OmHari

Raghuji, HOW can you even pose a question like this! How can you say this about Prabhupada! With His mercy, many people accepted vegetarianism in the west. He was AGAINST slaughter of ANY animals, what to speak of our mother Cows. In fact, He was the one who single handedly propagated to STOP all these killings in western world. How Kripaalu(merciful) of Him! Drinking milk is NOT equal to slaughter. It is quite the contrary. We can live WITHOUT having to slaughter ANY animals. This is the essence of society where cow protection is given utmost importance and priority. In fact, Srila Prabhupada said that cows should be protected, milk should be drawn from the cows, and this milk should be prepared in various ways. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His instructions of Bhagavad-Gita, advises go-raksya, which means cow protection But in Kali-yuga, instead of drinking milk, people prefer to slaughter an animal and eat its flesh.. There is NO need of cold blooded killing of animals. Get the point?

Hari Om tat sat. This is indeed a wonderful post describing that human beings dont NEED to kill animals in order to remain "healthy" or to "progress". A highly civilized society is not the one that develops in terms of material gains, by slaughtering animals, and churning out everything mother Earth has to offer to us. Society can only progress when we as humans learn to live in harmony not only within ourselves but with our relation to our mother Earth. We dont need to kill our cows or any other animals in order to progress, this wisdom was long inculcated in the minds of those who were spiritually advanced. Your question about Americans lancking in spiritual consciousness, I wouldnt generalize for ALL Americans though, but may apply to those living there who have never come across any devotional mercy about way of living real "civilized" way. Drinking cokes and eating at McDonalds and brutally killing animal and depleting nature of its real wealth, the weath of our relation to animals, will not lead to any advancement materially what to speak of spiritually.

I have been vegetarian all my life, am grateful that I have been raised that way. There are a number of reasons why you must consider plant based food and say NO to meat. And yes, there are number of health reasons as being a vegetarian would benefit a lot as it by significantly lowering risks of cancer and heart diseases: If you see what goes on behind animal slaughter, you would have NO taste for meat. We must voice out for stopping this killing of animals in factories farms and in any form because most farming horrors are well kept secret from the consumer "common man" :YouTube - Meet your Meat Who is responsible in the process of this brutal slaughtering of animals? One who permits the slaughter of an animal One who cuts it up One who kills it One who buys or sells meat One who cooks it One who serves it up, And one who eats it, must all be considered as the slayers of the animal Think for a while, when you are served meat, just think how did your food made it on your plate, how it will will affect your consciousness if there was cold blooded murder invovled in the process and that you have a choice, a healthier, environmentally beneficial,spiritual, murder-free, a choice to go vegetarian or even vegan, when you know animals are not treated right.

Its actually horrifying even to think about how our milking cows are treated these days. Its not getting any better how we treat Go Mata and other animals in general and how we are fiddling with our Mother Earth. In fact, being vegan in situations where you cannot get milk from protected cows, calves makes very much sense indeed. I have heard some really ugly things about the cruelties invovled, as if animals were supposed to be for humans for being ab"used". We need to voice out for stopping this mistreatment of cows and other animals in factories farms because most farming horrors are well kept secret from the consumer "common man". In earlier times things were so different (even just a few decades ago) cows kept with family and treated with love as one of the members. The culture flourishes where animals are treated with respect and love and not for commercial gains. My other concen is about all animals that are killed, for the meat industry. Can you stop to think for a while, when you are served meat, just think how did your food made it on your plate, how it will will affect your consciousness if there was cold blooded murder invovled in the process and that you have a choice, a healthier, environmentally beneficial,spiritual,murder-free, a choice to go vegetarian or even vegan, when you know animals are not treated right. Are you human enough to make this choice right now and today?

I would like to prefer offerings of pure bhaktajans over any indulgence in material world. Thanks for pointing that out. My question was related only with specific "vegetarian" food items, that is unofferable in terms of "gunas"...........

Beautifully explained Smaranamji, all of us living on material plane can try to do our best to offer to Hari with sattva, and ateast be vegetarians.

Even few decades back, people lived on much more simpler food (Sattvic ahar) than what is today. I spoke with those who had been living in villages, small towns, and they said in their earlier times, didnt use oil, sugar,tea,coffee,fried things...I like imagining how it would have been even few centuries back or even thousands of years back...People were full of "sattva" and so their simple diet... Talking about garlands, I sometimes cannot see how the needle pierces through the tender leaves or flowers, if leaf and flower is so offerable how do we do garland without even needles. I heard people wore cloths that had not been stitched. Earlier times sari didnt look like how it is now, used to be unstitched and certainly not a fashion garment, and so was Dhoti. Today there is so much of contamination, most things have to pass through factory of some kind, what we eat or what we wear. About what to offer to Hari, I think being vegetarian is very important if we want to know about loving God or loving others or even self. If we worship deities but dont respect the Supersoul present in other life forms, then we cannot understand love for Hari.

Thanks Theist , for your reply. It will not be problem finding one here. Also I find helpful information on similar posts by you here on that. I also found one interesting video I would like to share:

And I know many Vaishnav families just one or two generations back, who did not have oil tadka for food, neither did they have tea,what to speak of coffee, and I also came to know they were not eating sugar, as it was not sattvic. They drank milk only from their own cows or goats, not the one from factories these days. All this only few decades ago in India, what to speak of centuries before. So the milk taken from cows who are not treated with love, but rather tortured inside factories, is not Sattvic, not in goodness, forgive me.

For those who are citing quotes from Manu Smriti, The Manu Smriti was one of the first Sanskrit texts studied by the British. It was first translated into English by the founder of indology, Sir William Jones. His version was published in 1794. British administrative requirements encouraged their interest in the Dharmashastras, which they believed to be legal codes. In fact, these were not codes of law but norms related to social obligations and ritual requirements. According to Avari: The text was never universally followed or acclaimed by the vast majority of Indians in their history; it came to the world's attention through a late eighteenth-century translation by Sir William Jones, who mistakenly exaggerated both its antiquity and its importance. Today many of its ideas are popularised as the golden norm of classical Hindu law by Hindu universalists. They are, however, anathema to modern thinkers and particularly feminists.

I would prefer jaggery over sugar, but sometimes its unavoidable esp in the west. About overeating , I agree, where half the world goes starved , its only wise to not to indulge in overeating, whenever possible. I think we should not waste "prasada" We must cook food as much as necessary, if we plan to eat out at friends or family,etc, we must in advance inform how much our host can prepare. I dont know how its in temples usually where food is prepared in huge quantities

As far as I know only the QUALITIES of sattvic food was decribed, not the list of food which are sattvic. Spices,refined sugar(Originally, people chewed the cane raw to extract its sweetness. Indians discovered how to crystallize sugar during the Gupta dynasty, around AD 350), flour are under rajasic, and cheese comes under tamasic category,by the way

What does it mean rk?

According to this link http://www.salagram.net/Onions-Garlic-in-relation2Vaishnavism.html#Why no Garlic and Onions? (i) Because they are of the food category of Rajas and Tamas. They cause a disturbance, and even pain and sickness to those who eat them. Especially if you are not used to eating them and find them slipped into a meal – painful air, diarrhea, are often side effects – symptoms of the modes of passion and ignorance. (ii) Because they (such foods) cannot be offered to the Deity. (iii) Because they impair Deity worship by their profound and even bad smell, and their repeating nature so as to effectively disqualify the sadhaka from performing Deity worship as laid down in the Hari Bhakti Vilas, and Bhaktirasamrta Sindhu (even Hing and Gingerly are mentioned, what to speak of onion and garlic) regarding making sure that such foods that repeat upon one, and that food in general is thoroughly digested before one performs the pujas. (iv) Because the onion and garlic are considered to grow below the ground and thus tamasiki in nature many chaste Vaishnavas would not partake of them. (v) Because they are not a native to devotional cooking see (I) & (ii) & (iii) being introduced from other countries (karma bhumi – outside of dharma-bhumi) like so many other things. (vi) Because of the references to their origin as being derived of animal sacrifice, as evolved from the sin of steeling the offering and when caught for that by her husband throwing that to a distant place where due to its being impregnated with life invoking mantras took the seed form as red dahl, red onion and white onion. If you say only "Satvic" can be offerable, then we cannot offer anything that is fried like pooris,samosa,kachoris,pakoras,gulab jamuns,salty,pungent,with chilli or pepper, any sweet preparation because too sweet is also not satvic. WE cannot offer idlis,dahi,bread or any fermented stuff as its not freshly prepared. We cannot offer any frozen things or chilled items. Also I read that only qualities of food were mentioned while describing satvic or rajasic, no where the names of the food mentioned. Correct me in case you know more Why am I still pondering..and having hard time in understanding these.I think being vegetarian/vegan would be enough, and limiting diet to not eating carrots, or radishes, red lentlils, tomatoes, seem to me little outrageous. Why do people fall for these things. In fact, its not even mentioned anywhere as far as I know in the texts (forgive me if it is, AND if so, let me know where and which verse,etc) And its interesting if you check out the history of tomatoes and potatoes, it had been introduced in Asia, only a few centuries back from South Americas. Whereas Onions and garlic were grown indigenously and has been eaten since prehistoric times. Yours humbly, OmHari

According to Kurma dasaji's Page Onions & Garlic in relation to Vaishnavism Why no Garlic and Onions? Most Vaishnavas do not consume either onions or garlic. However in our research we find it for a varied myriad of reasons. (i) because they are of the food category of Rajas and Tamas. They cause a disturbance, and even pain and sickness to those who eat them. Especially if you are not used to eating them and find them slipped into a meal – painful air, diarrhea, are often side effects – symptoms of the modes of passion and ignorance. (ii) because they (such foods) cannot be offered to the Deity. (iii) because they impair Deity worship by their profound and even bad smell, and their repeating nature so as to effectively disqualify the sadhaka from performing Deity worship as laid down in the Hari Bhakti Vilas, and Bhaktirasamrta Sindhu (even Hing and Gingerly are mentioned, what to speak of onion and garlic) regarding making sure that such foods that repeat upon one, and that food in general is thoroughly digested before one performs the pujas. (iv) Because the onion and garlic are considered to grow below the ground and thus tamasiki in nature many chaste Vaishnavas would not partake of them. (v) because they are not a native to devotional cooking see (I) & (ii) & (iii) being introduced from other countries (karma bhumi – outside of dharma-bhumi) like so many other things. (vi) because of the references to their origin as being derived of animal sacrifice, as evolved from the sin of steeling the offering and when caught for that by her husband throwing that to a distant place where due to its being impregnated with life invoking mantras took the seed form as red dahl, red onion and white onion.

Its interesting if you check out the history of tomatoes and potatoes, it had been introduced in Asia, only a few centuries back from South Americas. Whereas Onions and garlic were grown indigenously and has been eaten since prehistoric times.

Still waiting for answer to my question. IS only "satvic" food offerable?

I am having hard time in believing these stories already, and in my opinion these things discourage some people to join "faith". I think being vegetarian/vegan would be enough, and limiting diet to not eating carrots, or radishes, red lentlils, tomatoes, seem to me little outrageous. Why do people fall for these things. In fact, its not even mentioned anywhere as far as I know in the texts (forgive me if it is, AND if so, let me know where and which verse,etc) This way, I like Jainsim, where atleast they rationalilze their not eating ANY roots. Yours humbly, OmHari

Are you saying that your health improved AFTER taking onion and garlic. I read somewhere about garlic boosting up immune And my question to all devotees out here, will it offend you ,if some vegetarian or vegan eats onion,garlic, masoor dal, radish,etc. ?

I dont know how Srimati Radharani was able to control, but as a devotee she was always absorbed in serving the Lord. Also I dont know about the husbands of Gopis , as all of them were married, how it would have been then. In this mundane world, its better to be tolerant than be controlling. Better to serve than be served....

I still dont understand why carrots,radish,onion,garlic,masoor dal, cannot be considered offerable whereas, chillies, pepper,mustard seeds,hing,ginger, potato, frozen canned food stuffs, can be offered. And please reply Is ONLY SAATTVIC food offerable?

Galaxyji I agree when you say, we are limited to our knowledge and that discussions and arguments can go on and on we must just listen to the words of our leaders. Thats what we do, and if we have some questions, I think there should be some room for discussions as well. I wish you all have beautiful time with devotion to the Supreme, Hari Om

Can you tell me more about this tablet, because I am afraid it can be from animal source? Excuse me for my poor knowledge. Is it also available in pharmacies? How should I find it. Thank you so much, Hari Om tat sat

A wife is "Ardhangini", other "half"part of her husband, so husband should not think himself to be different from her, neither wife should consider herself to be different from husband. Both are EQUAL part of each other spiritually. SO their qualities should reflect each others. They as ONE, are UNIT of society so they should act responsibly with their duties. In our vedic culture more importance is give to woman not as wife or woman but as MOTHER, Janani, the one who can bring life with her. So she is to be respected in society,and that society where she is respected as Mother, will progress.

Thats a very thoughtful on your part as I can imagine how it is nowadays, even the milk we get can be from mistreated cows, so you are right, we must be careful about offenses, as Hari loves cows. As a devotee we hohor the prasadam, and at times we only hope that things would get better and leave it on Hari because he is the ultimate Go-pala, the protector of mother cows. I do visit temple often and honoring prasadam is one of the things I just cant resist. At times it makes me sick to think about how cows are mistreated in the west and inspite of the law,even in India as well. I have been born and brought up in a vegetarian family and as I grow up I see things changing in all possible ways, like it is in Kalyuga, doesnt get much better. I try to keep myself aware so that I dont make offenses but I know I have often, so just searching the way out of this... I do use vegan things at times, I try to abstain from products that may contain traces of animal, etc.In fact right now,I cant describe how I feel about use of animals in all we have here. Ah and yes, especially building temples etc is a good thing, but better idea would be where to keep our cows safe and take them to open fields to graze, and really care as much as we care our deities, if devotees are so much into dairy , should be aware about treatment of farmed cows for milk, that would please our Hari. Because in vedic times, cows were milked NOT like nowadays, for only more and more production and treating her has machine ,No NO NO it was NOT like this before. They were milking her with LOVE, Oh Hari.