Fasting is a significant element of Hinduism and can vary from minimal limitations to extreme abstention. The number of days and the fasting approach are not inflicted but depend on the community or the individual.
Can we touch private parts during fasting in Hinduism? This is one thing that many people would have at least thought of once. Why sexual intimacy during fasting is such a huge deal and is considered taboo? Does your fast break if you touch yourself in Hinduism or refrain from indulging or is it just an unspoken rule? Keep reading to understand the rules and restrictions for fasting in Hinduism and if you can touch private parts during fasting.
Introduction
Fasting refers to not eating for a specific time, or refraining from certain activities during specific periods, and is a part of most Hindu spiritual practices. In the early times, it was related to ascetic methods, and it is still a significant element of the spiritual practices of many of the holiness in Hinduism.
There could also be a spiritual purpose, which is of the physical body as well as of the emotional mind, which may lead ultimately to the goal of release from the cycle of rebirth.
During the fasting period, one must
- Stay clean and hygienic
- Maintain celibacy
- Always remain honest
- Practice patience
- Avoid non-veg food
- Perform holy rituals and prayers
Once you start the fasting period, it should not be left undone, and you should not begin a new one. It is also a rule that you should not perform fasting during periods of ceremonious impurity because of a death in the family.
What Are the Rules and Restrictions for Fasting in Hinduism?
There are no stringent fasting restrictions in Hinduism unless you’re performing it in practice for a tradition or in honour of a deity with established customs and regulations according to the scriptures. Good hygiene, celibacy, patience, abstinence from bad habits such as smoking or drinking alcohol, and following certain rituals may also be some of the guidelines for such a fast.
People also fast to fulfil their desires, overcome hardship, drive away evil, or obtain their God’s blessings.
Under ordinary circumstances, if you are fasting for your benefit or for spiritual gain, you may have certain rules. Generally, in Hinduism, there are three rules of fasting.
What are the restrictions for fasting in Hinduism?
- Avoid consuming all kinds of food – Fasting in Hinduism often means complete abstinence from food, for better self-control and devotion to the process. This is known as “nirjala upvas“, and it helps individuals stay selfless, disconnect from materialistic desires and think about spiritual growth.
- Even drinking water is restricted in a few types of fast – Certain strict fasts, such as “nirjala ekadashi” do not allow even consuming water during the fast. These fasts are kept with the idea that abstinence cleanses the body and mind.
- Keeping away from sexual activity – Fasting does not only include food and water restrictions but also abstinence from sexual activities, including touching yourself or your partner. This restriction supports the devotion to purity.
These fasts could be practised simultaneously, selectively, or in phases. Some people don’t eat anything while fasting but have liquid foods like fruit juice or milk. Some people restrict themselves from eating certain foods like rice, meat, etc.
Does Your Fast Break If You Touch Yourself in Hinduism?
There is often minimal advice given to someone keeping a fast regarding sexual activity. It is like an unspoken rule. We must comprehend how sex plays a role in the body, mind and soul to understand how it works during fasting. A person’s sexual activity during a fast relies upon several aspects such as the reason for the fast – it could be for health, weight loss or spiritual reasons or the duration of the fast, etc.
Does your fast break if you touch yourself in Hinduism?
If you are fasting for spiritual causes, you should definitely avoid touching yourself during your fast. Fasting from a spiritual standpoint involves discarding thoughts of all the sensual things of this world.
Can You Touch Private Parts During Fasting in Hinduism?
Fasting in Hinduism requires purity in thoughts as well as activities. Anything that may pull you away from this state of purity is generally not encouraged to ensure spiritual discipline.
Here is the answer to “Can we touch private parts during fasting in Hinduism?”
- Having sexual desires, including touching yourself for pleasure, is not recommended. This does not align with the goal of achieving self-control and avoiding cravings during fasting.
- Touching your private parts to maintain cleanliness and hygiene, such as during showering is allowed as they are not related to indulgence or distraction.
- The distinctive methods around fasting can also depend on regional, cultural, and individual understandings. Some may have stricter rules, while others are focused more on the purpose of the fast rather than several stringent restrictions.
- Fasting is considered a method for spiritual development, and actions that do not support the devotion or commitment to the fast are not supposed to be done.
Can I Touch My Wife’s Breast During Fasting in Hinduism?
What should be considered for whether that touch would break your fast, depends on the way in which you touch her.
In Hinduism, fasting does not only mean not consuming food or drink but is an act of self-discipline, commitment, and purification. People dedicate themselves to the spiritual process, forgetting about their personal desires including those related to intimacy.
During a fast, a husband and wife may interact normally such as talking or sitting together, but they are not allowed to do something that may stir up their sexual desires. This includes hugging, kissing, or even touching your wife’s breasts as this is seen as similar to consuming food or drink during fasting.
The importance of fasting is to leave cravings like lust aside. The Hindu scriptures talk about the importance of avoiding such indulgences to maintain the purity of the mind and body. Engaging in these acts that cause desire is believed to oppose the spirituality of fasting.
For instance, it is believed that even touching private parts is strongly not allowed, as it may lead to desires and further actions, such as sex which can cause ejaculation.
Hindu teachings say that only individuals with good self-control can stay close to their partners without breaking their spiritual focus. For most, staying away from such activities ensures that fasting remains a time of spiritual awareness and connection with the divine.
Spiritual Purpose of Fasting in Hinduism
According to the Hindu scriptures, fasting helps create a connection between “individual spirit” and “The Supreme Spirit The God”. The aim is to purify the body and mind to achieve divine grace.
- To develop awareness or get closer to God.
- To purify the mind and body.
- To increase stamina and nourish physical health
- To train the mind and maintain the body to face difficulties
- Spiritual Discipline: Fasting requires self-discipline and self-control. By refraining from food or restricted activities for a specified period, individuals practice control over their senses and desires, developing inner strength and will.
- Purification of Body and Mind: Fasting can purify the body and mind. It helps detoxify the bodily system, cleanse the digestive system, and release toxins from the body. Further, fasting is believed to purify the mind by stimulating mental clarity, focus, and balance.
- Spiritual Renewal: Fasting is often connected to spiritual renewal and regeneration. It allows reflection, devotion, and meditation, allowing people to deepen their spiritual connection, seek guidance, and understand their spiritual goals and values.
- Penance: In Hinduism, fasting is also seen as an act of austerity and penance. It is believed that by voluntarily undergoing physical hardship, individuals can mend past mistakes, refine their karma, and progress.
- Devotion and Worship: Fasting is a form of devotion and worship. Many Hindu festivals involve fasting to honour deities, take blessings, and express faith.
Tips for Maintaining Discipline While Fasting
The objective of fasting is not to punish the body but to focus on spiritual development, repentance, and seeking God’s guidance.
1. Believe in the reason for your fast
The best practice for strengthening self-control is to reflect on the goal of the fast, it could be for religious reasons or personal growth. When it comes to the rules of fasting, think about what is difficult for you to avoid. It could be non-veg food or sexual cravings.
2. Choose the correct time for your fast
Depending on your capability, you may choose 7 days, 60 days, or even 365. Or maybe you want to keep the fast every weekend, or every first week of the month. It completely depends on you. However, select an interval of time that will require a realistic measure of self-control.
3. Remove distractions
If your fast includes not eating anything, stay in an environment where there is no food surrounding you and keep only liquid food nearby to consume. If you need to stay away from sexual desires, remove triggers such as magazines or pictures. If you watch porn regularly, it is strictly prohibited to watch it at individuals time. This is where BlockP the porn blocker can help by using its unique features such as customizable filtering, AI blocking, image blocking, focus mode, and many more.
4. Embrace the discipline
It is normal for individuals to find this challenging. Expect it and embrace it. You may want to think about giving up something else which is more difficult to do as well.
Many of the materialistic things that control our lives are not needs, they are wants. But we have become so used to having them in our lives on a regular basis, that we quickly mistake our wants for our needs.
FAQs on Fasting in Hinduism
1] Can we touch private parts during fasting in Christianity?
Physical touch is a gift from God. It’s a good portion of his creation for human relationships. But, it’s also something that is misused during fast, which is not allowed. This includes touching private parts.
2] Can I kiss my wife’s private parts during fasting?
Married couples can touch each other normally if there is no sexual temptation. Kissing private parts is not an innocent act so it is better to avoid it.
3] Can we intimate during fast?
While refraining from sexual relations during the time of the fast is a restriction, especially if it leads to ejaculation, you can still have non-sexual forms of intimacy.
4] Can husband and wife hug and sleep while fasting?
A couple can hug and sleep during fasting provided that there are no sexual thoughts or actions and does not lead to intimacy.
