What is the significance of keeping fast(vrat)?

Answer 1

Fasting for religious and spiritual reasons has been a part of human custom since pre-history. Vrat is fasting in Hindism. They obseve fasting for various reasons.Fasting is a very integral part of the Hindu religion. Individuals observe different kinds of fasts based on personal beliefs and local customs. Some are listed below-

- Some Hindus fast on certain days of the month such as Ekadasi (the eleventh day of each lunar fortnight) or Purnima (full moon).
- Certain days of the week are also set aside for fasting depending on personal belief and favorite deity.
- Fasting during religious festivals is also very common. Common examples are Shivaratri or the 9 days of Navratri (which occurs twice a year in the months of April and October/November during Dussera just before Diwali, as per the Hindu Calendar). Karwa Chauth is perhaps a form of fasting unique to the northern part of India where married women undertake a fast for the well-being, prosperity, and longevity of their husbands. The Fast is broken after the wife views the moon through a sieve after sunset.

- Methods of fasting also vary widely and cover a broad spectrum. If followed strictly, the person fasting does not partake any food or water from the previous day's sunset until 48 minutes after the following day's sunrise. Fasting can also mean limiting oneself to one meal during the day and/or abstaining from eating certain food types and/or eating only certain food-types. In any case, even if the fasting Hindu is non-vegetarian, he/she is not supposed to eat or even touch any animal products (i.e. meat, eggs) on a day of fasting.

Othr religions like, Muslims, Sikh, Jains, Jews also observe fasting due to certian religious beliefs of their own.-

Answer 2

This answer is not as per any religious book nor does any religious path tells it.
For a man the most inducing thing is food. No one can escape the charms of delicacies, tasty dishes. etc. Even if you see a picture of a cake on the net , or some chicken curry you start feeling hungry and you wish ... that if you could just have a mouthful of this..... Even a thought of certain dish immediately lets your brain even smell the dish automatically. So how can you resist the food in front of you? Food comes first in basic wants required by a living being.
You can pray mentally all the day without stopping your work and daily chores.
But when you decide not to eat or drink then it becomes difficult even to follow your daily chores. So how could one pray in such a situation.

So whenever this fasting might have started in various religion ( almost all religion have fasting prayers) it might have started with the thought that I can forego my basic desire- food, water and pray for the Lord almighty. Not that he has asked me to do so. But it is the greatest that I can offer it to him. After all you try offer the best to the loved ones. And so it is beleived that the fasting prayers often answer your demands.

But I believe its the strong believe in yourself that I can be without food and water and even the thought of it will not touch me when I offer my prayers to the God. And the power of our self restraint soon results into will power for us to have positive result.

Answer 3

Cleansing. This is actually a physical fact. Fast on juice for less severe toxic shock when your body tries to clean out...there are lots of books out about fasting and there are many benifits to fasting.
On a religious level it depends on the religion and the reason for the holiday. Most are to atone for something and all are a discipline.
Whatever your belief system is a short 24 hour fast will not harm you and in fact is good for you if you don't pig out when its over. Longer fasts can be difficult and even harmful. Get educated about how to safely do a long fast if you plan on it.
Be well.

Answer 4

It started in San Rafael California, apparently there was an older gentleman who could no longer tend to his crop of Marijuana of which he had an abundance,these high school kids found out about it and they would meet everyday after school at 4:20 to go look for the Marijuana which was apparently never found.( I heard it on the news this am) edit- Tara is right about the police code(420) for Marijuana in San Rafael as well....

Answer 5

The significance of keeping fast in line with Islamic teaching are :
1)to make muslim more social sensitiveness for helping other especially the poors who can not eat and drink regularly
2)to make muslim nearer to Allah the only one God
3)to make muslim more healthy because in the day his/her stomach stops (making a rest for) digestion
4)to make muslim more strength of control of his/her emotion
,lust and desires
5)to make muslim can conquer satan's temptation
6)to make muslim more calm and be patience

Answer 6

The purpose of fasting is to put down your flesh so that you be spiritually sensitive to see visions, hear God or have other spiritual experience.

Answer 7

In Hindu faith fasting is resorted for achieving some aim.It is an offering to God in return for something which one desires to get.

Answer 8

i really dont know what you mean. if you mean the act of fasting, or obstaining from something of the flesh, such as food for the porpous of prayer, then it is for just that: prayer. if you mean to "hold fast" it means to have endourance, longsuffering, and perserverance. it also means to remember something, like to hold fast to the teachings of Jesus.

Answer 9

from christain point of view, Fasting is to strengthen our flesh by weakening it.

Answer 10

increases will power
raises faith in god
good for digestive system