Fasting, Vrata in Guru Granth Sahib
For a clear understanding of Significance of fasting (Upvasa) e.g. Karwa Chauth, Ekadashi Vrata etc, let's have look on the following verses of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji first.
ਧੰਨੁ ਗੁਪਾਲ ਧੰਨੁ ਗੁਰਦੇਵ ॥ ਧੰਨੁ ਅਨਾਦਿ ਭੂਖੇ ਕਵਲੁ ਟਹਕੇਵ ॥
ਧਨੁ ਓਇ ਸੰਤ ਜਿਨ ਐਸੀ ਜਾਨੀ ॥ ਤਿਨ ਕਉ ਮਿਲਿਬੋ ਸਾਰਿੰਗਪਾਨੀ ॥੧॥
ਆਦਿ ਪੁਰਖ ਤੇ ਹੋਇ ਅਨਾਦਿ ॥ ਜਪੀਐ ਨਾਮੁ ਅੰਨ ਕੈ ਸਾਦਿ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਜਪੀਐ ਨਾਮੁ ਜਪੀਐ ਅੰਨੁ ॥ ਅੰਭੈ ਕੈ ਸੰਗਿ ਨੀਕਾ ਵੰਨੁ ॥
ਅੰਨੈ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਜੋ ਨਰ ਹੋਵਹਿ ॥ ਤੀਨਿ ਭਵਨ ਮਹਿ ਅਪਨੀ ਖੋਵਹਿ ॥੨॥
ਛੋਡਹਿ ਅੰਨੁ ਕਰਹਿ ਪਾਖੰਡ ॥ ਨਾ ਸੋਹਾਗਨਿ ਨਾ ਓਹਿ ਰੰਡ ॥
ਜਗ ਮਹਿ ਬਕਤੇ ਦੂਧਾਧਾਰੀ ॥ ਗੁਪਤੀ ਖਾਵਹਿ ਵਟਿਕਾ ਸਾਰੀ ॥੩॥
ਅੰਨੈ ਬਿਨਾ ਨ ਹੋਇ ਸੁਕਾਲੁ ॥ ਤਜਿਐ ਅੰਨਿ ਨ ਮਿਲੈ ਗੁਪਾਲੁ ॥
ਕਹੁ ਕਬੀਰ ਹਮ ਐਸੇ ਜਾਨਿਆ ॥ ਧੰਨੁ ਅਨਾਦਿ ਠਾਕੁਰ ਮਨੁ ਮਾਨਿਆ ॥੪॥੮॥੧੧॥ { ਰਾਗ ਗੋਂਡ, ਭਗਤ ਕਬੀਰ ਜੀ, ਪੰਨਾ 873}
ਅੰਨੁ ਨ ਖਾਹਿ ਦੇਹੀ ਦੁਖੁ ਦੀਜੈ ॥
ਬਿਨੁ ਗੁਰ ਗਿਆਨ ਤ੍ਰਿਪਤਿ ਨਹੀ ਥੀਜੈ ॥
ਮਨਮੁਖਿ ਜਨਮੈ ਜਨਮਿ ਮਰੀਜੈ ॥ (ਮ: 1, 905)
ਨਉਮੀ ਨੇਮੁ ਸਚੁ ਜੇ ਕਰੈ ॥ ਕਾਮ ਕ੍ਰੋਧੁ ਤ੍ਰਿਸਨਾ ਉਚਰੈ ॥
ਦਸਮੀ ਦਸੇ ਦੁਆਰ ਜੇ ਠਾਕੈ ਏਕਾਦਸੀ ਏਕੁ ਕਰਿ ਜਾਣੈ ॥
ਦੁਆਦਸੀ ਪੰਚ ਵਸਗਤਿ ਕਰਿ ਰਾਖੈ ਤਉ ਨਾਨਕ ਮਨੁ ਮਾਨੈ ॥
ਐਸਾ ਵਰਤੁ ਰਹੀਜੈ ਪਾਡੇ ਹੋਰ ਬਹੁਤੁ ਸਿਖ ਕਿਆ ਦੀਜੈ ॥ {ਪੰਨਾ 1245}
ਵਰਤ ਨੇਮ ਮਜਨ ਤਿਸੁ ਪੂਜਾ ॥ ਬੇਦ ਪੁਰਾਨ ਤਿਨਿ ਸਿੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਿ ਸੁਨੀਜਾ ॥
ਮਹਾ ਪੁਨੀਤ ਜਾ ਕਾ ਨਿਰਮਲ ਥਾਨੁ ॥ ਸਾਧਸੰਗਤਿ ਜਾ ਕੈ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ॥੨॥ {ਪੰਨਾ 393}
ਸਿੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਿ ਸਾਸਤ੍ਰ ਬਹੁ ਕਰਮ ਕਮਾਏ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਤੁਮਰੇ ਦਰਸ ਬਿਨੁ ਸੁਖੁ ਨਾਹੀ ॥੧॥
ਵਰਤ ਨੇਮ ਸੰਜਮ ਕਰਿ ਥਾਕੇ ਨਾਨਕ ਸਾਧ ਸਰਨਿ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਸੰਗਿ ਵਸੈ ॥੨॥੨॥੧੫੧॥{ਪੰਨਾ 408}
ਇਕਿ ਤੀਰਥਿ ਨਾਵਹਿ ਅੰਨੁ ਨ ਖਾਵਹਿ ॥
ਇਕਿ ਅਗਨਿ ਜਲਾਵਹਿ ਦੇਹ ਖਪਾਵਹਿ ॥
ਰਾਮ ਨਾਮ ਬਿਨੁ ਮੁਕਤਿ ਨ ਹੋਈ ਕਿਤੁ ਬਿਧਿ ਪਾਰਿ ਲੰਘਾਈ ਹੇ ॥ {ਪੰਨਾ 1024}
What is Fasting, Upvasa?
There are numerous, varieties of fasts in the religious traditions of India, not possible to calculate the exact number, how many there are? Fasting refers to the denial of food and drink for a specified time while keeping the mind in a particular emotional state. Fasting is based on human desires, which are related to their belief that they are devoted to God, demi-God, or the one they worship and want to achieve divine favor through their ability to fast. There are numerous rituals centering on the worship of multiple gods and goddesses in the Puranic ideology, where devotees practice certain methods to please individual Gods. Some of these include Navratri, Shivaratri, Janmashtami, Karva Chauth, Ahoi, and Ekadashi.
Karwa Chauth Vrata
Hindu married women fast on the fourth day of the waning moon in the month of Kartik, known as Karva Chauth. They have a happy procession in the early morning just before sunrise. A pre-dawn meal known as 'Sargi' is also sent by their parents where they consume food items before sunrise. In this meal, fennel seeds and fruits are offered, and the moon is worshiped. Secondly, fasting women do not take in any food or drink for the entire day. They worship the moon using a clay pot and break the fast by looking at their husband’s faces at night. The keeping of a clay pot represents the wife’s loyalty to her husband, which is a representation of how she was malleable and unformed like a clay pot at the time of the wedding and has remained true to her chosen mate. The tradition puts a lot of importance on morality and yet, why don’t men also have a tradition to show their morality? This tradition keeps gender unbalanced and may create an impression that women are servants of men though this does not necessarily say anything about the woman’s husband’s moral character.
Traditions of Karwa Chauth
Suhagans (married women) have plates of honey, almonds, dates, and money (Beya) before breaking their fast in the evening. This ritual is done after the sunset. These women dressed in red attires with makeup, sit in the circle. Later on, they share the 'Beya' from their plates with each other. The image of the moon is placed in the middle of the moon-like circular formation. All the women pay their homage from their place of seat and offer prasad from their plates. Eventually, they pass the plates around the circle. In Punjab's folk tradition, they keep singing in Punjabi like;
ਕਰਵੜਾ ਨੀ ਕਰਵੜਾ
ਲੈ ਨੀ ਭੈਣੇ ਕਰਵੜਾ,
ਲੈ ਵੀਰੋ ਕੁੜੀਏ ਕਰਵੜਾ,
ਲੈ ਸਰਬ ਸੁਹਾਗਣ ਕਰਵੜਾ,
ਲੈ ਇੱਛਾਵੰਤੀ ਕਰਵੜਾ,
ਲੈ ਭਾਈਆਂ ਦੀ ਭੈਣੇ ਕਰਵੜਾ,
ਕੱਤੀਂ ਨਾ ਅਟੇਰੀਂ ਨਾ,
ਘੁੰਮ ਚਰਖੜਾ ਫੇਰੀਂ ਨਾ,
ਸੁੱਤੇ ਨੂੰ ਜਗਾਈਂ ਨਾ,
ਰੁੱਸੇ ਨੂੰ ਮਾਨਈਂ ਨਾ,
ਪਾਟੜਾ ਸੀਵੀਂ ਨਾ
ਕਰਵੜਾ ਵਟਾਇਆ,
ਜਿਵੰਦਾ ਝੋਲੀ ਪਾਇਆ...
During singing this particular song, Brahmin performs a ritual of worship and takes something from each plate.
Story of Karwa Chauth
The story associated with Karva Chauth goes as follows: A long time ago there was a king with a queen named Veero. She loved her sister Vero who was the daughter of their stepmother. Once, during a Karva Chauth fast, Veero saw that the moon was hidden for a long time. Veero’s brothers couldn’t bear their sister’s hunger, therefore, they made a fire in the forest, and spread their cloth sheet, so that Veero could see the moon through a sieve. Veero thought she was right and Veero broke her fast.
However, the king had left the palace earlier to go hunting, and thorns from the forest pierced him 365 times, making him unconscious. Sad indeed, the queen picked up the body of her husband and started plucking the thorns one at a time. A year passed before the king regained consciousness. In the end, the queen finally pulled out 364 thorns from the king’s body. This is how the origin of Karva Chauth took place.
At this point, a bangle seller came around and caused a fuss outside. The queen went shopping for bangles, leaving the last thorn on the king’s body to be removed by the maid. Therefore, the king assumed that the maid was his queen. Unfortunately, this meant that the real queen had to serve as a servant. She made dolls out of a piece of cloth, and played with it, repeatedly saying, ‘Rani Si So Golli Hoi, Golli Si So Rani Hoi’ ਰਾਣੀ ਸੀ ਸੋ ਗੋਲੀ ਹੋਈ, ਗੋਲੀ ਸੀ ਸੋ ਰਾਣੀ ਹੋਈ which means the queen became maid, and the maid became queen. Later on, the lie was discovered and the real queen was reinstated.'
Examination of this story and the Karva Chauth rituals brings about many questions. Which king was mentioned in the story? What country was his kingdom and when did these things happen? On what basis were there 365 pricking thorns on him and why was no doctor invited to remove these thorns? Why were 364 thorns plucked off while only one remained, and why did the king regain consciousness after the last thorn was removed? After removing the first 364 thorns why couldn’t he wake? Is a husband allowed to marry another wife if his wife fails to take care of him for one day, as shown in the story of the king?
Spiritual Significance
These questions are never fully addressed by the story and the Karva Chauth rituals, which have no element of fact or religion. There are a number of notable issues that must be considered in this whole process.
Firstly, fasting and abstaining from food and water in order to fulfill a desire or wish is not in accordance with Gurbani. It also discourages obstinate actions because the Lord cannot be pleased in this manner. These acts are often imagined products and are not truly religious. Guru Granth Sahib Says,
'ਮਨਹਠਿ ਕਰਮ ਕਰੇ ਸੋ ਛੀਜੈ॥ ਬਹੁਤੇ ਭੇਖ ਕਰੇ ਨਹੀ ਭੀਜੈ॥' (ਪੰਨਾ-1059)
'ਮਨਹਠਿ ਕਰਮ ਕਮਾਵਦੇ ਨਿਤ ਨਿਤ ਹੋਹਿ ਖੁਆਰੁ॥
ਅੰਤਰਿ ਸਾਂਤਿ ਨ ਆਵਈ ਨਾ ਸਚਿ ਲਗੈ ਪਿਆਰੁ॥' (ਪੰਨਾ-66)
The second idea revolves around the belief that fasting with demands and wishes causes a long life for one’s husband. On the other hand, this goes against the normal way of affairs. Is it really possible to achieve a longer lifespan by fasting? Would it not be as if one was trying to please God with starvation against nature’s will? Can anyone imagine a benevolent God known as a mother, father, and guardian, taking pleasure in witnessing a person’s hunger?
If fasting was truly related to longevity, there would be so many people in this nation whose lives should be exceedingly long owing to the lack of food. However, this is not true. The teachings of Gurbani highlight the need for understanding, accepting, and living in line with nature. The truth is that every person is born to die. This is an indisputable fact, and no one can avoid this unavoidable fate.
As many spiritual traditions suggest, fasting or observing Vratas can have physical health benefits. Nevertheless, when fasting is purely motivated by desires and the hope of being rewarded by God, it ceases to be a genuine spiritual practice.
'ਜੋ ਆਇਆ ਸੋ ਚਲਸੀ ਸਭੁ ਕੋਈ ਆਈ ਵਾਰੀਐ॥' (ਪੰਨਾ-474)
'ਬਾਦਿਸਾਹ ਸਾਹ ਵਾਪਾਰੀ ਮਰਨਾ॥ ਜੋ ਦੀਸੈ ਸੋ ਕਾਲਹਿ ਖਰਨਾ॥' (ਪੰਨਾ-740)
Is it possible for one's actions to extend another person's life? Can our efforts truly alter the fundamental laws of nature?
'ਧੁਰਿ ਲਿਖਿਆ ਮੇਟਿ ਨ ਸਕੀਐ ਜੋ ਹਰਿ ਲਿਖਿ ਪਾਇਆ॥' (ਪੰਨਾ-789)
