pupil had been asking about the upcoming nav-ratri and whether one should fast or do Vrat (व्रत) or not…??
sharad nav-ratri (शारदीय नवरात्रि) marks the change of season and the on-set of winters… the nine nights to prepare one’s body for the upcoming weather as well as to work on one-self in a way that the deVi rises to the peak crossing the tri-pur (त्रि-पुर)… means the lower tri- centers (त्रि- केंद्र)… but, with the dark forces functional, the whole meaning of the re-al Vrat is changed up-side-down…
since, the goals of the tri- dimensional life is to be intact in the tri-gun…means to be functional only at the lower tri- centers… so, the wish full-fillment has become the only goal and wish too is to accumulate the temporary physical objects or beings… considering only this to be the only mark of prosperity… hence, pupil designing ways to please the goddess by starving, by offerings, by singing aarti and so many more things…
with the decline in the consciousness, pupil called Vrat as “to starve” or “to fast”…with-out knowing the re-al meaning and signification of Vrat…
“Vrat means to take up certain discipline for a specific number of days”
and, it doesn’t mean to starve the body in any- way… one can take a discipline to eat only fresh food, fruits along with khichdi or only disciplining body in a way that it doesn’t mis-behave in the upcoming winter…that’s what Vrat means… not to starve or torture the body in any-way… because, Vrat implies to the discipline which helps/ caters to get rid-off the vikars and vrittis…which arise out of the lack of V…means Vitality… however, starving further leads to the lack of Vitality than to enhance it by any chance…
look at the rit-ual (rit- ऋत) that the being fall-low… offering fruits, dishes and desi ghee, milk to the deVi eye-doll (idol) and beings either starve all nine days or eat some foods which they call as Vrat-food… some special flour…
rishis and the ancient beings have always taken up different charyas (चर्या/ life-style)… which were related to daily routine, in-put and behavior…to train one-self for evolution and ascension by enhancing the aether/som/nectar…so, there was no need of nine days or a number calculated Vrat/ discipline required…because, it was a part of every-day life…but, it’s all missing in this yug and only focus is gains or accumulation…
even, lalita sahastranam (ललिता सहस्त्रनाम) mentions clearly that deVi likes certain foods when deVi is functional at a certain center… like at agnya (आज्ञा चक्र) deVi likes moong daal (yellow lentil) & boiled rice and, at sahastrar (सहस्त्रार) deVi is pleased with haridra-rice (हरिद्र-भात/ हल्दी-चावल) means turmeric rice… so deVi, durga, shakti, the functional principle in the body; doesn’t like to starve the system but, like the durg (castle), body to be nourished with proper food and discipline…than to torture body in any-way and thinking deVi will be pleased…
so this nav-ratri, maintain the right discipline of the body, feed well with warm ghee mixed khichdi and fruits every-day and, prepare the body for the deVi to function well all this winter…by enhancing the Vitality…as deVi (दे-वी) means the giver of V… the giver of Vigor, Vitality, tej, shakti…