Who was the first one to keep Navratri fast

From October 3 to October 12, India is busy celebrating Navratri. People are dancing to the beats of Dandiya, hopping through Durga pandals, preparing effigies of Ravan to burn, and just soaking in the energies of Maa Durga that surround her children all over. Navratri is marked by rituals, prayers, fasting, new clothes, Kanya pujans, and much more, and it is a joyous occasion people look forward to all year.

The 9 nights of Navratri are marked by prayers and vrats (fasting). Some people prefer keeping a Nirjala fast (no water, no grains), some keep a niraahar (water and liquids, but no grains), and others just prefer to follow a Sattvik diet with fruits, nuts, and other Navratri-approved foods, But why do people keep a fast at all?

Well, it is believed that fasting during Navratri helps people cleanse all their sins, be in sync with the energies of Maa Durga, keep their mind and body light and relaxed for better concentration, and it helps them purify themselves from the inside out.

When the whole family is discussing how many fasts to keep, what kind of fasts, the food to prepare to break the fast, and the likes, have you ever thought - Who started the ritual of fasting on Navratri? Well, if you did, the answer is Lord Ram!
That’s right, an avatar of Lord Vishnu, the Maryada Purushottam, and ‘Siya var’, Lord Ram Chandra was the first one to keep fasts during Navratri in order to seek Maa Durga’s blessings.

Another question to arise now will be - If Lord Ram was an avatar of Vishnu, why did he need Maa Durga’s help? To answer this, it is important to remember that while Ravan was an evil King, he was also a great devotee of Lord Shiva and very accomplished in his life. Through his tough prayers, yagyas, and penance, Ravan received many boons and blessings which made him undefeatable! And as Lord Ram was on Earth as a King and human, defeating Ravan was a tough task.
And so, Lord Ram fasted during Navratri to please Maa Durga and receive her blessings and power so that he could defeat the demon King of Lanka and save Mata Sita.

It is also believed that Lord Ram was the first person to keep a ‘Nirjala’ vrat, the kind of fasting where devotees do not consume any food, grains, or even water throughout the day. Some people also say that when Lord Ram kept a Nirjala vrat for the first time, he did so for 9 days straight. And so when he received Maa Durga’s blessings and was able to defeat Ravan, it proved to be an excellent feat. It was after this Nirjala vrat that people started keeping Nirjala fasts on Ekadashi as well!

Why people believe that Lord Ram was the first one to keep the Navratri fast is because of the similarity in the two tales. Just like Maa Durga fought with Mahishasura for 9 days before she emerged victorious on the 10th day, Lord Ram too fought with Ravan for about 9 days, and then at Dussehra, he emerged victorious.
Just like Maa Durga ended an enemy in the form of Mahishasura and established peace all over, in a similar way Lord Ram defeated Ravan, ended the terror, freed Mata Sita from Lanka, and declared the victory of good over evil.