Autophagy

&
Fasting
The Significance
of Rituals

Various rituals and customs have been

observed in societies since time
immemorial. Many of these rituals are
followed with rigor and discipline, which is
a good thing, but what makes them more
joyful and impactful is knowing the true
significance of the scientific principles
behind them.

Examples include adorning the red

pigment, sindoor, on the forehead of
married women in India, praying before
eating, and fasting on special occasions.
Following
Rituals

Rituals are gradually disappearing from

modern urban civilization, but fortunately
they are still preserved among the innocent
people in villages. Among so-called
educated people, we have issues when
someone asks us why we are doing what we
are doing. When we have no justifiable
explanation, we avoid observing rituals for
fear of being looked upon as old-fashioned
or without real understanding. We need to
study and find the real significance behind
these rituals.
Ekadashi

Lets start with the significance of Ekadashi

in Indian culture. Many people fast on
Ekadashi days. It is a widely prevalent
ritual, but it is not well understood.

Ekadashi is the Sanskrit word for the

number 11. It stands for the 11th day of
each half of the month in the lunar
calendar. So there are two Ekadashi days
in each month: one is in the first half of the
month when the moon is waxing, and the
second is when the moon is waning.

These days have a very special

significance for health. Had they not been
associated with religion, common people
would not have followed such dictums.
Fasting On
Ekadashi Days

It is good to moderate the intake of

food on Ekadashi days so as to counter
the impact of the moons pull on the
human body, as our body is 60-70%
water.

You can see the impact of the moon on

the water in the oceans. It is significant.
On full moon nights there can be tides
rising up to 20 or even 30 feet. Similarly,
this has an impact on the human system
also.
The Lunar Effect

Especially during the full moon, records

show criminal activity is greater than usual.
The termlunaticactually comes from the
lunar effect on the human nervous system.
Our Elders must have observed this.

From the 8th day of the lunar cycle, the

effect starts rising and reaches its peak on
the 15th day. Midway between these two is
the 11th day, Ekadashi. If we moderate our
intake on that day, we can neutralize the
lunar impact on our system.
Preparation Of
Trainer

Closer to home, the great Masters of Sahaj

Marg have suggested fasting on certain
special occasions. One such occasion is
the day when a trainer is given permission
to start imparting training to others.

You may ask why trainers are asked to fast

on the day they are given permission to
work? In Sahaj Marg, the special
preparation for training a candidate goes
on for days, perhaps even years, before the
work is complete.
The Trainer as a
Spiritual Conduit

On the day when permission is granted,

qualitatively the trainer becomes a
spiritual conduit of the divine
Transmission, and, on this day, most of
the yogic chakras of such a person are
purified and brought to some sort of
opening or blooming. These chakras are
also divinely charged, enabling the
trainer to become a conduit for the
spiritual work. When this happens, the
divine charge remains very active for the
next few days.
Divine Charge
and Fasting

This divine charge is so subtle compared to

the energy that we derive from solid food
that, if we were to eat, the grosser energy
from the food would naturally displace the
subtle divine charge.

On this day, the idea is to tune in, receive

and allow the charge to be completely
absorbed. Hence it is recommended to
fast on this day. I hope you can
appreciate the importance of moderation
in food on such an important day.
Autophagy

Earlier this week, I was reading about

the fascinating work done by Dr
Yoshinori Ohsumi on autophagy, for
which he was awarded the Nobel Prize
for medicine this year. Thanks to Dr
Ohsumi and others following in his
footsteps, we now know that
autophagy controls important
physiological functions where cellular
components need to be degraded
and recycled.
Autophagy &
Well-being

Autophagy means to self eat, and is

the process by which the body eats its
own damaged cells and unused
proteins. After an infection, autophagy
can eliminate those cells infected by
invading intracellular bacteria and
viruses. (Read more)

Now, interestingly, in Ayurveda there is a

saying, Starve a cold. I believe the
ancients observed these correlations
across a physical, emotional and mental
spectrum.
Welcoming
Dialogue
The above examples, about Ekadashi
and the preparatory work of a trainer in
Sahaj Marg, illustrate that autophagy
may have a role to play also in our
emotional and mental well-being,
beyond just the physical body.

I look forward to further pioneering work

by scientists to validate the new frontiers
in this field of research.

Send me your thoughts on this topic at

daaji@heartfulness.org so we can
engage in a dialogue to go deeper into
the subject.