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Lord Krishna) fes val days is very beneficial for giving the body an op-
portunity to purify itself. There are approximately twenty-four Ekadasi
days and eight major fes val days a year that are recommended for
fas ng.

All func ons of the body should be regulated including sexual ac vity.
It takes about two pounds of food to make one drop of blood. Forty or
more drops of blood are required to make one drop of semen. In the
Patanjali Yoga Sastras it is said: maranam bindu patanat, / jivanam bin-
du rakshanat – was ng semen (or cervical fluids in women) for sex
pleasure is self-destruc ve; preserva on of semen gives life (using it
only for procrea on, otherwise refraining from sex indugence). Semen
is the real vitality in men. It is the hidden treasure in man. It imparts
brahma-tejas (brahminical power to control lust, anger, greed, envy,
etc.) to the face and strength to the intellect.

Maharaja Yudhisthira (the ideal Vedic king that ruled the en re world
5000 years ago) ques oned Narada Muni (an exalted Vedic Saint) how
to develop a perfect society for human civiliza on and the ul mate reli-
gious prac ce for eternal salva on. Narada Muni answered:

These are the general principles to be followed by all human beings:
truthfulness, mercy, austerity (observing fasts on certain days of the
month), bathing twice a day, tolerance, discrimina on between right
and wrong, control of the mind, control of the senses, nonvio-
lence, celibacy, charity, reading of scripture, simplicity, sa sfac on,
rendering service to saintly persons, gradually taking leave of unneces-
sary engagements, observing the fu lity of the unnecessary ac vi es of
human society, remaining silent and grave and avoiding unnecessary
talk, considering whether one is the body or the soul, distribu ng food
equally to all living en es (both men and animals), seeing every soul
(especially in the human form) as a part of the Supreme Lord, hearing
about the ac vi es and instruc ons given by the Supreme Personality
of Godhead (who is the shelter of the saintly persons), chan ng about
these ac vi es and instruc ons, always remembering these ac vi es
and instruc ons, trying to render service, performing worship, offering
obeisances, becoming a servant, becoming a friend, and surrendering
one's whole self. O King Yudhiṣṭhira, these thirty qualifica ons must be
acquired in the human form of life. Simply by acquiring these qualifica-

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