Spiritual Rambling

I was waiting for a comment to be posted on my blog all of yesterday and finally my wait has been fruitful. An anonymous visitor to my blog has posted a comment asking me where in vedas has it been mentioned not to eat non vegetarian food. He also stated that he is an avid lover of Hyderabadi Biryani, should be my good friend Vikram.

Well, I would try to answer this question with whatever limited understanding that I have with my association with ISKON. In Vaishnava dharma, food is cooked and first offered to Krsna and only later it is consumed. In Bhagavathgeeta, when Arjuna asks Krsna as to what should be offered to Him, Krsna says, "Pathram Pushpam Phalam Thoyam yome bhakthya prayacchathi tad aham bhakthi apahrtham ahsnaami prayatatmonah" which means, Leaf, Fruit, Flower and Water, any of these things can be offered to Me with devotation and the same would be accepted, hence food like meat, fish, egg donot qualify for being offered to Krsna. Secondly, food is basically classified into three categories namely, "Sathwik", "Tamasik" and "Rajasik". Sathwik food is fruits, leafy vegetables, legumes etc. Tamasik and Rajasik food are items like garlic, onion, coffee and tea which stir your hormones, therefore they are avoided. I hope this clarifies.

If I am not overdosing you with spiritual sermons, I would like to narrate a dialogue that I had with one of the Temple devotees.(Temple devotees basically practice brahmacharya and remain in the temple and work for spreading ISKON) During the course of the conversation he was telling me that, Krsna is so benevolent that He would give you whatever is asked, whether good or bad. If you have a tongue for meat and keep eating that in this brith, He will see to it that you are born as a tiger in the next birth, similarly, if you want to live in illusion worshipping false Gods, essentially humans who potray themselves as God, He will give you the best illusion possible.

Finally, in one of the chapters in Bhagavthgeetha, Arjuna asks Krsna as to what is the most beautiful and powerful thing in this universe. Krsna simply replies stating that there isn't a thing in this universe that is more beautiful that Him and there isn't a thing in this world that is more powerful than Him. He adds, incase you find something that is more beautiful or powerful than Krsna (as human beings we are bound to succumb to such illusions) just remember that it is part of Him.