Navratri - Science & Significance Behind Fasting
Unsplash, Sonika Agarwal
It’s that time of the year again — Navratri, celebrated from 17th to 25th October 2020. As the nine nights of devotion begin, there’s a noticeable shift in how we eat and live. Across the country, people abstain from everyday indulgences. Some observe a complete fast for all nine days, others limit it to just the first and last day, while many simply avoid alcohol, non-vegetarian food, onion, and garlic.
What’s intriguing is that this ancient festival comes with a well-defined dietary code… a specific list of what can and cannot be consumed during these sacred days.
But why these restrictions?
Why is regular table salt replaced with rock salt?
Why are certain foods like onion, garlic, and meat completely avoided?
Is it merely ritual or is there a deeper science and significance behind Navratri fasting?
What prompted me to pen this article?
An interesting trend I’ve observed — even among my own friends — is the habit of planning parties either just before Navratri begins or immediately after it ends. Some even go so far as to debate the exact time a day ends or begins (suddenly accepting Vedic timings over the modern midnight!)… all in order to squeeze in one last round of non-veg and alcohol.
Just two days ago, at one such get-together, a friend rather passionately claimed that fasting is merely a “Hindu thing” with no logical rhyme or reason. That comment stayed with me. It made me pause, reflect, and dive deeper into the reasoning behind fasting — not just as a religious practice, but as a conscious, seasonal reset. Especially during Navratri, could there be more to these age-old rituals than meets the eye?
First, let’s get one thing clear:
Fasting is not exclusive to Hinduism. Religions and philosophies across the world, including Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Taoism, and Jainism, to name a few — all practice fasting in various forms. The duration can vary: from just a few hours, a day, several days, or even weeks at a stretch.
The concept of fasting carries multiple connotations. On a spiritual level, it is often seen as a path to deepen one’s connection with the Divine. Many cultures view abstinence as a form of purification… a way to strengthen willpower, cultivate self-discipline, and embody virtues like detachment and inner restraint.
Take Jainism, for example… Jains observe eight- or ten-day fasts known as Athaai and Duslakshni, during which they consume only boiled water (phaasu paani), and that too strictly between sunrise and sunset.
During the month of Ramadan, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking… yes, even water, and any sensual activities from dawn to dusk.
In Christianity, following the exuberance of Mardi Gras comes Lent, a sacred season of fasting and penance. Catholics abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent, while Coptic Christians in Egypt fast for an astonishing 210 days spread across the year, with eight major fasting periods, each marked by unique dietary restrictions.
In Judaism, Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year, is observed with a complete 25-hour fast, where neither food nor drink is consumed.
These are just a few examples, but the message is clear: fasting, in its many forms, is a globally respected discipline rooted in both spiritual and physiological wisdom.
And for those who scoff at the idea that religion and science could ever go hand in hand … well, there is logic behind the dietary choices during fasting. Especially in Hindu traditions, the abstinence from alcohol and non-vegetarian food is not just a matter of ritual or belief. There’s solid science behind it too.
Navratri is celebrated twice a year and if you have noticed, both the Chaitra Navratri and Shardiya Navratri fall at the equinox which marks the change of seasons. From an Ayurvedic perspective, eating foods like meat, grains, alcohol, onion, garlic, etc. attract and absorb negative energies and should be avoided during a seasonal change when our bodies tend to have low immunity and we are more susceptible to fall sick.
According to Ayurveda, all foods fall into three broad categories based on their inherent nature and the effect they have on the body and mind:
Raajasic (stimulating and passion-inducing)
Taamasic (dull, heavy, and inertia-causing)
Saatvik (pure, light, and harmonious)
During fasting, people eat saatvik food. Besides the religious aspect, let’s explore the scientific reason behind it. Sharad Navratri falls in the month of October- November, which is also the transition period from autumn to the winter season. Due to the change in the weather, our immunity tends to decline. Thus, switching to saatvik food during this seasonal-transition gives our digestion the much-needed rest and cleanses our body of all impurities.
What is saatvik food? The word saatvik is derived from the word sattva, which means something that is pure, natural, vital, clean, energetic, and conscious. Saatvik food includes fresh fruits, curd, rock salt, seasonal vegetables, and subtle spices like green cardamom and black pepper.
On the contrary, Raajasic and Taamasic food refer to things that are unripe, weak, resentful, and destructive. During Navratri, people are supposed to denounce the worldly pleasure and adopt a pure and simple life for nine days. And having raajasic and taamsic foods during this time is believed to distract our focus.
Why onion and garlic are forbidden? Onion and garlic are considered to be taamsic in nature and are said to invoke carnal energies in the body. Onions also produce heat in the body and thus is not allowed during the Navratri fast. Garlic along with onion is supposed to have Rajogunn, which means a substance that can make one lose grip over their instincts. This makes it difficult to differentiate between our desires and priorities. Those who are seeking spiritual enlightenment are advised to stay away from Raajasic and Taamasic food as they evoke desires and increase mental lethargy. Hence, it’s consumption is avoided during Navratri, as it is the time when you try to inculcate mental discipline in life.
Fasting is also seen as a way to give the body a much-needed break from the regular dietary routine. This explains the choice of food items that are light on the stomach, easy on digestion but are full of nutrients. Grains, especially whole grains like wheat, rice, etc. slow down the process of digestion, that’s why these are eliminated and consumption of dairy products, fruits, juices, and light vegetables is stressed upon. This is also a good way to detox your body with alkaline foods which do not produce any form of heat or toxins in your body.
Many see fasting as an opportunity to merge devotion by practicing a lifestyle that can help one detox. The idea is to stay away or avoid processed food items as much as possible; this supports the choice of natural, unprocessed rock salt — sendha namak — over the regular, iodized, table salt.
Since bread forms a crucial part of a regular Indian diet, a few food items like buckwheat (kuttu), water caltrop(singhada), and tapioca pearls (sabudana) go into the making of a variety of flours, which fill in the space created by the absence of millet and grain-based bread.
If you have been wanting to detox for a long time now, then Navratri is your call. It gives us the perfect excuse to observe the Biannual Indian Detox Ritual and reboot our system. In today’s world, when our diets are gluten-heavy, these nine days can bring the much-needed respite to the system while also nourishing it.
I firmly believe our forefathers were well aware of the tenets of healthy living and they used a variety of practices to teach and inculcate such habits. Observing fasts during a change of season, when our immunity is likely to take a hit, is a good practice to keep the digestive system healthy.
Fasting has been around for centuries and will continue to be a regular practice for many cultures. Remember to be culturally sensitive to those who are fasting.
With the science and significance of fasting now made clear, I hope this Navratri brings you deeper awareness, better health, and boundless joy.
And if you’re looking for creative Navratri vrat recipes — do let me know in the comments below!
