I would often break fast by eating a biscuit: Kangna

Ahead of her upcoming film Krrish 3, Kangana Ranaut visited the iconic Babulnath temple with TOI. While Kangana is a believer of Swami Vivekananda’s philosophy and practises meditation everyday, she also believes in moorti puja and would like to visit Shirdi soon. Excerpts from our conversation with her at the temple:
Are you spiritual?
Yes I am a spiritual person, where I believe in the power that runs the universe, but have a more scientific approach. I follow Swami Vivekananda’s philosophy in which the highest form of worshipping God is meditation, little lower is mala and lower than that is moorti puja. I believe in both, meditation and moorti puja. My dadi is very religious. While I meditate everyday, she does her puja.
What does going to a temple mean to you?
Any religious place has that vibe and a calming effect due to the sounds of the bells. Being a celebrity it’s not the same anymore, but when I was younger, I would go to a temple and just sit in a corner. In my early years in Mumbai, I would often go to the Juhu ISKCON temple and the Mukteshwar temple diagonally opposite to it.
Do you believe in fasting?
My mother used to keep navratras when I was young. I would follow her and keep them when I was eight years old. But I would often break it by eating a biscuit and then feel disheartened, as I would come to know later that a biscuit was not allowed to be eaten while fasting. I would go and tell my mom that I had eaten popcorn thinking it would be okay, but she would tell me how even that wasn’t. I would wonder why I was not allowed to eat biscuits and popcorn during my fast. I fasted for a few years till the time kids started teasing me in class about fasting, at which point I stopped. This year again, I felt like fasting during navratras but could keep it only for six days, as I had to shoot and had started feeling a little weak, so did not want to take a chance. Religion, to me, is the discipline we follow. I believe in the Goddess and that every woman has a Shakti within. When you are fasting, you are reminded of your restrictions and that helps you to develop faith and willpower. It helps you do puja and aarti everyday that you may not normally do.
What does Shiva symbolise to you?
Shiva symbolises the power which the universe is running on. Isn’t it so amazing that in our culture women are encouraged to worship Shivling to get a good husband. It says a lot about man and woman relationships. I feel sad that we are not educated about our religion and culture. For the longest time, I did not know what a Shivling meant. No one tells you anything and you land up doing things blindly. While educating myself about meat and being non-vegetarian a year back, I discovered how healthy it is to be vegetarian and have today turned 100% vegetarian.