Fasting means

Expressions researched:
"fast means" |"fasting means"

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

The fasting means if you don't feel weak, then you fast. Not that you imitate Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī.

Lecture on SB 6.1.22 -- Chicago, July 6, 1975:

So in this way Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, one of the six Gosvāmīs, very important devotee, he used to live. He used to eat every alternate day, not daily. One day starving, and the next day, a little butter. But he was observing his regulative principles, taking thrice daily bath and offering daṇḍavat, what is called? Counting, numerical. Just like we count twenty-five rounds minimum, so Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was also chanting by counting. Similarly, he was offering daṇḍavat. You offer daṇḍavat, the same way. That is also counting. Saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ. Saṅkhyā-pūrvaka, keeping a strength, a numerical strength, just like we are advised at least sixteen rounds. So these things were going on. Not that because he was taking little butter alternate day, he lost his strength. No. The strength was all right. So the fasting means if you don't feel weak, then you fast. Not that you imitate Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. That is not possible in the beginning. But it is possible if you practice, if you practice. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau cātyanta-dīnau ca yau saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ kālāvasānī-kṛtau **. So everything is possible. But that is advanced spiritual life. It is no use imitating a higher authority, Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Just like he was chanting not sixteen rounds, but 164 rounds. So that is not possible. Gradually, śanaiḥ śanaiḥ, gradually, we have to practice.

Initiation Lectures

Fasting means purificatory, one, one who is taking all nonsense things, at least one day fasting to become purified.

Gayatri Mantra Initiation -- Boston, May 9, 1968:

Student: Has there been a fasting or other preparatory...?

Prabhupāda: No. According to Vaiṣṇava tantra, we do not require to fast because we are taking Kṛṣṇa's prasādam. Hare... Just like in Jagannātha Purī, there is no fasting, so long one is accepting Kṛṣṇa's prasādam. The fasting means purificatory, one, one who is taking all nonsense things, at least one day fasting to become purified. But one who is eating simply Kṛṣṇa prasādam and simple foodstuff, vegetable, grains, milk; they are not allowed to eat anything and everything. They are not allowed to take anything in the hotel. So practically, they are fasting. According to the general regulation, they are fasting every day. They are simply accepting Kṛṣṇa prasādam. That is already accepted. And because this ceremony is Vaiṣṇava smṛti, so we do not require particularly to fast.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Fast means you have to eat the cow's flesh. So how you can make it fast? The cows' number are the same. So it will remain the same. Simply you wait for the natural death.

Room Conversation -- June 11, 1974, Paris:

Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: Prabhupāda, in the western countries now, the young people, when their parents grow old, they generally send them away to old age homes. So if they have no compassion even towards their own parents, that they would send them away, then how can we educate them to protect the cow which is just like mother if they're even willing to practically kill their parents?

Prabhupāda: So there is no question of protecting. We shall protect. Simply we ask them that "Don't purchase meat from the slaughterhouse. We shall supply you the cow after his death." Where is the wrong?

Satsvarūpa: Not enough meat.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Satsvarūpa: Not enough meat fast enough, they're eating so much beef.

Prabhupāda: No, fast, fast. Fast means you have to eat the cow's flesh. So how you can make it fast? The cows' number are the same. So it will remain the same. Simply you wait for the natural death. Where is the restriction? You have got a limited number of cows. Either you wait for the death, or you kill it at once, the number of cows are the same. So we simply request you that you don't kill them. Wait for the natural death and take it. What is the wrong? The number of cows is the same. You cannot increase it. Increase or decrease, the number of cows is there. So we simply request you that so long they're alive, let us take it's milk, and give nice foodstuff to the human society.

Yogeśvara: If they don't kill it, they'll be even more cows.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Yogeśvara: If they don't kill the cow, then they will have even more meat, because then the cow will have more time to reproduce, more calves. If they don't kill the cow right away.

Prabhupāda: Yes.