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Ekadashi Fasting – Ancient Wisdom and Modern Science

One of the pleasures of being a "postman" is receiving interesting messages from friends. One of my responsibilities is to separate the wheat from the chaff before delivering them to my readers.

The following WhatsApp message caught my attention because it beautifully connected an ancient Hindu practice with a modern scientific discovery. Like many forwarded messages, it contains both interesting facts and a few conclusions that deserve a little caution.

The message begins with a question often raised by today's younger generation:

"Why should we torture ourselves by fasting in the name of God? Does God become happy if we skip a meal on Ekadashi?"

The message then points out that in 2016, Japanese scientist Dr. Yoshinori Ohsumi was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his pioneering work on autophagy, a natural process by which our body's cells recycle worn-out or damaged components. The word autophagy literally means "self-eating."

According to the message, when a person abstains from food for about 14 to 16 hours, the body begins this natural recycling process, helping remove damaged cellular material and contributing to normal cell maintenance.

The author then makes an interesting comparison. He suggests that our ancestors, particularly the Tamil Siddhas, had already recognised the value of periodic fasting and incorporated it into daily life through the observance of Ekadashi Vratham thousands of years ago.

The message goes a step further and asks why fasting should be observed specifically on Ekadashi, the eleventh day after the new moon and full moon. It attributes this to the ancient understanding of atmospheric changes and their influence on digestion and mental alertness.

Whether one accepts these explanations or not, there is no denying one important fact. Periodic fasting has been practised for centuries by followers of almost every major religion. Today, medical science is also studying the effects of various forms of fasting, including intermittent fasting, on metabolism and overall health.

My Take: As your friendly postman, I feel obliged to add one small footnote.

The Nobel Prize was awarded to Dr. Yoshinori Ohsumi for discovering the mechanisms of autophagy. It was not awarded for proving that Ekadashi fasting causes autophagy, nor has science established that fasting specifically on Ekadashi has unique physiological benefits because of atmospheric conditions

—Your Postman
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