pray. Do not overload. Observe moderation in diet always (Mitahara). You will he
happy and healthy.
Fasting is a vitalizing agent. It fills the system with new vigor and vitality. It
purifies and galvanizes the Prana or the Pranamaya Kosa (vital sheath) and
makes the mind serene and tranquil. It fills the mind with Sattva or purity. The
prayer-mood comes easily during fasting. Fasting starves the diseases.
He who observes fast will not feel hunger after the third day.
Fasting gives perfect rest for the overworked digestive organs. The undigested
food gets digested. The digestive juices which were poor qualitatively and
quantitatively regain their normal condition.
Persons become stronger day by day while fasting, because energy is
conserved. The utilization of considerable amount of energy for digestion,
assimilation and elimination is saved. The conserved energy builds better health.
Statistics show that people who fast most live the longest.
I can assure you, friends, that most of the ailments may be prevented or cured by
moderation in diet, partial or complete fast. Dyspepsia and other digestive
diseases like anorexia or loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, dysentery, colic,
gastritis, colitis, inflammation of the bowels and all kinds of fevers may be cured
without any medicine if you observe the rules of health and hygiene, careful and
judicious dieting and if you observe fasting.
Never eat unless you are really hungry, unless you can enjoy every mouthful.
Beware of false appetite. The stomach will cheat you through pseudo-appetite.
Never force yourself to eat. If you have no appetite it clearly indicates that the
body does not require any food at that moment. To force yourself to eat simply
because it happens to be mealtime is exceedingly unwise.
You must be able to differentiate habit-hunger for real hunger. Remove habit-
huger by drinking water. You must know the act of cheating the stomach when it
exhibits false hunger.
Complete or partial loss of appetite gives you a note of warning to stop eating
and to fast. If you have a bad tongue it indicates that there is much undigested
food in the digestive canal. You will have bad appetite. A good tongue denotes
that your digestion is good. You will have a good appetite. The necessity of
fasting is indicated by an infallible sign, lack of appetite.
Nausea or tendency to vomit, general indisposition, loose stools, anorexia,
retching sensation, biliousness, feverishness these are some of the important
signs of impaired or disturbed digestion. When you notice these symptoms, fast