[Advaita-l] Onion and garlic: more on food habits

[Sunil Bhattacharjya]

Dear friends,

I think Bhagavan  Raman was talking about the advanced sadhakas, who need not be very selective about the food they take.  A Brahmavid takes his food thinking the food to be Brahman. So in reality not much selection is needed. However for the beginners in sadhana one needs to be careful. If one takes food which are very very good then the sadhaka will be in the pink of health and that may make it difficult for  the sadhakas to sit down for long during meditation. Moreover the smell of garlic may be considered to be a nuisance by the fellow sadhakas if some of the sadhakas do not take garlic.

As regards i heard a story that someone killed a cow and buried that in a pit and filled that with earth. Later on onion grew on that. So onion is considered to be like beef.

Regards,

Sunil KB

--- On Sat, 1/15/11, S Jayanarayanan <sjayana at yahoo.com> wrote:

From: S Jayanarayanan <sjayana at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Onion and garlic: more on food habits
To: advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org
Date: Saturday, January 15, 2011, 7:30 PM

--- On Sat, 1/15/11, D.V.N.Sarma డి.వి.ఎన్.శర్మ <dvnsarma at gmail.com> wrote:

> Dear Sri Jayaraman,
> 
> I think that this is hardly specific prohibition of
> garlic.

What part of the statement: "Hence, it is forbidden for sadhakas." is difficult to understand?

> *
> *
> "Sri Bhagavan inquired if she had read the article and
> said, “People say it
> is very good for health. Really it is so. It cures
> rheumatism and gives
> strength to the body. For children it acts like amrit
> (nectar). Garlic is
> also known as amrit.”"
> 

"“That is why it is said that garlic has some of the properties of amrit. It is very good for the body. But since it also has the touch of the demon, it has tamasic qualities too, which when eaten affect the mind. Hence, it is forbidden for sadhakas.”"

Straightforward: Garlic is forbidden for sadhakas.

> The opinion given in a story he has narrated cannot be
> taken as his opinion.
> 
> You said that I am not right. I have said two things.
> 1. I said Bhagavan Ramana did not give too much importance
> to food
> censoring.

That's false.

* He says above that garlic is forbidden for Sadhakas.

* He says eggs are not good for the diet:

Talks, # 24, 4th February, 1935

"Mrs. Piggott: Why do you take milk, but not eggs?
M.: The domesticated cows yield more milk than necessary for their calves and they find it a pleasure to be relieved of the milk.
D.: But the hen cannot contain the eggs?
M.: But there are potential lives in them."

* V. Subramaniam has already provided a link to a website to more such quotes, specifically against meat-eating:

http://bhagavan-ramana.org/diet.html

Mrs. Piggott returned from Madras for a further visit. She asked questions relating to diet regulation.

D.: What diet is prescribed for a sadhak (one who is engaged in spiritual practices)?

M.: Satvic food in limited quantities.

D.: What is satvic food?

M.: Bread, fruits, vegetables, milk, etc.

D.: Some people take fish in North India. May it be done? No answer was made by the Maharshi.

D.: We Europeans are accustomed to a particular diet; change of diet affects health and weakens the mind. Is it not necessary to keep up physical health?

M.: Quite necessary. The weaker the body the stronger the mind grows.

D.: In the absence of our usual diet our health suffers and the mind loses strength.

M.: What do you mean by strength of mind?

D.: The power to eliminate worldly attachment.

M.: The quality of food influences the mind. The mind feeds on the food consumed.

D.: Really! How can the Europeans adjust themselves to satvic food only?

M.: (Pointing to Mr. Evans-Wentz) You have been taking our food. Do you feel uncomfortable on that account?

Mr. Evans-Wentz: No. Because I am accustomed to it.

D.: What about those not so accustomed?

M.: Habit is only adjustment to the environment. It is the mind that matters. The fact is that the mind has been trained to think certain foods tasty and good. The food material is to be had both in vegetarian and non-vegetarian diet equally well. But the mind desires such food as it is accustomed to and considers tasty.

D.: Are there restrictions for the realised man in a similar manner?

M.: No. He is steady and not influenced by the food he takes.

D.: Is it not killing life to prepare meat diet?

M.: Ahimsa stands foremost in the code of discipline for the yogis.

D.: Even plants have life.

M.: So too the slabs you sit on!

D.: May we gradually get ourselves accustomed to vegetarian food?

M.: Yes. That is the way.

~ Talk 22, Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi

> 2. He used to make fun of his mother's food habits.
> 
> Which of these statements is not right?
> 
> Bhagavan Ramana advocated the attainment of a state that
> should not be
> disturbed by
> the food you take.
> 
> regards,
> Sarma.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On Sun, Jan 16, 2011 at 2:47 AM, S Jayanarayanan <sjayana at yahoo.com>
> wrote:
> 
> > --- On Fri, 1/14/11, D.V.N.Sarma
> డి.వి.ఎన్.శర్మ <dvnsarma at gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > Sri Ramana did not give too much
> > > importance food censoring.
> > > He used to make fun of his mother's food habits.
> > >
> >
> > That's not right. Ramana specifically forbade garlic
> ("good for the body
> > but bad for the mind"). However, he permitted onions.
> >
> > The following link is narrating the story from the
> book "Spiritual Stories
> > as told by Ramana Maharshi".
> >
> >
> > http://bhagwan-ramana-maharshi.blogspot.com/2009/02/ramana-maharshi-stories-story-of-garlic.html
> >
> > Ramana Maharshi Stories - Story of the Garlic Plant
> >
> > "While Bhagavan was perusing the monthly journal
> Grihalakshmi he began to
> > laugh and handed the journal to Suri Nagamma as she
> was leaving the hall,
> > saying, “The greatness of garlic is described in it.
> Please read it.”
> > ...
> > “Now, when the head of the demon was severed, the
> trunk fell down, and in
> > the process, a few drops of amrit fell on the ground.
> It is said that those
> > drops became the garlic plant. That is why it is said
> that garlic has some
> > of the properties of amrit. It is very good for the
> body. But since it also
> > has the touch of the demon, it has tamasic qualities
> too, which when eaten
> > affect the mind. Hence, it is forbidden for
> sadhakas.”"
> >
> >
> > Ramana has used onions several times when he cooked,
> and has once joked
> > about onion peels lying around Ramanasramam, "Better
> clean up this place of
> > onion peels, people may think this is not an
> asramam!"
> >
> > > regards,
> > > Sarma.
> > >
> > >
> > > On Sat, Jan 15, 2011 at 2:03 AM, sriram nagaraj
> <sriram_photon at yahoo.com
> > >wrote:
> > >
> > > > Dear List Members,
> > > >
> > > > I would like to know the general opinion on
> eating
> > > onion and garlic,
> > > > especially by dvijas. In my reading of Sri
> Manu
> > > Smriti, I believe that it is
> > > > forbidden. Also, what are commonly advised
> > > prayaschittas for the same?
> > > >
> > > > Thanks in advance,
> > > >
> > > > Sriram Nagaraj
> > > >
> > > > --The inner Light illuminates our minds--
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
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