Is it necessary to continue a fast if once started

Shivangiji, Fasting is what is called [I]tapas[/I. When you "starve" the senses it is called tapas. It is so called because it is giving "heat" to the senses. The senses are given treatment because they have a tendency to take you away from THE TRUTH. The natural movement of the senses is outward, and away from THAT ONE which illumines every atom of this Universe, including all LIFE of which the human happens to be the only one who could think of the source and get back to it. Fasting helps weaken the hold of the senses on the human mind thus giving a scope for it to turn inward. You have seen R^iShis & munis seated in the posture for tapas. Eyes Closed - One important sense that is the most distracting, cut off from its source of input- the visual field. Their ears are given the silence of the deep woods. With the visual and auditory sources cut off distractions are almost cut by 50%(?). The third big dis tractors are the tactile (lump together touch and taste) By being aloof and not touching anyone during any of these worship rituals and fasting for the tongue cut out those two senses. By staying in the presence only of divine scents of the [I]agarbathies[/I]- the divine frank-incense you are trying to give the olfactory sense a "direction" - Go God-ward. Thus the five physical senses are somewhat restrained by "separation" and /or denial. Now the only one powerful "distraction" left is that worked and overworked - THE MIND - called the [I]Manas[/I]. This one is the most difficult to rein in. For this one is all those five gross external-organ supported senses and much more. For in your mind you have all those senses in subtle form as a re-callable memory! We use the term [B]sukShmendriyaaH[/B] or in English the subtle senses, are again re-imaged in manas. That is why without any external input the manas alone can recreate every one of the other senses' distractions! That is why Arjuna asks this very question? How do I control this Mind? Now, that is a long drawn and painful training sometimes extending over several lifetimes. Your religion-prescribed fasting is one such powerful strategic technique to rein in this most powerful enemy - the Mans- in Search for the Truth! At the same time there is no compulsion in the Hindu Dharma. Everything here is a choice. Why do you want to undertake this fast? To help prepare oneself to reach THE ONE? Or was it undertaken to attain some this-worldly end? Don't be ever afraid that Mata Rani will be angry with you if you break your fast. She is Mata - The Great Mother? Have you ever found an unkind mother? Shankara said:[B]kuputro jaayeta, kvachidapi kumaata na bhavati[/B]= there could be a bad son born, but there can never be a bad mother anywhere. But be humble enough to beg Her pardon for having broken the fast. Ask Her for strength. Confess your weakness of the body but the strength of resolve to give you the strength to go on with it, with Her benign help. It will happen. He/She will make it happen. But be humble and submit to Her!

The purpose of fasting is to get closer to God, and to hear Him speak to you. If you focus on that, you will find it a lot easier. They are right. In Ecclesiastes, I believe, it says that once you promise God you will do something, and don't keep your word, you sin. In the New Testament, Jesus has said, "If you put your hand to the plow and looking back, you are not fit for the Kingdom of God. So ask God to give you strength to fast. Tap into His strength, and quit trying to do it on your own!!!

You have started fasting in honour of Navaratri Devis[I guess that is what you meant by maata rani];my suggestion would be to continue prayers without the fast. Now, this 'everyone' who tells you all this do this in order to instil discipline in people[ they carry it too far and frighten others] Any God or Goddess is full of mercy and we are children of God.THis being the case, do you think a mother or father would want their children to starve and be miserable?THe deities would be more pleased with a sincere prayer from a well fed person than a half hearted [one eye on the food/mind on the end of the fast-just joking].One thing though -to continue the discipline you can start the day with your prayer then have your regular routine meal throughout the day.THis would also ensure discipline and the tradition would becarried forward. Are you married?I have not checked your profile as yet to see your age.

Well.I dont fast on navratras so i dont know.I think it is tradition in some families .Right? if you ask my suggestion i will say no if you are not feeling well.Anything we made on festivals bring good for us.If it is doing some harm to your health better you dont do.Health is wealth.Once you loss it you struggle a lot.Dont worry about what others tells.Do what you want.Thats it?

Well,fasting is not for everybody.If you can't feel well doing it,then you shall quit it without any hesitations.But if you feel guilty,then try to go on liquid diet or just on fruits.Next year onwards,practice fasting,starting with one day per month,then one day per week.That way your body will get tuned to fasting.Cheers!

I think that there is no force for someone to do fast. It is over respect and faith in god that we are keeping fast for him. If we are uncomfortable in keeping fast then we should avoid it. It will not be beneficial for us, even god will not be happy if some of his believer is in trouble due to fast. Even i faced same thing and avoided keeping fast.

Your body is a gift from G'd. He never ment for you to do damage to it. If you fast to the point that you cannot concentrate then you are doing damage to your body and your brain. This is not a mitzvah (not a good thing in the "eyes" of G'd ). In the Jewish faith, the longest fast that we observe is only 25 hrs long. Only healthy people are supposed to participate in this fast. And you must be at least 13 years old and once you become a senior citizen you do not have to do it anymore. We have no fears that G'd is going to punish us if we do not do this fast. We look at it as a mitzvah if we do it and the loss of a chance of a mitzvah if we do not. Do not judge yourself by the words of others. You are your own person. What you do is between you and your G'd. Shalom~Adoniah