Chapter 12 of Vaisnava Amrta : Fasting on Visnutattva days

[Paramananda das]

 Skanda Purana   states:

matr ha pitr has caiva bhratr ha guru has tatha
ekadasyas tu ya bhunkte visnu-lokac cyuto bhavet

“Those who eat grains on Ekadasi and on the Day of Lord Hari (including Janmastami, Gaura Purnima etc.) obtain the sin equal to killing one’s own mother, own father, own brother and own Guru; and they cannot reach the spiritual world, which is why one should never eat grains on fasting days.”

yani kani ca papani brahma hatyadikani ca
annam asritya tiathanti samprapte hari vasare

“Every type of sin in this world, including the grievous sin of killing a Brahmana, reside in food grains on the Day of Lord Hari (Ekadasi and other fasting days). If grains are eaten on fasting days sins enter the body of that human being.”

Padma Purana:

bhuyo-bhuyo drdha vani sryatam syata janah
na bhoktavyam na bhoktavyam na bhoktavyam harer dine

“O human beings, please listen, I tell you repeatedly with steadfast determination, please never eat any grains on the Day of Lord Hari (Ekadasi day, the Lord’s appearance day like Janmastami day etc.). Please never eat any food grains even by mistake on the Day of Lord Hari. Please do not eat grains on the Day of Lord Hari even if forced or compelled to do so.”

na saiva na ca saurohasaun na sakta gana sevakah
yo bhunkte vasare visnor jneyah pasvadiko hi sah

“Whether one is a follower of Lord Siva, the goddess Durga, Kali, Surya (sungod), Ganesa, Bhairava or any other demigod, they should avoid eating grains on the fasting days of Lord Hari (Ekadasis and other fasting days of Lord Hari). If one does not rigidly follow this rule and eats grains on fasting days they are considered worse than an animal.”

The Brihan Naradiya Purana states:

brahma-hatyadi papanam kathancin niskrtir bhavet
ekadasyat tu yo bhunkte niskrtir nasti kutracit

“By rigidly following religious and ritualistic processes one may become free from grievous sin like killing a Brahmana, but it is impossible to eliminate the sins of those who eat grains on Ekadasi days.”

It is written in the Skanda Purana that Lord Yamaraja (superintendent of hell) told his messengers not even to go near the immediate three generations of those who fast on Ekadasi days and Visnu tattva days , even if they are lowborn and full of sin. But even if a pious person is learned in the four Vedas and performs rituals and is pure, but eats grains on Ekadasi days and Visnutattva days , they must be taken to hell to suffer.

When I joined ISKCON in 1979 in ISKCON Sweden ,Korsnaas Gard ,New Radha Kunda I learned right away the proper standards of fasting on Visnutattvadays from Vegavan Prabhu who was my first Temple president and who was my greatest wellwisher also Harikesa then Swami had been trained by Srila Prabhupada so there was no doubt about the standards for fasting on Visnutattva days.

Srila Prabhupada's BTG article on Conception of Gita Nagari written in 1956:
In the Gita Nigari, birth day anniversaries of Lord Krsna, Sri Ramacandra, Lord Caitanya, Sri Nrsimha Caturdasi, and similar other functions shall be properly celebrated and observance of Ekadasi shall be strictly performed.

We observed all Visnutattva days as fasting and then ekadasi prasadam in the evening ,also known as anukalpa prasadam.
Lord Caitanya ordered Srila Sanatana Goswami to write the Haribhakti Vilasa to explain the process of devotional service ,it is a very important book that should be studied by all true Gaudiya Vaisnavas .Srila Prabhupada was very merciful so instead of making all devotees fast till next day which is the strict standard
for all Visnutattva days and ekadasis ,he allowed ekadasi prasadam .Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada fasted on all Visnutattva days and Ekadasis as Nirjala .This was also the standard of all our Acaryas including Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Madhavacarya .
Srila Prabhupada wrote for Radhastami devotees can fast till noon and take grain prasadam, because Srimati Radharani is merciful. However I found that Padma Purana has statements that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada would recite as evidence for full fasting on Radhastami .So wheras for a new devotee it might have been ok in the beginning but now as I am a devotee for 40 plus years I should certainly follow the stricter standard for Radhastami given by His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada :

There are many quotes on not taking grains on Visnutattva days sadly to bust income to the temple some temples either ignoring willfully or unaware of the real standards are serving grains on Visnutattva days that is a detriment to devotional service just as much or even more than taking grains on Ekadasi this is purely ignorance and thus this chapter is very important for the overall well being of Srila Prabhupadas ISKCON movement

Veda sastra anurakta ye tulasi vana palakah ,Radhastami vrata rata, vijneyas ce ta vaisnavah,Sri Krsna purato ye ca dipam ,Yacchanti Sraddhaya para nindam na kurvanti vijneyas te ca vaisnavah this sloka is from Padma Purana ,Brahma Khanda 1.31.32  : Those who are attached to studying Vedic litteratures ,those who protect Tulsi forests .those who fast on Radhastami day ,those who offer a lamp to Krsna with good faith and those who do not criticize others are understood to be vaisnavas.

This is the statement by Srila Vyasadeva in the Padma Purana ,in Vrindavana many   vaisnavas fast on Radhastami as well fully untill the next day : ekadasyam sahasrena yat phalam labhate narah Radha janma astami punyam tasmat satagu nadhikam  :whatever result one can attain by fasting on 1000 ekadasis one hundred times greater results can be attained by fasting on Radhastami and Janmastami days Brahma Khanda of Padma Purana 7.8

This is very significant because Janmastami and Radhastami fasting  is 100.000 times more powerful than fasting on Ekadasi .Sri Narasimha Caturdasi is stated by Lord Narasimha to be 1000 time more powerful than fasting on Ekadasi : 

Lord Narasimha has personally stated and this is recorded in Narasimha Purana :

Text 452 yenaiva kriyamanena sahasra dvadasi phalam jayate na mrisha vacni manushanam mahatmanam By observing a single vow of Nrisimha Caturdasi, one obtains the merit of observing one thousand Dvadasi vratas. This is a fact and do not think that this statement is an exaggeration

Lord Narasimha has also stated : Text 416 kinca (It is also said) vijnaya maddinam yastu langhayet sa tu papabhak evam jnatva prakarttavyam maddine vratam uttamam anyatha narakam yati yavac candra divakarau One who purposely transgresses this vow incurs sin. Knowing this, one should observe this supreme vow otherwise, he will continue to rot in hell for as long as the sun and the moon rise in the sky. Text 417 atha tatradhikari nirnayah (A proper candidate for observing this vow) tatraiva (In the same Purana it is stated) sarvvesham eva lokanam adhikaro’sti madvrate madbhaktaistu viseshena praneyam matparayanaih Everyone is eligible to observe this vow—especially My devotees and those who are inclined toward Me must observe it.

So these fast are not optional for Lord Caitanyas devotees they must be followed . If  we choose to follow the strict standards set in Sastra or we choose to follow Srila Prabhupada that allows us to take Ekadasi prasadam (anukalpa prasadam )

Srila Prabhupada has stated regarding Ramanavami for example :

710407LE.BOM Lectures
So this process should be adopted, how to become sukrtina. Sukrti means yajna-dana-tapa-kriya. One must perform sacrifices as prescribed in the sastras, and they must give in charity their hard-earned money for Krsna's cause. That is called dana. Yajna, dana, and tapasya. Tapasya. Just like tomorrow is Sri Rama-navami. The tapasya will be that all the devotees will observe fasting from morning till evening. This is called tapasya. Just like Ekadasi day--there is no eating sumptuously. Simply you take little fruits and flowers. Try to avoid that also. You don't take even water. That is really ekadasi. But because we cannot do it--in the Kali-yuga the time is different--therefore we are allowed to take little fruit and milk, which is called anukalpa. These are different methods of tapasya. And yajna. This yajna, sankirtanaih prayair yajnaih, yajanti hi su-medhasah. In this age you cannot perform that big asvamedha yajna, gomedha yajna, rajasuya yajna, so many other yajnas. It is not possible. First of all, you have no means to perform such yajnas, hundreds and hundreds of tons ghee required for putting into the sacrificial fire. You have not even a drop of your ghee. So forget all those yajnas. In this age, yajnaih sankirtanaih prayaih.
“One must perform sacrifices as prescribed in the shastras, and they must give in charity their hard-earned money for Krsna's cause. That is called dana. Yajna, dana, and tapasya. Tapasya. Just like tomorrow is Sri Rama-navami. The tapasya will be that all the devotees will observe fasting from morning till evening. This is called tapasya”.

So Srila Prabhupada compares Ramanavami to Ekadasi in this lecture ,so both is actually fasting until next day but Srila Prabhupada mercifully allowed us to take Ekadasi prasadam 

Pandal Lecture, Bombay, April 7, 1971
Our next ceremony is Lord Ramacandra's Birthday, on the 7th of April. It should be observed in the same way as Lord Caitanya's Appearance Day, namely, fasting up to evening and then accept Prasadam, and all our ceremonies should be performed with continuous Kirtana, of Hare Krishna, Hare Rama. That will make all our functions successful.
Letter to Mukunda, San Francisco, 26 March, 1968
Today is Rama-navami, the appearance day of Lord Ramacandra, and everyone fasted until 4:00 p.m. Prabhupada walked through a nearby forest for his daily exercise. We drove out along Chattikara road a couple of miles and when he saw the wooded area he decided to get out.
A Transcendental Diary Vol 1 - Hari Sauri dasa (New-2003)
Chapter Eleven, Sri Vrndavana Dhama
Tamala Krsna: So there will be an initiation on Rama-navami.
Prabhupada: Rama-navami is upavasa up till the... Go to observe fasting up to the evening.
Tamala Krsna: So moon.
Prabhupada: Sunset.
Tamala Krsna: Sunset, moonrise.
Prabhupada: Authorized.
Tamala Krsna: Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Lord Ramacandra, and Nrsimhadeva also? Those three.

Srila Sanatana Goswami in Hari-Bhakti-Vilasa has stated about Ramanavami 
yastu rama navamyam hi
bhunkte mohad vimudhdhih /
kumbhi pakesu ghoresu
pacyate natra samsayah // HBV 14.244 //
“A foolish person, who out of illusion, takes food on Rama Navami will fall down and rot in the formidable hell know as Kumbhipaka. Of this there is no doubt

“GBC men should not dictate very much, simply supervise and see that the standards are maintained.”

(Srila Prabhupada Letter, February 14th, 1972)

Pseudo devotees do not fast for Sri Advaita Acarya on His apperanceday .  it is madness He is the one the brought Lord Caitanya to this world and is an incarnation of Lord Mahavisnu.When I joined ISKCON and learned about Sri Advaita acarya we where told best is to fast untill evening and then take Ekadasi prasadam .I never found anywhere in Haribhakti Vilasa or anywhere it is mentioned.I know in Santipure, devotees of Sri Advaita Acarya fast untill next day for Him as He is the Supreme personality of Godhead .I am not sure what Srila Prabhupada did or our acaryas did for Sri Advaita Acarya.But I follow the Gaudiya math standard of full fasting untill next day or fasting untill evening and taking ekadasi prasadam Srila .Dhyanachandra Goswami has given the following mantra and Gayatri mantra for Advaita Acarya:

Mantra :Klim Advaitaya Svaha

Gayatri Mantra: Klim Advaitaya vidmahe maha visnave dhimahi tan no advaitah pracodayat

These mantras are found in the Padma Purana and given as highly confidential mantras to Narada Muni

Dhyanachandra Goswami has given some other for our meditation on Advaita Acarya such as :

"With my head at His lotusfeet ,I offer my humble obaisences unto the merciful Advaitachandra ,whose heart is drowned in the ocean of prema.

He delievers infinite number of devotees, and is honored and worshipped by Caitanyachandra"

And he has given a Dhyana,meditation as follows:

" I meditate on the root of transcendental joy,Sri Advaita Prabhu,whose lotusfeet are always served by the bhaktas.He wears cloth as white

as the moon or a kunda flower( a jasmine flower).He has a pure golden complexion ,beautiful arms and a smiling face.His eyes always lovingly gaze upond the lotusface of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He readily benedictions and fearlessness to the devotees and His lustrous body is ornamented by prema"

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada has described Sri Advaita Acarya without a beard and in our Gaudiya line He is always seen as eternal youthful being the Supreme Personality of Godhead that is Navayuvanam eternal youthful :Sri Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya 16.99

tarjje garjje acarya dadite diya hata

bhrukuti kariya nace santipura-natha

...
“The Acarya threatened and roared, placing His hand on His chin That Lord of Santipura furled his eyebrows and began to dance.”

This is the Bengali commentary by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada :

sri-advaita-prabhu sastracara-sampanna gumpha-smasru-kesadi-mundita chilena. dadi va cibuke ye unnata kesa (smasru) deya yaya; uhake sadharana bhasaya ‘dadi’ bale. taj-janya keha keha anabhijnata-vase ajna bauliyara vesa smasru-kesadir niyoga karena. kintu prakrta prastave tini mundita-kesa chilena. tanhake ‘nada’-sabde abhihita karaya mundita-keseri nirdesa bujha yaya.

Translation of Commentary

“Sri Advaita Prabhu was perfectly fixed in proper behavior according to scripture, and was clean shaven, without whiskers, beard and hair on his head. A ‘beard’ or long-grown hair (smasru) found on the chin is called in the vernacular dadi. Therefore some people, swayed by their ignorance, try to ascribe to Him the dress of a foolish Baul and a Baul’s beard, hairy head and so on. But actually He had all His hair shaven. This is indicated by the word Nada, which refers to one who is clean-shaven.”

Though He is described shaven in all Gaudiya math temples instaleld by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada Sri Advaita Acarya is seen with longer hair and no beard such as at Advaita Bhavan at Srivasa Angam

Srila Sarvabhauma Bhattacaray who is the incarnation of Brhaspati the guru of the demigods used to fast on Advaita Saptami and he wrote this astakam :

Sri Sri Advaitashtakam
Srila Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya

ganga-tire tat payobhis tulasyah
patraih pushpaih prema-hunkara-ghoshaih
prakatyartham gauram aradhayad yah
sriladvaitacharyam etam prapadye [1]
I take shelter of Srila Advaita Acharya, who worshipped Sri Gaurahari on the bank of the Ganges with Ganges water, tulasi leaves, flowers, and loud cries of love to induce Him to appear.
yad dhunkaraih prema-sindhor vikarair
akrishtah san gaura-goloka-nathah
avirbhutah sri-navadvipa-madhye
sriladvaitacharyam etam prapadye [2]
I take shelter of Srila Advaita Acharya. Being attracted by Advaita’s cries, which were like waves within His ocean of love, the golden Lord of Goloka appeared in Sri Nabadwip Dham.
brahmadinam durlabha-prema-purair
adinam yah plavayam asa lokam
avirbhavya srila-chaitanya-chandram
sriladvaitacharyam etam prapadye [3]
I take shelter of Srila Advaita Acharya. He induced Sri Chaitanyachandra to appear and thus flooded the entire world with the flow of divine love that is difficult for even Brahma and the other gods to attain.
sri-chaitanyah sarva-shakti-prapurno
yasyaivajna-matrato ’ntardadhe ’pi
durvijneyam yasya karunya-krityam
sriladvaitacharyam etam prapadye [4]
I take shelter of Srila Advaita Acharya, whose acts of compassion are enigmatic. Only with His permission did the omnipotent Sri Chaitanya withdraw from the world.
srishti-sthityantam vidhatum pravrittah
yasyamshamshah brahma-vishnvishvarakhyah
yenabhinnam tam mahavishnu-rupam
sriladvaitacharyam etam prapadye [5]
I take shelter of Srila Advaita Acharya, who is nondifferent from Mahavishnu. His expansions and sub-expansions—Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva—perform the functions of creation, maintenance, and dissolution.
kasmimshchid yah shruyate chashrayatvat
shambhor ittham sambhavan-nama dhama
sarvaradhyam bhakti-matraika-sadhyam
sriladvaitacharyam etam prapadye [6]
I take shelter of Srila Advaita Acharya, who is worshipped by all and attained only through devotion. Because He is the origin of Lord Shiva, in some scriptures He is said to be Shiva.
sita-namni preyasi prema-purna
putro yasyapy achyutananda-nama
sri-chaitanya-prema-pura-prapurnah
sriladvaitacharyam etam prapadye [7]
I take shelter of Srila Advaita Acharya, whose wife, Srimati Sita Thakurani, is filled with divine love, and whose son, Sri Achyutananda, is overflowing with divine love for Sri Chaitanya.
nityanandadvaitato ’dvaita-nama
bhaktyakhyanad yah sad-acharya-nama
shashvach-chetah-sancharad gaura-dhama
sriladvaitacharyam etam prapadye [8]
I take shelter of Srila Advaita Acharya. Because He is nondifferent from Nityananda Prabhu, He is known as ‘Advaita’, and because He teaches devotion, He is known as ‘Acharya’. His heart is eternally filled with Sri Gauranga’s presence.
pratah pritah pratyaham sampathed yah
sitanathasyashtakam shuddha-buddhih
so ’yam samyak tasya padaravinde
vindan bhaktim tat-priyatvam prayati [9]
One who fully recites this poem about Sri Sita Devi’s Lord with sincerity and love every morning attains devotion to His lotus feet and becomes dear to Him.

 

Why do we fast for Lord Nityananda Prabhu on His apperanceday?

Because this is the standard for our Gaudiya Vaisnava line ,Srila Prabhupada introduced in and verbally these orders was given to fast for Lord Nityananda when I joined ISKCON in 1979 we fasted untill moon rise and took only ekadasi prasadam,though in Gaudiya math and among other Gaudiya vasinavas some fast untill the next day .

For example we observe Caturmasya in honor of Ksirodaksyai Visnu..but who is Lord Nityananda Prabhu:
Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Ādi 1.11
yasyāḿśāḿśāḿśaḥ parātmākhilānāḿ
poṣṭā viṣṇur bhāti dugdhābdhi-śāyī
kṣauṇī-bhartC4 yat-kalā so 'py anantas
taḿ śrī-nityānanda-rāmaḿ prapadye
SYN ONYMS
yasya — whose; aḿśa-aḿśa-aḿśaḥ — a portion of a portion of a plenary portion; para-ātmā — the Supersoul; akhilānām — of all living entities; poṣṭā — the maintainer; viṣṇuḥ — Viṣṇu; bhāti — appears; dugdha-abdhi-śāyī — Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu; kṣauṇī-bhartā — upholder of the earth; yat — whose; kalā — portion of a portion; sahCC — He; api — certainly; anantaḥ — Śeṣa Nāga; tam — to Him; śrī-nityānanda-rāmam — to Lord Balar=C204ma in the form of Lord Nityānanda; prapadye — I surrender.
TRANSLATION
I offer my respectful obeisances unto the feet of Śrī Nityānanda Rāma, whose secondary part is the Viṣṇu lying in the ocean of milk. That Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu is the Supersoul of all living entities and the maintainer of all the universes. Śeṣa Nāga is His further subpart.

Ksirodaksayi Visnu is the amsa of the amsa of the amsa of Lord Nityananda Prabhu, a portion of a portion of a plenary portion;How is this?

CC Ādi 1.7: May Śrī Nityānanda Rāma be the object of my constant remembrance. Sańkarṣaṇa, Śeṣa Nāga and the Viṣṇus who lie on the Kāraṇa Ocean, Garbha Ocean and ocean of milk are His plenary portions and the portions of His plenary portions.
CC Ādi 1.8: I surrender unto the lotus feet of Śrī Nityānanda Rāma, who is known as Sańkarṣaṇa in the midst of the catur-vyūha [consisting of Vāsudeva, Sańkarṣaṇa, P radyumna and Aniruddha]. He possesses full opulences and resides in Vaikuṇṭhaloka, far beyond the material creation.
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CC Ādi 1.9: I offer my full obeisances unto the feet of Śrī Nityānanda Rāma, whose partial representation called Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, lying on the Kāraṇa Ocean, is the original puruṣa, the master of the illusory energy, and the shelter of all the universes.
CC Ādi 1.10: I offer my full obeisances unto the feet of Śrī Nityānanda Rāma, a partial part of whom is Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. From the navel of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu sprouts the lotus that is the birthplace of Brahmā, the engineer of the universe. The stem of that lotus is the resting place of the multitude of planets.

If even Lord Ramachandra and Lord Narasimha originate from the Catur Vyuha ,and in Haribhakti Vilasa describes Their fast as a full Nirjala fast ,then surely Lord Nityananda Prabhu and Lord Balarama (Balarama hoilo Nitai) deserves a full Nirjala fast on Their divine apperance day.And in ISKCON it used to be the standard to fast up to moonrise for both ( who are transcendentally one and the same Supreme Lords)..the focusing on only Krsna and Lord Caitanya is due to an imcomplete understanding of the science of Godhead,

Some prefere not to fast it is obviously because they are in Maya and have no love and respect for Lord Nityananda Prabhu.Srila Prabhupada instructed for example Harikesa das in all the Visnu tattva days fasting for when he was TP for Vrindavana for some time..So where in Sastra is it mentioned to fast for Lord Nityananda Prabhu ?
it is mentioned by Srila Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya in his 100 names of Lord Nityananda Prabhu :

maaghe maasi site pakshe
trayo-dashyaam tithau sadaa
uposhanam pujanam ca
shri-nityaananda-vaasare
yad yat sah kurute kaamam
tat tad eva labhen narah

Paatha Mahaatmya:-

The most fortunate soul, who recites this Stotra, fasts and offers worship to the Supreme Lord Shri Nityananda Prabhu on the most auspicious thirteenth day of the bright fortnight in the month of Maagha{Jan-Feb} [ Shri Nityananda Trayodashi Tithi ], will certainly have all of ones desires quickly fulfilled.

Adi Samhita:
Yah Krsnah so pi Ramah syad yo Ramah Krsna eva sah anayor antaradarsi samsaran na nirvattate;

He who is Krsna is He who is Balarama , He who is Balarama is He who is Krishna.Anyone who sees Them as being different will never leave the world of birth and death.

So the standard of fasting for Lord Sri Krsna on Janmastami is strictly speaking fasting untill next day but Srila Prabhupada allowed fasting till midnight and take ekadasi preasadam .So best is fasting till moon rise as given by Srila Prabhupada or fasting untill next day if one takes grains on Nityananda Tryodasi it is as detrimental or more for bhakti just as taking grains on Ekadasi destroyes Bhakti .The tendency is to degrade the proper stands due to laziness and insincerity .If others do not fast you should still fast knowing right from wrong let even all GBC's and ISKCON Gurus and TP's deviate, because even many sannyasis also take grains on Nityananda Trayodasi and are thus making offences you should never follow their fallen standard but follow Srila Prabhupada and our acaryas in this case Srila Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya the eternal associate of Lord Caitanya has advised us.So we should follow and obey and get purified though it may be inconvinient to fast ,we should understand we get purified from unlimeted past sins and Karma and please Lord Nityananda Prabhu .one can always take some water if the fasting is to hard.Ayurvedic doctors recommend that fasting on Visnu tattva days and Ekadasis are healthy but make sure you are properly hydrated .Nirjala fasting is recommended , but before fasting one should dring plenty of water.If health permits it.After the age of 85 Hari Bhakti Vilaa recommends one need not fast so strictly though we have seen in the life of Srila Narayana Maharaja and others they kept fasting even above this age .However under no circumstances should grain prasadam ever be served on Ekadasis and Visnutattva days.

[Paramananda das]

“I am not much fond of the idea of changing things to accommodate the
public — better to change the public to accommodate us.”
(Letter to Bali-mardana — Bombay, December 28, 1971)