Fasting
for longevity is just illusion and superstitious, from a Spiritual
standpoint, the story and rituals related to Karvaa Chauth are more
or less nonsensical. This is mainly observed by the women of north India;
Hindus, Sikhs and some others. It is virtually unheard or nonexistence in
rest of India. This is traditionally observed few days before Diwali on the
Kartik Ki Chauth; married women observe their ritualistic fast on this day
seeking the welfare, well-being, and longevity of their husbands.
In this,
worship is offered to Siva and Parvati before ending the fast. In principle,
the fast is not to be broken until the moon is sighted at night, and an
elderly woman in the house is supposed to narrate a totally weird story of
Karvaa Chauth before the fast is terminated. Also, women get together
and visit a nearby Pandit's house or a temple for the purpose of performing
rituals of ending the fast. Thus, apparently, the Karvaa Chauth is
celebrated as a wife's benediction for her husband. Nowadays it is equally
popular among unmarried women; perhaps they observe it in hope for a "good
match''!
There
seems to be no such celebration as a husband's benediction for his wife!
Does this mean that the married men do not care or are not obliged to seek
the welfare, well-being, and longevity of their wives? Evidently, it
scarcely requires a feminist to point out that there exists an extraordinary
inequity in the relations between men and women.
Why does only a woman pray for her husband's well-being,
and not the husband? According to the traditional belief, upon marriage, the
husband becomes protector of the woman after she leaves her parents home. He
provides her food, shelter, clothing, respect, comforts, etc. Because of
selfishness, it so happened that, after the death of her husband, the widow
was viewed as burden to the household and was best got rid of by burning her
on the funeral pyre of her husband. This
Satee Prathaa was glorified by attributing great virtue to the
woman who had become widow, having thus brainwashed her enough so that she
herself would
decide to jump into the burning funeral pyre of her husband and become what
was known as a Satee.
In reality, Satee Prathaa still continues in remote village in India!
Because
nobody wants to burn herself alive on the funeral pyre of her husband, it
became exceedingly important for a woman that her husband remain alive,
otherwise she would become a Satee.
Hence, in complete Spiritual ignorance, or out of desires and fear came into
being the importance of ritual of fasting. With this came another easy
source of income for the wily priest class (Pujaarees,
Brahmins)!
Nowadays,
Karvaa Chauth has become so
commercial that it is glorified on the television, radio stations, temples,
and other media. Shops are heavily decorated with expensive clothes,
jewelry, sweets, foods, and so on. Women adorn themselves with the latest
designer's clothes, ornaments, bodily decoration and make-up.
This is
all Karamkaand performed under the
spell of illusion, pride, ignorance, worldly love, selfishness, material
desires, hypocrisy, egoism, possessiveness, emotional attachment, material
bondage, greed, doubts, superstitions, whim-led mental and material habits,
spiritual indifference, and "I-am-the-body" idea.
The
Gurbani disapproves of worshipping of any demigods or goddesses because they
are mentioned to be as much deluded by Maya as anybody else. It is declared
by the Gurbani that each Jeeva (individual being) is blessed with the
counted number of breaths and morsels of food; no less, no more! However, in
his thoughtlessness, man does not know that each day, his breaths are being
used up; his most beautiful body is wearing away; old age, the death, is
closing on him. Instead, he is engrossed in family play; placing his hopes
in transitory things. He indulges in corrupt pleasures, and wanders lost.
“No one remains here when the count of the
breaths is full. (GGS: 465).”
The only purpose of our life is to know ourselves or to
find out why we are here on this earth; not to use it in pursuit of
passions. The only way to realize Mool is to use the life for Spiritual
Enfoldments through the Gurmat (Aatam Giaan). However, in
false illusion to gratify senses, we participate in religious activities or
rituals are also generally motivated by the hope for further sense
gratification here, and after death in some far-off heaven.
Religious
rituals are generally performed with the purpose of material benefit in
mind. Such acts are in the mode of either passion or ignorance, for they
bind us in egoism. In this madness, we work day and night to develop
material wealth, without caring for the eternal Spirit or advancement in
Spiritual Understanding (Aatam-Giaan). Due
to such perverted understanding, we maintained some religious rituals or
observance as long as such activities contribute to our wealth or material
well-being. This material success, in turn, is utilized for sense
gratification. This is like pouring more fuel on blazing fire!
As made
clear in the Gurbani, pure devotion or Bhagti is to thoroughly understand
the Gurmat. One cannot be a pure devotee if he has some worldly aspiration
or desire to fulfill in exchange for his devotional service. In other words,
when one fully understands that any material remuneration or reward has
nothing to do with Spiritual well-being, then he becomes a pure devotee.
Kabeer says “One, who discards food, is practicing hypocrisy. He is like
Kuchajee woman who is neither a happy soul-bride, nor a widow. (Those who
claim in this world that) they live on milk alone, secretly eat whole loads
of food! ||3|| without the food, time does not pass in peace. Forsaking this
food, one does not meet the Lord. Says Kabeer, this I know: that blest is
the food etc. by which my mind is propitiated with the Lord. (GGS: 873).
Women apparently observe fast in hope of remaining Suhaagan (bride),
in material sense! But, according to the Gurbani, who is the true
Suhaagan? The true Suhaagan is she (Soul) who has made the
Mool within (Source of Origin),
her beloved husband. In other words, she has enshrined the Pure Mool in her
mind; through God-consciousness, her Heart-Lotus has blossomed forth; she is
blessed with the treasure of Love and devotion; her doubts or darkness of
ignorance is dispelled; she has focused her consciousness on the Divine; she
is joyously embellished in Sahaj; her material hunger and thirst are
vanished; she has torn down skepticism; with her intuition, she is engaged
in meditation (Naam-Simran: Understanding the Gurmat); she has
conquered her mind; thus her mind has awakened to Spiritual Realization.
Such a beautiful, happy Soul-bride enjoys her Husband Lord who never dies.
She is the True Suhaagan.
Fasting
of all sorts is condemned in the Gurbani because man's true enemy is not his
body but his deluded mind. Man's all Vaasnaas and physical passions
are in reality created by the spiritually blind mind, which we all must try
to restrain and conquer if we wish to link with our true Husband, who never
dies or takes birth.
The true
fast, hence, is to keep the wandering mind in check through mental fast. The
mind is drunk with the illusive wine of Maya. It is restless though
thousands of scorpions have stung it at one time! In such disturbed
condition, the mind behaves like it is separate from the Mool. This is our
disease; and in this diseased condition, we perform worthless deeds.
Contentment in every situation coupled with compassion is indicated to be
the antidote to subdue and conquer dark mental forces.
How can we develop Divine Virtues like True contentment,
etc.? As indicated in the Gurbani, the Divine attributes can be awakened
within through observing the fast of Naam-Simran through the Shabad-Vichaar
. Through it comes the dissolution of the body-consciousness, transforming
the mind into Divine Consciousness. Vanish with the dissolution of the
body-consciousness are the useless Karamkaand such as fasting and all other
rituals.
Thus everything - fasting, pilgrimage, liberation, all
treasures, happiness, purity, self-discipline, good deeds, good thoughts,
Kirtan, devotional service, meditation, knowledge, all Mantras,
Divine Love, fearlessness, and so on - is in the Divine Name. The Divine
Name is woven into all our breaths and morsels of food; without which man's
all actions are useless. In other words, the real fast is to experience the
Supreme Truth, not to carry out useless and mean acts. Freedom from mental
delusion confers the state of equanimity which leads one to liberation from
desires and fear.
