Fasting with a happy face (2of 2)

Good morning friends. This is the second part of my article. I wish you are still following me here. Let me continue now ….

Fasting takes us beyond the carnal level of existence to the realm of the divine within. A better articulation of this dimension of fasting can be found in the Sanskrit term for fasting, upavas. Upa meaning ‘near’ and ‘Vaas’ means ‘to dwell’. Thus, fasting means to live or remain closer to God. It is not a negative act of abstaining but a positive step of obtaining God’s love.

Fasting is fuel for the soul that ignites faith and greater intimacy with God and thereby makes our lives happier and more joyful. Fasting has a social significance. It cannot be a mere self-fulfilling spiritual activity. The Bible is emphatic that true fasting is not just to abstain from food, to bow one’s head like a reed and lie in sackcloth and ashes- “this rather is the fast I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, setting free the oppressed, sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless” (Isaiah 58:6-7). M K Gandhi used fasting as a spiritual weapon to bring about social and political transformation. In India it is women, especially rural women, who fast more than men. They seem to gain tremendous inner strength and power to overcome suffering, alleviate the pain of others and thereby become life-givers. True fasting will remind us of the bounty we enjoy on a daily basis, and sensitize us to the reality of forced hunger thousands of people in our planet go through day after day. – The Times of India

Just enjoy life! (1 of 2)

Good morning friends. I read an article. It’s nice and I believe on what it was written there. It says that “God has a great and naughty sense of humour”. Look what was written.

As a devout Zoroastrian, I try to live by our prophet’s adage of ‘good thoughts, good words and good deeds.’ I have learnt the profound truth of this guiding principle.

Good thoughts are important for filling ourselves with positive energy. Good words make our interactions with the world pleasant. Good actions such as work and charity are what make our time on earth worthwhile.

I begin my day with prayers to God thanking Him for all the happiness my family and I have been blessed with. I know that God listens to all our prayers. That is the foundation of my spirituality.

My husband Rajesh is the most secular human being that I have come across. Curiously, we started discussing religion and spirituality in one of our earliest evenings together when we were teenagers. Over 35 years of close friendship and 25 years of marriage that discussion still continues.

Swappy, Manu and Nikki our three children and our numerous friends have over the years often contributed towards these conversations. Rajesh has an in-depth knowledge of the major religions. We dwell not just on the similarities between religions but on their differences as well.