water and mentally to purify ourselves from past errors with a resolve not to repeat them. The mela provides an occasion for free interaction between two great orders of the Hindu society, the house holders and the renunciantes. The house holders use these occasions to feed, clothe and serve the renunciantes and seek their wisdom and blessings. The renunciantes on the other hand pour out all their love and compassion assuaging in the process the manifold aches and pains tormenting the hearts of the house holders in their day to day mundane existence. 
The whole atmosphere on these occasions gets charged with the power of Spirit, of man's interdependency and connectedness, of man's inner urge of realizing his oneness with the Creator. The Creator and the created come together in divine harmony and rejoice in their oneness. Everybody experiences within themselves a divine peace, power, beauty and joy. Life feels blessed and worth living. Everybody returns from the mela to their allotted stations in life, with an abiding inner satisfaction and contentment. 

Fasting

Short Fast
A short fast of one day a week and a three day fast once in three months is highly recommended. It cleanses and detoxifies the body.

Long Fast
A long fast of nine or twenty one or forty days is very conducive for health of the body and very good for spiritual growth. It detoxifies and rejuvenates the body making it healthy.

In Indian culture we resort to nine day fast twice a year. Once during the onset of summer in April and the other during the month of Oct. just before winter season. When the climate outside undergoes a major change the body at that time also undergoes a change to get ready for the coming change outside. It acclimatizes and purifies itself. Many people suffer minor cold , cough or slight illnesses during this time. That illness is a sign that the body is undergoing purification. No medication is required. Those who take medicines for these minor ailments and get well in their case the body purification do not take place. In India ancient Masters put a tradition in this country that during this time every body should resort to full or partial fasting, practice meditation or silence. This conscious effort aids in Nature's process of purifying the body.

The higher spiritual benefit in long fasts comes like this. The prana energy that sustains the body needs to be replenished from time to time. The replenishment comes from sources outside thru food, breath and sunshine.

The prana of the body can also be replenished by a direct source. Cosmic prana enters the body directly thru the medulla at the back of the head. However the energy that enters is little because we are not aware of it and do not know how to control the process for our benefit. It is this process that we learn to develop thru long fasting. The fasting has to be done under medical supervision or under a genuine spiritual Guru. When the body is denied