buckwheat

[Guest guest]

Can this be taken during Ekadasi..

 

[gHari 0]

Yes, it's o tay.

 

http://www.goloka.com/docs/calendar/ekadasi.html

[Haridham 0]

because I forgot to fast?

 

 

wasnt buckwheat a character in SNL?

[Kulapavana 0]

while buckwheat is technically not a grain (comes from a plant in the Polygonacea family) and therefore does not violate the rules of Ekadasi, some devotees consider it so close to grains in nature that it violates the spirit of partial fasting on Ekadasi.

[Guest guest]

what does that mean "close to grains in nature" ?

 

grains are mostly carbohydrate,so are potatoes,

sugar,and other non grain foods.

 

the point isn't what is like a grain or not,

it is a ritual to enhance thought of god

by doing the ritual,i.e. not eating foods you usually

eat changes your mentality on those days,you think

of why and that is for improving your conncetion

to god.

 

it's not about foods that are of a type,it's about

the use of the ritual for mental focusing on a higher

reality.

[stonehearted 0]

Haridham: wasnt buckwheat a character in SNL?

 

Actually, Buckwheat was a character on the old "Our Gang" or "Little Rascals" comedies. Eddie Murphy spoofed that character in his SNL bits. (Yeah, I know--my age is showing.)

[Guest guest]

 

Actually, Buckwheat was a character on the old "Our Gang" or "Little Rascals" comedies.

 

 

Yes, Farina and Alfalfa too! BTW, farina and alfalfa are not to be eaten on Ekadasi. LOL (I'm as old as you)

[Guest guest]

After the show "Our Gang" finished its run, Buckwheat decided to search for higher meaning. In this search he decided to convert to Islam.

 

He now goes by the name Kareem of Wheat.

[stonehearted 0]

Arrgh! It's a good thing you didn't post these yesterday. Corny jokes are forbidden on ekdashi.

 

(Actually, I got a kick out of them.)

[Kulapavana 0]

there is more to exclusion of grains on Ekadasi than mere ritual. on this day grains carry sinful reactions as part of an ancient agreement. you can read about it the Bhagavatam.

 

"close to grains in nature" means that you can often subsitute buckwheat for grains, including flour.

[Guest guest]

there is more to exclusion of grains on Ekadasi than mere ritual. on this day grains carry sinful reactions as part of an ancient agreement. you can read about it the Bhagavatam.

******

 

dear Prabhu could you tell me where is it mentioned in Bhagavatam? I personally don't recall a mention of sinful reaction. The only place I remember it from was in Skanda purana.

 

Thanks in advance

[Kulapavana 0]

I'm pretty certain the reference to grains carrying sinful reactions on Ekadasi also appears in Bhagavatam, but I'm not sure where exactly. Maybe somebody with Vedabase access can do a search. There are references to it in Mahabharata as well, but you will need a full edtion and that is much harder to search.

[Guest guest]

don't take that literaly,the so called "sinfull reactions"

are not due to eating grains on ekadasi,it is

a method of teaching, following the ritual of ekadasi

is meant for the betterment of the soul, those who do not

follow ekadasi are not commiting a sin,or getting a reaction,they simply are not getting the benefit,

the shastra sometimes mentions things in a hyperbolic way

to make a point, just like there is a prohibition

against eating sap from trees, but we in fact

eat hing,gur,maple syrupetc, these are not prohibited,

by reason, the shastra was being hyperbolic to make a point,that most saps from trees will in fact make you sick,

so in an age when the knowledge of which tree sap

will or will not make you sick was not available to all,

the injunction was hyperbolic,to save those who might

choose a bad sap and eat it.

 

so ekadasi will gain spiritual merit for those who follow,

those who do not willmiss that, sinful ?

probably not,but the shastra may say so to make a point.

 

 

[Haridham 0]

Sin personified is allowed to rest in grain on ekadasi.

[Priitaa 0]

Prabhupada said to eat peanuts on Ekadasi, and technically, they are legumes. Legumes are not to be eaten on Ekadasi but he has authorized this. Similarly, to the best of my understanding, it appears buckwheat would be ok. I know many devotees who follow Ekadasi strictly and eat buckwheat. Prabhupada gave us something we can maintain for life. The many I know who make anything hard, not limited to this but many anything at all, tend to later give up so much, even some basics. I'm sure there are exceptions and am not saying all will do like that, am simply saying Prabhupada makes things easy, we make them complicated. :-)

[Priitaa 0]

Must say, I really enjoyed the Buckwheat jokes.

 

SNL? I must be getting old too, cuz the only Buckwheat I ever heard of was the same as Babru mentioned: "Spanky & Our Gang" or the "Little Rascals." Yikes! /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Haridham 0]

What is that anyway?

 

Sounds like a tv show which was like Mr Ed, am i right about the talking horse?

 

Wow and I thought 25 was getting old.

 

Hare Krsna

[stonehearted 0]

"The Little Rascals," also known as "Our Gang," were comedy shorts made in the 1920's and early '30s. When I was a kid in the '50s, they showed these on TV in the afternoons, along with Three Stooges movies. Because I tried stuff (often lines) from these at home, my parents banned the shows in our home. That meant I had to go to my friends' homes for my Three Stooges fix.

 

I'm 56, but when I was 24, I thought 25 was over the hill (beginning the downhill slide).

[Haridham 0]

is everyone on this forum old?

 

WHen I first got here I thought people were quite young. I never thought that there were older people here.

 

I mean most of the people usually unindentified guests sure behave like little rascals. hahhahaha.

 

Oh man, I will be 30 soon.....sigh

 

Hare Krsna

[Priitaa 0]

I think most on this forum are young. Just that us oldies have come out of the closet. ha

[theist 1]

"WHen I first got here I thought people were quite young. I never thought that there were older people here."

 

We are here but just lingering for awhile.

 

BTW, anybody seen my teeth?

 

[Priitaa 0]

LOL

 

And just think, WE, use to be the youngin, the rebellious ones who were takng to this new, odd, religion that was just a passing phase of our lives. Well, we're still here. Dont feel any older tho, just the body changes, the soul remains the same.

[ShegavichaRana 0]

buckwheat or cream of wheat is definitely not permitted as it amounts to eating wheat in a different form. Most of the people prefer Sabudana, which consists of white round balls of size of Homeopathic pill. These are readily available in the market. Sabudana Khichdi is prepared on Ekadashi day. Soaked sabudana (to your requirement) is mixed with ground nut powder. Some ghee (not oil) is heated in Karahi and Jeera is put in it, when it splatters, green cut chillies are put with some potato pieces. When these things are cooked partilly, soaked sabudana mixed with groundnut powder is added and stirred with salt to taste. It is usually accepted for fast. In south India, (to my horror) people eat even Idlis, Upama (prepared from cream of wheat) and Dashami (Chapatties prepared from wheat flour by mixing it with milk) on fast day. Where is the sense of observing the fast?

[stonehearted 0]

Who's old? I'm not old--just been around a while.

[Priitaa 0]

"buckwheat or cream of wheat is definitely not permitted as it amounts to eating wheat in a different form."

 

----

 

Buckwheat is not the same as cream of wheat, or a form of wheat. Dont be tricked by the name. Buckwheat is not 'wheat.'