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breaking of his fast to karma or destiny. His excursions for alms were fruitless many a times.
Mahavira did not eat to get rid of lust for life. He utilised his penances to develop his inner spiritual evolution. He looked at the penances as merely instruments to enable one to introspect on the self. One should get so much engrossed in the self that he forgets all that is non-self including the body and its wants. It was for this reason that hard penances came naturally to Mahavira. His physical frame never decayed as a result of his penances His immune system became so strong that he did not fell ill during his life time. It is said that his physical prowess and personality were outstanding throughout his life. This could be possible because he was living only in the spirit, and could train his body to yield to his spirit.
Fasting can be done partially or in total for one time or for prolonged period. For those who cannot do long fasts, Jains have a simple and beautiful system of resolves, which are very helpful to make one to stop eating or drinking on the run, eating fast food, giving up vigay etc., tasting of delicacies or dentaries or for any other reason and eating only when hungry and happy to have a wholesome meal to eat is a good start. Scientists are also looking at the effect of intermittent fasting or reduced meal frequency. In animals, like mice, reduced meal frequency appears to have a protective effect on the brain and may also help with heart function and regulation of sugar content in the blood.
Unodari is a vow that promotes decreased food intake. Odar is an Indian word meaning a belly. Unodari means a belly, which is not full. Eating less
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