SamaashrayaNam, Acharya Abhimanam, Food habits

[Guest guest]

sri:

Dear Devotees, please accept adiyen's humble pranam:

 

Since the food topic came up, adiyen takes the liberty of mentioning some of

the prohibited food items that many Sri Vaishnavas consume out of ignorance.

 

Sugar: Derived from sanskrit: Su (Sweet) gar (Sand)

========================================

The regular sugar (white in color) sold in all grocery stores and consumed by

most families, passes through a cow bone char filter. (see details below)

 

Solution: in adiyen's home we use Florida Crystal - Sugar.

the other brand that seems ok is Jack Frost.

 

the cost is a bit more, but we know what is in the food,

(In the USA you can get these at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's)

 

All the major brands, Domino, Savannah Foods, California and Hawaiian Sugar

carried by all major stores all use bone char.

========================================

 

Milk: Adiyen recommends Organic Milk.

======================================

Similar story for regular milk that is found in grocery stores,

in adiyen's home we use Organic Milk.

(again a bit more $, available at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's)

 

 

==================================================

Details: (for those who want proof) Report from Vegetatian Journal

============================http://www.vrg.org/

Sugar and other sweeteners: Do they contain animal products?

============================================================

Refined Sugar:

Most of the cane sugar refineries require the use of a specific filter to

decolorise

the sugar and absorb inorganic material from it. This whitening process occurs

towards the end of the sugar refining procedure. The filter used by most of

the sugar producers is bone char from cows.

 

Bones from cows are the only type used to make bone char. According to the

Sugar Association and several large sugar producers, all of the cows have

died of "natural causes" and do not come from the U.S. meat industry.

=========================================================

The two major types of refined sugar produced in the United

States are beet sugar and cane sugar.

 

Processing involves bone char filter. An activated carbon filter, made of

bone char, decolorises sugar to make it white through an

absorption process. While the bone char filter is used by

some major sugar companies.

 

According to beet sugar producers, beet and cane sugar are nutritionally

equivalent and one cannot usually taste any difference between them.

They are both composed of sucrose.

 

Beet sugar refineries never use a bone char filter in processing

because this type of sugar does not require an extensive

decolorising procedure. Beet sugar can be refined with a

pressure lead filter and an ion exchange system.

=========================================================

Bone char is derived from the bones of cattle from Afghanistan,

Argentina, India and Pakistan. The sun-bleached bones are

bought by Scottish, Brazilian, and Egyptian marketers, who

sell them to the U.S. sugar industry after the bones are first used

by the gelatin industry.

 

Bone is heated to an extremely high temperature, which results

in a physical change in the bones composition.

The bone becomes pure carbon before it is used in a refinery.

 

Refined sugar does not contain any bone particles and is therefore

kosher certified. The bone char simply removes impurities from

the sugar, but does not become a part of the sugar.

 

Companies that use bone char claim that the char is more

economically feasible and efficient than other types of filters.

 

Many cane refineries use bone char. Domino, the largest sugar

manufacturer, uses bone char in the filtration process.

The cane refineries of Savannah Foods, the second largest sugar

manufacturer, also use bone char. California and Hawaiian Sugar

employs bone char filters in addition to granular carbon and ion

exchange filters. All these companies use the bone char in the

refining process of brown sugar, powdered sugar

(sugar mixed with corn starch) and white sugar.

 

Some cane refineries do not use bone char. Refined Sugar,

producers of Jack Frost Sugar, claim to use a granular

carbon instead of bone char.

Florida Crystal sugar is a cane sugar which has not passed

through the bone. Although Florida Crystals sugar has a

straw color, the impurities still have been removed.

 

All commercial sugar has undergone some refining. Genuine raw sugar cannot be

bought and sold to the general consumer in the United States according to FDA

regulations, as it is considered unfit for human consumption.

 

Refining sugar involves a series of steps, including clarification and an

initial step where sugar syrup is added. The clarifying agents are calcium

hydroxide, phosphoric acid, and polyacrylomite. The sugar used in the initial

syrup is an intermediate, raw sugar which has not yet gone through the bone char

filter.

 

Brown sugar is basically refined sugar with added molasses. The brown sugar

produced by the beet industry uses cane molasses, but this molasses has not gone

through the bone char. Cane sugar companies which use bone char will utilize

bone char to

refine brown sugar.

======================================================================

 

 

Azhvar Emberumanar Jeeyar ThiruvadigalE sharanam

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

Mukundan Vangkipuram Pattangi

 

http://www.radioramanuja.com http://www.vedics.net

[Guest guest]

Dear Sri Vishnu,

> Instead, such

> people from non-SV families are also putting condition on the

> Acharyas "Do me samASrayaNam". Acharya is the right judge.

 

A small correction. There is no such thing as a Shri Vaishnava Family

or a non-SV family. Only varnams are family based. One becomes a Shri

Vaishnava only by qualities and acharya kadaksham. And as you rightly

said, an Acharya is the right judge to perform a samashrayanam

anyways.

 

Adiyen,

Ramanuja Dasan.

 

ramanuja, "Vishnu" <vsmvishnu> wrote:

>

> samASrayaNam means samyak ASrayaNam or completely taking refuge in

> the Lord. This can happen at any moment by His blessings, while

> reading PBA swami's book, or when a place of worship like Thirumala

> is visited, or when we interact with a living mahAtmA.

>

> For those like us born in SV families, we undergo something called

> chakrAnkanam or having the holy marks on us, this process is also

> known as samASrayaNam. Those interested in "following"

Srivaishnavism

> should approach an AchArya and seek his guidance. Instead, such

> people from non-SV families are also putting condition on the

> Acharyas "Do me samASrayaNam". Acharya is the right judge. Let him

> lead out of AchArya abhimAnam (AchArya's abhimAnam).

>

> adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

> Srimahavishnu Vinjamuri

[Guest guest]

Sri:

Srimathe Ramanujaya nama:

 

Dear Sriman Lakshmi Narasimhan,

 

So, according to your statement, it seems even srI parashara

bhaTTar should have classified himself as only a brahmin and not

from an SV family. Infact, bhaTTar was revolutionary in writing down

and expressing things wrt brahmin vs srIvaishNava's thought process. (as was

handed down via the OPran Vazhi Lineage).

May i suggest you read up on bhaTTar's and srI piLLai lOkAchAryA's

(esp.,sri PL)who is the elixir for the jIvAtmAs who

are stung by the deadly serpent called samsAra).

BTW, I am very curious how you categorise yourself wrt your family!

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsI

NC Nappinnai

 

 

 

 

ramanuja, "Lakshmi Narasimhan"

<nrusimhann> wrote:

>

>

> Dear Sri Vishnu,

> > Instead, such

> > people from non-SV families are also putting condition on the

> > Acharyas "Do me samASrayaNam". Acharya is the right judge.

 

 

> A small correction. There is no such thing as a Shri Vaishnava

Family

> or a non-SV family. Only varnams are family based. One becomes a

Shri

> Vaishnava only by qualities and acharya kadaksham. And as you

rightly

> said, an Acharya is the right judge to perform a samashrayanam

> anyways.

>

> Adiyen,

> Ramanuja Dasan.

[Guest guest]

Dear Srimathi Nappinnai,

I don't think you have understood my post. Let me try explaining the

same again. My post was in the context of the following statement:

"Instead, such people from non-SV families are also putting condition

on the Acharyas "Do me samASrayaNam". >> How could we make statements

like:people from non-SV family or SV family etc? My request was that

we must refrain from making such statements - as we know that no one

is a born Vaishnava. There is no such thing as a non-SV family. Shri

Vaishnavas may exist anywhere in any family. If I am born to a Shri

Vaishnava it by no means grants me a right to say that I am a Shri

Vaishnava nor does it automatically make me eligible for

samashrayanam etc. It is all an Acharyan's unconditional grace that

turns the tables around.

 

I request you to kindly stick to the context. And you quoting Shri

bhaTTar in this context is irrelevant because I never said that one

must identify themselves with their varnam. It is just your

interpretation that I meant so. I just mentioned that only varnams

are family based "as per shastras" and by that I meant that Shri

Vaishnavam is beyond these simple concept of varnams. We already have

enough discrimination like brahmins vs non-brahmins which are family

based. Now let us not bring in another one like Shri Vaishnava family

vs Non-SV family etc - was/is my request and intent.

 

I would like to classify myself as one amongst those who are making

sincere attempts to become a Shri Vaishnava, and not so proud nor

would like to discuss about their varnam.

 

Adiyen,

Ramanuja Dasan.