Let's Talk Sex | Why Couples Should Not Come Closer during Navratri

Sex may permeate our popular culture, but conversations about it are still associated with stigma and shame in Indian households. As a result, most individuals dealing with sexual health issues or trying to find information about sex often resort to unverified online sources or follow the unscientific advice of their friends.

To address the widespread misinformation about sex, News18.com is running this weekly sex column, titled ‘Let’s Talk Sex’. We hope to initiate conversations about sex through this column and address sexual health issues with scientific insight and nuance.

In this article, Dr Jain explains why couples should refrain from having sex during Navratri.

Navratri is a Sanskrit word which means nine nights. The festival of Navratri is considered as one of the most sacred of Hindu festivals and is celebrated twice a year. It is celebrated over a period of nine days, each day devoted to a different form of Goddess Durga.

As these nine days are considered sacred, many auspicious works like buying a new house, grah pravesh, etc, are performed at this time. But if you are thinking about getting closer with your partner during this time then you might have to re-think this idea.

The Reasons:

· Spiritual Reasoning

According to the holy texts of Hinduism, the time period of Navratri is considered to be focused on purity and goodness. There will be an immaculate aura in the surroundings during this time. Keeping a fast during Navratri will result in detoxification of your body and mind. It will also help in achieving spiritual welfare. People celebrating this festival must practice Brahmacharya life. Therefore, it is considered inauspicious to have sex during Navratri.

· Logical Reasoning

Change in diet for keeping fast for nine days will lead to conservation of energy by the body as a negligible amount of carbohydrate is being consumed, while sex is a demanding process that requires energy and shed calories while being intimate. Those who keep fast during Navratri, their body energy decreases. Because of that, they are not prepared for sexual and physical behaviour. This is the reason why people are asked to restrain themselves at this particular time.

· Weakness & Mood Swings

The spirit of a good sex lies in the energy of both the partners and during Navratri this energy will be lost due to obvious reasons.

Most women fast during Navratri and devote their whole mind to the goddess Durga and are advised not to engage in physical relations during this time. The special justification for this prohibition is that women become physically weak due to fasting on these nine days, as a result they might get irritated and have sudden mood-swings due to fasting and hunger. Moreover, lack of sleep during a fasting period can also lead to headaches.

· More Prone to Infection

Every year twice during Navratri, the season changes during Shardiya and Chaitra. Winter begins with Shardiya Navaratri, and summer begins with Chaitra Navratri. The risk of infection is highest during this time of year. These nine days have been instructed to practise fasting in order to prepare our bodies for the upcoming season and to boost our immunity to disease.

Some special types of hormones are also released in the body on making physical relationships and at this time, infection quickly takes hold of them and can enter the body. Therefore, it has been requested to refrain from engaging in sexual activity.

· Heartburn

Fasting can also cause heartburn; lack of food leads to a reduction in stomach acid, which digests food and destroys bacteria. But smelling food or even thinking about it during fasting periods can trigger the brain into telling the stomach to produce more acid, leading to heartburn. This is the reason the desire to have sex during fasting gets diminished.

· Controlling the senses

Fasting is a resolution. It is to observe and manage what comes to us naturally in order to control it. For sex, the same theory holds true. Some claim that the goal is not to refrain for nine days and feel defeated at the conclusion. Avoiding flirting and sexual relations can help you harness your sexual energies, just as you should refrain from bad behaviour and bad speech.

It does not matter at all

To conclude, sex is a natural and spontaneous urge you feel. There is no need to mix it with religion. However, if your partner is not keen to do lovemaking, do respect his or her wishes and religious beliefs. We hope we have given you the answer you were looking for. Have a healthy fast and a great sex (if you wish to do).

Prof (Dr) Saransh Jain is the winner of the Swasth Bharat Rattan Award and is a Certified and Licensed Sexologist by the American Board of Sexology. He is currently a Senior Consultant at Dr SK Jain’s Burlington Clinic in Lucknow. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.