why the right hand?

[Guest guest]

in the isckon etiquitte they say only to eat with your right hand. Why?

[Guest guest]

 

its not oly in iskcon that eating in right hand is insisted. its vedic culture to use only the right hand for eating. Srila Prabhupada taught his disciples and followers to eat only in right hand, since the left hand is obviously used for cleaning the back after the nature's call. vedic followers dont use right hand for cleaning just like we dont use left hand for finguring/holding the beads when we chant hare krishna.

 

everything has its purpose and only animals like monkeys dont discriminate between right and left; whats eatable and whats not eatable.

 

anything to do with the deity worship, paraphenalia, cooking, chanting, is done with the right. anything done with the right has is considered as honorably done as left hand is used for trivial things (like cleaning the dirt, cleaning the back, etc.) according to vedic custom. since we take only prasadam, and since prasadam is deity's mercy, we honor the prasadam with the right hand.

 

there is a history: a king being defeated by his opponent king was arrested and put in jail. when the prisoner king requested water from the jailer, the jailer offered the king the water with his left hand. seeing this dishonor to him the jailed king gave up his life. such was the vedic custom of using right and left hands appropriately.

 

hope this helps in your understanding.

[Guest guest]

Here is a strange question i just thought:

 

if you had only one hand - and it was your left hand (through accident or such thing)

what would be proper thing to do ?

chant beads with left hand - or just chant using no beads??

 

I have friend with only one hand - if they start chanting regulraly what to do?

[Max_ 0]

My *guess* would be just chant with the hand you have still.

[Guest guest]

I don't think Krishna would exclude Luke Skywalker.

[Max_ 0]

Hahaha no He wouldn't.