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renunciation you will attain a life in the celestial world, but not
liberation. Liberation only comes when you become sahaj
(natural and spontaneous). The practice of rituals of renunciation
and penance are really tantamount to cranking the ‘handle’ (you
have to make an effort).
If someone is not eating and you ask him, “Are you not
well? Is that why you are not eating?” he may reply, “No. I am
fasting. I am doing penance.” You ask him, “How many days are
you going to fast?” He replies, “Four days.” So, is penance
supposed to calm a person or irritate him? This man becomes
so irritable that the moment his son says anything, he reacts with
so much anger, that the son thinks it would be better if his father
were not around. The Lord has said that if a person suffers from
constipation or an upset stomach, he should eat once a day.
Eating too much is poisonous but not eating is poisonous too.
That is why the Lord had said to do penance of eating less i.e.
keep the stomach a little empty. For example, if you eat four
rotlis (chapattis) everyday, start with eating only three and eat
only half the amount of rice. You will not have to do any
penance of fasting if you do this. So, give the body enough food
to keep it alive. Eating too much causes intoxication. Intoxication
is a liability. In satsang the