Any query......

[Srikrishna Ghadiyaram]

Hari Om !!

Ashish: Thank you for replying to Somik, patiently,
about his false interpretations.

The modern science has not yet concluded once
existance of Lord Sri Krishna; then how can Somik say
that Lord Krishna started the "Cow protection Dharma".
Similarly, many of his arguments are figs of his
imaginations.

Every thing, even insignificant, needs effort, in this
material life. We need to sacrifice the lower to gain
the higher. It is not called sacrifice any more,
infact.

Somik has defined all the concepts around his
'convenience' than what is 'good'. Once he gets
married (assuming his partner will agree to be a cook
for life), his theories will change.

It is eally sad that he is still substantiating his
thought by argument, than enquiry.

The holy master Swami Sivananda has explained so
beautifully, what is right for a sadhak. It is one of
my source of inspiration and guide lines for daily
living. It will help any sincere sadhak.

Spice is not against physical body health. I myself
read some articles (in US) some time ago, which
concluded that in India the cardiac problems are the
least in the world because of the spices they use.
Interested people may search for the papers of those
studies.

Somik, please understand that the bad characteristics
introduced by oil, and spices in vegetarian food is
still less harmful than what is pre-packaged in meat
based food. When you roast, you add a little carbon to
it and remove Oxygen content from it. (Your definition
of good). So, please look into the 'essence' of 'food'
and do not amke a decision based on outer 'masala'
which your tongue feels easily.

The whole debate is from the stand point of a
spiritual sadhak. If you are one such, these doubts
will not arise at all. How calm is your mind, it is
the deciding factor.

I sympathise about your justification based on the 14
hour work schedule (as if you do the same all the 7
days a week). This is out of your ignorance that you
are not able to manage your own life. You feel this
will lead you some where, so you work on software than
offer your mind in prayer every day. Unless your
priorities change and start using your time more
intelligently, you are bound to suffer, just like many
others. (I was once a party to it. By grace of God now
I seem to know my priorities better)

Om Namo Narayanaya !!

Srikrishna



--- Ashish Chandra <ramkisno at HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
> On Thu, 16 May 2002 13:00:03 +0900, Somik Raha
> <somik at YAHOO.COM> wrote:
>
> >I am afraid you misunderstand me. I do not connect
> "greasy" or "spicy"
> with
> >"vegetarianism". But I do connect them with the
> options before me - and I
> >clearly mentioned "Indian restaurants". I doubt how
> many Indian
> restaurants
> >will serve true sattvic vegetarian food - low on
> oil and spice. Given the
> >options before me - I prefer non-spicy, non-greasy
> non-vegetarian to
> spicy,
> >greasy, oily vegetarian. I hope you are not
> recommending that I choose the
> >latter over the former.
> >
>
> I would strongly urge you to read "The Practice of
> Brahmacharya" by Sri
> Swami Shivanandji Maharaj. It is available online at
>
http://www.sivanandadlshq.org/download/brahma_nopic.htm
>
> I was in your shoes a little while back and was
> eating all kinds of veggie
> foods - spicy, fried, you name it. Then I read this
> book and it changed my
> diet. I too was working crazy hours but the book had
> a very great effect
> on me and I started cooking. It did take some extra
> time (approx 30
> minutes) but I think it was well worth the effort. I
> think for over an
> year, till I got married, all I ate was dal with
> salt and tomotoes (no
> spices, tadka etc), wheat nan and buttermilk, and
> sometimes, rice. I
> combined this with juices and yogurt. It was bland
> but I got used to it
> and even now, when my wife cooks for me, I sometimes
> revert back to the
> old diet. When the purpose of changing one's diet is
> to move a step closer
> to the goal, it should be taken without any argument
> that what one should
> eat should be conducive to where one wants to go.
> Whether it is meat or
> not, whether it is sattvic or not, is secondary. If
> Swami Shivananda had
> written gorge away at beef and it will benefit your
> Sadhana, I would have
> been at the meat shop in no time. Of course, but he
> wouldn't as he
> represents a lineage of Gurus that have taught the
> same thing in different
> words.
>
> Please do read the book. It will be well worth your
> time.
>
>
> >I agree with you. It is no wonder to me that New
> Delhi with so many
> >vegetarians constitutes some of the primary reasons
> for heart institutes
> in
> >the area. Vegetarian Indian food cooked the oily
> way is just as bad as
> >non-veg food cooked that way.
> >
>
> To date, I have not heard of anyone dying of a heart
> attack in my village
> or my mother's village in North India. Everytime I
> visited, I used to
> observe that the cooking is entirely done on chulhas
> (earthen fireplaces)
> and the food was cooked in earthen vessels too.
> Moreover, specific days
> had a specific dal-type set. So masoor was cooked on
> a certain day of the
> week and moong on another fixed day of the week. I
> did not know why this
> was so but I later read about there being Jyotish
> significance to these
> rules. Certain dals are related to certain Grahas.
> For example, Shanideva,
> deity of Saturn, is connected with Urad Dal.
>
> >FYI, Swami Vivekananda, before he went to attend
> the Parliament of
> >Religions, took permission from Sri Ramakrishna
> whether he could eat beef
> in
> >America as the perception in those days was that
> you had to, if you would
> go
> >to the West. Sri Ramakrishna told him - he was so
> pure, nothing would
> affect
> >him and he could eat just what he wanted to. Beef
> is probably another
> >debate, but it is a known fact that Ramakrishna
> Mission does not consider
> >fish as tamasic or rajasic, and allows it in the
> diet.
> >
>
> Can you provide the reference to when Swami
> Vivekananda asked to eat beef
> in the US, and Sri Ramakrishna gave his approval?
> Swami Vivekananda landed
> in the US in 1893 (Chicago address) and Sri
> Ramakrishna breathed his last
> in 1886. Swami Vivekananda only went to the Mother
> for blessings. So I am
> not sure where you have gotten this piece of
> information from.
>
> >There are views and then there are views. Everyone
> is of course entitled
> to
> >his/her own opinion. Personally I am in favour of
> vegetarianism, but not
> at
> >the cost of practicality. There is no point in
> starving and not doing my
> >duty for my company, at the cost of sticking to
> this idea.
> >
>
> Perhaps this is why, the fact that we have our own
> reasons and opinions
> conditioned by our own individual experiences which
> we take to be
> empirically true, our Shastras tell us to take
> decisions based on Sruti,
> Smriti, conduct of those established in the Vedas,
> and our conscience, in
> that order.
>
> >I am not a scholar on our epics or shastras. But
> from what little I have
> >read - I understand that Hindus dont eat beef, its
> against the religion.
> The
> >reason is that the cow is considered akin to mother
> - as it gives milk for
> >the little babies. And one cant kill one's mother.
> Now, it leads one to
> >ask - where did such a huge thought originate ? I
> am given to understand
> >that it was Lord Krishna who originated this - when
> he found that cows
> were
> >being mercilessly slaughtered, and little children
> were not getting milk
> and
> >dying. Also Lord Krishna himself as a child was
> known as "makhan chor" -
> he
> >loved butter, and that comes from milk. For these
> reasons, he proposed
> this
> >idea -and instantly, people found they were unable
> to raise their axe to
> >kill the cow.
> >
> >This anecdote leads one to believe - that people in
> India, were beef
> eaters
> >upto that point. Also - the beef consumption might
> not have been
> restricted
> >to "lower" classes of society - bcos then the
> brahmins would automatically
> >have condemned them, and ostracized them. Since it
> was so prevalent
> >requiring Lord Krishna to intervene - one might
> assume that even the
> higher
> >classes - Kshatriyas and Brahmins were beef eaters
> (and of course meat
> >eaters). It is interesting to note - that other
> forms of meat were not
> >forbidden by Lord Krishna. And he didnt forbid beef
> either - he only gave
> >the comparison.
> >
>
> This again shows that your are basing this on your
> own understanding. I
> would like to ask you whether you have asked anyone
> why the cow is sacred.
> How are you "given to understand" that Bhagawan
> Krishna "made" the cow
> holy?
>
>
=== message truncated ===


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