Guest guest Posted March 9, 2001 Report Share Posted March 9, 2001 Thank you Dany for your question. Mathematically, ekadasi is the 11th day of the Moon. There are 15 moon bright days or waxing days from the new moon to the full moon and 15 moon dark days or wanning days from the full moon to the new moon. When the sun & moon are in conjunction at the so called new moon it is the start of a new moon month. Everytime that the moon separates 12° from the sun, we have a moon day which has a Sanskrit name, the first day is pradipat and the 11th is called ekadasi. Therefore, we have 2 ekadasis, one during the waxing of the moon and the other in the wanning. Astrologically, people born during any of those 15 moon days have an especific pshycology and character. Spiritually, there are 26 ekadasi days all with a different name like Utpanna ekadasi or Parama ekadasi. By fasting on ekadasi days we (and our body) learn about austerities, renunciation and spirituality. There are some rules and regulations to follow during ekadasi in order to achieve the full results of the day. However, the simple rule of fasting from grains during ekadasi days is enough at the beginning of our understanding this science. Fasting is a form of tapasya (Sanskrit for austerities) and by performing tapasya we develop our spiritual understanding, our intelligence becomes more clear, our psychic energy increases, our mind becomes more determined and detached and our body becomes more in tune with nature. Spiritually speaking, fasting should be done to satisfy God. The Bhagavad Gita says that whatever we eat or do should be offered to the Lord, because by doing so, we harvest the fruits of our surrender, otherwise we are only satisfying our false ego. Also, by not eating grains on ekadasi days, we can save tons of grains which can be used to feed the poor. It is say in the vedas that during ekadasi days, evil energies live in grains and when we eat those grains, those energies can cause chaos in our lives. Therefore we abstain from eating grains and legumes during ekadasi days. We are allow to eat fruits and vegetables during those days. Astronomically, ekadasi happens when the sun and moon are separated between 120° & 132° from each other. The best book to consult about ekadasi is Ekadasi, the Day of Lord Hari by Krishna Balaram Swami. That book describes the full process to follow ekadasi, the benefits of fasting and the stories behind each ekadasi day. I have to say that we are supposed to break the fast early next morning just after sunrise otherwise we lose the benefit of our fasting. The breaking of fast is done by eating grains. Is this clear enough or do you wish more elaboration? Many thanks natabara das Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 9, 2001 Report Share Posted March 9, 2001 Great reply, Natabara, thank you and I won't fail to get the book you recommend. Namaste! Dany - natabara <natabara GJlist <gjlist> Friday, March 09, 2001 10:32 AM [gjlist] Ekadasi > Thank you Dany for your question. > > Mathematically, ekadasi is the 11th day of the Moon. There are 15 moon bright days or waxing days from the new moon to the full moon and 15 moon dark days or wanning days from the full moon to the new moon. When the sun & moon are in conjunction at the so called new moon it is the start of a new moon month. Everytime that the moon separates 12° from the sun, we have a moon day which has a Sanskrit name, the first day is pradipat and the 11th is called ekadasi. Therefore, we have 2 ekadasis, one during the waxing of the moon and the other in the wanning. > > Astrologically, people born during any of those 15 moon days have an especific pshycology and character. > > Spiritually, there are 26 ekadasi days all with a different name like Utpanna ekadasi or Parama ekadasi. By fasting on ekadasi days we (and our body) learn about austerities, renunciation and spirituality. There are some rules and regulations to follow during ekadasi in order to achieve the full results of the day. However, the simple rule of fasting from grains during ekadasi days is enough at the beginning of our understanding this science. Fasting is a form of tapasya (Sanskrit for austerities) and by performing tapasya we develop our spiritual understanding, our intelligence becomes more clear, our psychic energy increases, our mind becomes more determined and detached and our body becomes more in tune with nature. > > Spiritually speaking, fasting should be done to satisfy God. The Bhagavad Gita says that whatever we eat or do should be offered to the Lord, because by doing so, we harvest the fruits of our surrender, otherwise we are only satisfying our false ego. Also, by not eating grains on ekadasi days, we can save tons of grains which can be used to feed the poor. It is say in the vedas that during ekadasi days, evil energies live in grains and when we eat those grains, those energies can cause chaos in our lives. Therefore we abstain from eating grains and legumes during ekadasi days. We are allow to eat fruits and vegetables during those days. > > Astronomically, ekadasi happens when the sun and moon are separated between 120° & 132° from each other. > > The best book to consult about ekadasi is Ekadasi, the Day of Lord Hari by Krishna Balaram Swami. That book describes the full process to follow ekadasi, the benefits of fasting and the stories behind each ekadasi day. > > I have to say that we are supposed to break the fast early next morning just after sunrise otherwise we lose the benefit of our fasting. The breaking of fast is done by eating grains. > > Is this clear enough or do you wish more elaboration? > > Many thanks > > natabara das > > > > > > > > gjlist- > > > > Your use of is subject to > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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