from ourselves the usual source of nourishment and
strength, we are thrown upon the 'pure spiritual milk' of our Kamadhenu Lord
Sainath; we are drawn into a new dependence upon Him.