God Almighty has ordered us to eat and drink on the day of Eid, and the Holy Prophet has said that the one who fasts on the day of the Eid is Satan. The reason for this is that Eid is the day on which God, the High, says to His servant, “Eat and drink for me today.” Therefore, whether you eat a morsel or you take a sip of water, the true eating and drinking is that which is done under the direction of the Lord. Therefore, eating today is faith. How beautiful is this faith that according to it, apparent enjoyments become worship.
It seems that a prophet among the Hindus may have said something similar to it which was misunderstood and resulted in producing the Pandas1. Islam explains everything in detail, but the older religions only had clues to follow. To feed a Brahman is considered a source of blessing among the Hindus.
During the days of Sharadh2, affluent Hindus feed the Pandas well. Then they assign an award for them for eating more. Initially, they give a rupee for every laddu one eats. Later, they start giving two or three rupees for every laddu eaten. The Pandas start practicing overeating many months in advance. A family or clan that has had more deaths related to overeating is considered more respectable.
There is a well-known story about a Brahman mother-in-law who said to her daughter-in-law, “Your husband and your father-in-law are coming back from Sharadh. They will not be able to sit due to overeating. Therefore, make their beds for them so that as soon as they are here, they may lie down.”
Hearing this, the daughter-in-law started wailing and praying, “O God woe onto my father that he demeaned me.”
The mother-in-law tried to silence her and tired to ask for the reason of her crying but she kept on crying and wailing harder and harder. The mother-in-law entreated and besought her in most humble terms saying, “What did I do to upset you?” But the daughter-in-law would not reply.
She continued crying. Hearing the noise, the neighbors started gathering. They also asked her the reason for crying.
After much pleading, she explained, “My fate is destroyed. I am wed in such a family that their people come home walking from Sharadh while our people cannot even walk after eating. They are carried home on cots.”
Though Sharadhs now have reached this state of affairs among Hindus, it appears that they really originated from the same source. At one point their purpose was the same as that of our Eid. Because God has directed us to eat on this day, so, the real eating is eating on this day. But because of misinterpretation, it has turned into a strange tradition.
In fact, the directive would be, “Eat for the sake of God.” But, as the misunderstanding mullas have thought Eid’s meaning is to eat so much that either you become flatulent or invite cholera; similarly the pundits have also understood it incorrectly.
1 A Hindu priest.
2 Festival. Food given to their priests by Hindus for the dead.