Can a devotee of Krsna or Vaishnava eat meat?

[gauragopala dasa]

Pusta Krishna Prabhu was Srila Prabhupadas personal servant in the mid 1970s, he answers this question -

 

"OK. Now here it comes. I am amazed at how foolish and stupid I am, and I must say in our youth when we had Srila Prabhupad with us, we sometimes asked many foolish questions to Srila Prabhupad. Some of those morning walks…You may recall that decades ago there was a plane crash in the Andes Mountains of South America. Some of the dead human victims, due to the cold weather, became the only source of food for the few survivors. Hence, out of necessity, they turned to canabalism.

 

So, you guessed it, some of us pressed Srila Prabhupad to give an answer to us regarding what he would do if placed in the same situation. We could have asked any number of questions about Bhagavat Dharma, etc. but numbskulls that we were, we pressed His Divine Grace for an answer. In my presence, I heard him say that if it were necessary to survive, he would also have partaken as the other survivors did.

 

We all know that Lord Shiva drank an ocean of poison, that Sri Krishna as the Universal Form, Virata Purusa, devoured all the warriors on the battlefield of Kurushetra, sparing only the Pandavas. It is clear that vegetarianism is not the goal of Krishna consciousness. Rather, to serve Krishna favorably, one can offer vegetables (patram pushpam phalam) to the Lord for His pleasure. Krishna gives us these foods in the mode of goodness to prepare and offer, and to eat, for our benefit.

 

His desire is our advancement in purification, so that we can return to the spiritual world, our eternal home.

 

You gotta love it. We were young, enthusiastic fools, but Srila Prabhupad still did not chastise us over this question. He considered and gave the answer based on necessity of continuing to keep body and soul together for the service of Sri Guru and Krishna. We know from the Srimad Bhagavatam, jivo jivasya jivanam, one living being is the food for another living being.

 

Only by offering with love and devotion to the Lord, does it become possible to take karma-free, His prasadam. We are thus not simply promoting vegetarianism, but rather, as you all know so well, Krishna consciousness.

Please forgive me for bringing all of this up, but who knows how long we shall live, and when we have the experience of the transcendental judgement of Srila Prabhupad, share it.

 

Sincerely and even embarrassed,

Pusta Krishna das

 

Copied from the article - CLICK HERE - Even if we have to eat meat

[Bishadi]

WOW!

 

An intelligent, honest compassionate representation of such an important concept as consumption.

 

The religions ideals have ruined the reality so bad, an instinctive critter is practically considered diety.

 

Thank you for your contribution to basic logic.

 

"be mindful"

[weallshineon]

 

Pusta Krishna Prabhu was Srila Prabhupadas personal servant in the mid 1970s, he answers this question -

 

"OK. Now here it comes. I am amazed at how foolish and stupid I am, and I must say in our youth when we had Srila Prabhupad with us, we sometimes asked many foolish questions to Srila Prabhupad. Some of those morning walks…You may recall that decades ago there was a plane crash in the Andes Mountains of South America. Some of the dead human victims, due to the cold weather, became the only source of food for the few survivors. Hence, out of necessity, they turned to canabalism.

 

So, you guessed it, some of us pressed Srila Prabhupad to give an answer to us regarding what he would do if placed in the same situation. We could have asked any number of questions about Bhagavat Dharma, etc. but numbskulls that we were, we pressed His Divine Grace for an answer. In my presence, I heard him say that if it were necessary to survive, he would also have partaken as the other survivors did.

 

We all know that Lord Shiva drank an ocean of poison, that Sri Krishna as the Universal Form, Virata Purusa, devoured all the warriors on the battlefield of Kurushetra, sparing only the Pandavas. It is clear that vegetarianism is not the goal of Krishna consciousness. Rather, to serve Krishna favorably, one can offer vegetables (patram pushpam phalam) to the Lord for His pleasure. Krishna gives us these foods in the mode of goodness to prepare and offer, and to eat, for our benefit.

 

His desire is our advancement in purification, so that we can return to the spiritual world, our eternal home.

 

You gotta love it. We were young, enthusiastic fools, but Srila Prabhupad still did not chastise us over this question. He considered and gave the answer based on necessity of continuing to keep body and soul together for the service of Sri Guru and Krishna. We know from the Srimad Bhagavatam, jivo jivasya jivanam, one living being is the food for another living being.

 

Only by offering with love and devotion to the Lord, does it become possible to take karma-free, His prasadam. We are thus not simply promoting vegetarianism, but rather, as you all know so well, Krishna consciousness.

Please forgive me for bringing all of this up, but who knows how long we shall live, and when we have the experience of the transcendental judgement of Srila Prabhupad, share it.

 

Sincerely and even embarrassed,

Pusta Krishna das

 

Copied from the article - CLICK HERE - Even if we have to eat meat

 

The other two posts don't make any sense, at least I apreciate and UNDRSTAND Pusta Krishnas comments.

[bhaktajan]

PROCESSED FOODS

 

Recipe for Disaster

 

Ninety percent of Americans' household food budget is spent on processed foods, the majority of which are filled with additives and stripped of nutrients. Discover which common ingredients in the foods you eat pose the greatest risk to your health.

 

Grab the broccoli with cheese sauce from the freezer, the box of instant rice pilaf from the pantry, or the hot dogs from your fridge and squint at the ingredient list's fine print. You'll likely find food additives in every one.

 

Is this healthy? Compared to the foods our bodies were built to eat, definitely not.

 

Processed, packaged foods have almost completely taken over the diet of Americans. In fact, nearly 90 percent of our household food budget is spent on processed foods, according to industry estimates.

 

Unfortunately, most processed foods are laden with sweeteners, salts, artificial flavors, factory-created fats, colorings, chemicals that alter texture, and preservatives. But the trouble is not just what's been added, but what's been taken away. Processed foods are often stripped of nutrients designed by nature to protect your heart, such as soluble fiber, antioxidants, and "good" fats. Combine that with additives, and you have a recipe for disaster.

 

Here are the big four ingredients in processed foods you should look out for:

 

TRANS FATS

Trans fats are in moist bakery muffins and crispy crackers, microwave popcorn and fast-food French fries, even the stick margarine you may rely on as a "heart-healthy" alternative to saturated-fat-laden butter.

 

Once hailed as a cheap, heart-friendly replacement for butter, lard, and coconut oil, trans fats have, in recent times, been denounced by one Harvard nutrition expert as "the biggest food-processing disaster in U.S. history." Why? Research now reveals trans fats are twice as dangerous for your heart as saturated fat, and cause an estimated 30,000 to 100,000 premature heart disease deaths each year.

 

Trans fats are worse for your heart than saturated fats because they boost your levels of "bad" LDL cholesterol and decrease "good" HDL cholesterol. That's double trouble for your arteries. And unlike saturated fats, trans fats also raise your levels of artery-clogging lipoprotein and triglycerides.

 

Trans fats will be listed on the "Nutrition Facts" panel on food beginning in 2006. Until then, check the ingredient list for any of these words: "partially hydrogenated,fractionated," or "hydrogenated" (fully hydrogenated fats are not a heart threat, but some trans fats are mislabeled as "hydrogenated"). The higher up the phrase "partially hydrogenated oil" is on the list of ingredients, the more trans fat the product contains.

 

Replacing trans fats with good fats could cut your heart attack risk by a whopping 53 percent.

 

Put Down the Salt Shaker

 

REFINED GRAINS

Choosing refined grains such as white bread, rolls, sugary low-fiber cereal, white rice, or white pasta over whole grains can boost your heart attack risk by up to 30 percent. You've got to be a savvy shopper. Don't be fooled by deceptive label claims such as "made with wheat flour" or "seven grain." Or by white-flour breads topped with a sprinkling of oats, or colored brown with molasses. Often, they're just the same old refined stuff that raises risk for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart attacks, insulin resistance, diabetes, and belly fat.

 

At least seven major studies show that women and men who eat more whole grains (including dark bread, whole-grain breakfast cereals, popcorn, cooked oatmeal, brown rice, bran, and other grains like bulgur or kasha) have 20 to 30 percent less heart disease. In contrast, those who opt for refined grains have more heart attacks, insulin resistance, and high blood pressure.

 

Read the ingredient list on packaged grain products. If the product is one of those that are best for you, the first ingredients should be whole wheat or another whole grain, such as oats. The fiber content should be at least 3 grams per serving.

 

SALT

Three-quarters of the sodium in our diets isn't from the saltshaker. It's hidden in processed foods, such as canned vegetables and soups, condiments like soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce, fast-food burgers (and fries, of course), and cured or preserved meats like bacon, ham, and deli turkey.

 

Some sodium occurs naturally in unprocessed edibles, including milk, beets, celery, even some drinking water. And that's a good thing: Sodium is necessary for life. It helps regulate blood pressure, maintains the body's fluid balance, transmits nerve impulses, makes muscles -- including your heart -- contract, and keeps your senses of taste, smell, and touch working properly. You need a little every day to replace what's lost to sweat, tears, and other excretions.

 

Not So Sweet After All

 

But what happens when you eat more salt than your body needs? Your body retains fluid simply to dilute the extra sodium in your bloodstream. This raises blood volume, forcing your heart to work harder; at the same time, it makes veins and arteries constrict. The combination raises blood pressure.

 

Your limit should be 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day, about the amount in three-fourths of a teaspoon of salt. (Table salt, by the way, is 40 percent sodium, 60 percent chloride.) Older people should eat even less, to counteract the natural rise in blood pressure that comes with age. People over 50 should strive for 1,300 mg; those over 70 should aim for 1,200 mg.

 

Only the "Nutrition Facts" panel on a food package will give you the real sodium count. Don't believe claims on the package front such as "sodium-free" (foods can still have 5 mg per serving); "reduced sodium" (it only means 25 percent less than usual); or "light in sodium" (half the amount you'd normally find).

 

HIGH-FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP

Compared to traditional sweeteners, high-fructose corn syrup costs less to make, is sweeter to the taste, and mixes more easily with other ingredients. Today, we consume nearly 63 pounds of it per person per year in drinks and sweets, as well as in other products. High-fructose corn syrup is in many frozen foods. It gives bread an inviting, brown color and soft texture, so it's also in whole-wheat bread, hamburger buns, and English muffins. It is in beer, bacon, spaghetti sauce, soft drinks, and even ketchup.

 

Research is beginning to suggest that this liquid sweetener may upset the human metabolism, raising the risk for heart disease and diabetes. Researchers say that high-fructose corn syrup's chemical structure encourages overeating. It also seems to force the liver to pump more heart-threatening triglycerides into the bloodstream. In addition, fructose may zap your body's reserves of chromium, a mineral important for healthy levels of cholesterol, insulin, and blood sugar.

 

To spot fructose on a food label, look for the words "corn sweetener,corn syrup," or "corn syrup solids" as well as "high-fructose corn syrup."

 

............................................................

["Spam" --it's not neccesarily only for the masses of Pacific Islanders anymore]

[weallshineon]

 

 

[weallshineon]

Krsna Prasadam can be used as the centrepiece of an endless number of opportunities for preaching Krsna Consciousness, both in the temple and the home.

Nama hatta means that you transform your home and family into an ashrama wherein Krsna becomes the centre and the Holy Name of the Lord is chanted regularly, Krsna prasadam is offered, and the Deities are served.

Dovetailing prasadam distribution with a home preaching program is easy and enjoyable, and allows the whole family to participate in spreading Krsna Consciousness. Whatever your personal circumstances, you can creatively adapt some level of preaching around your own program of offering and taking Krsna prasadam.

Many pages in the Prasadam section of the website describe recipes -- and whole menus -- for feasts that celebrate Vaisnava holy days. Inviting guests to festival events is a great way to share Krsna culture. But secular and Christian holidays can also provide an opportunity for prasadam preaching.

Devotees can find it quite difficult to deal with family holidays that are surcharged with passionate activity, meat eating and imbibing. You can sometimes find middle ground by offering to host these get-togethers, providing the main meal which can be made up of Krsna prasadam creatively adapted to suit the holiday.

While curry isn’t likely to please many palates on Thanksgiving, there are many meat substitute products available today that can be offered, and endless vegetarian side dishes to please even the fussiest eaters. While describing the various vegetarian dishes, you can emphasize the merits of Krsna Consciousness without offending others.

Indian food and culture in itself provides a unique opportunity for preaching. Dinner parties or other get-togethers that feature delicious banquets of traditional Vedic preparations create an excellent environment for sharing Krsna Consciousness.

This is also a great way to expose newcomers -- many of whom might be hesitant about being ‘preached to’ - to Krsna culture. Simply by offering guests a detailed description of each of the foodstuffs, a lot of preaching can take place. Guests love to hear the stories Sri Krsna/Caitanya pastimes associated with various dishes, or the temples where preparations were made famous.

We like to use the travelogue approach to prasadam preaching by inviting guests to a Krsna prasadam feast that’s focused on a particular regional Indian cuisine. No matter what area of India you choose, Krsna's Name, Fame and Pastimes can be found there! We've found this format to be a particularly successful way to expose business associates to the philosophy. Even guests who express little interest in Krsna Consciousness can’t help but be attracted to the nectar prasadam.

Try giving them a repeat experience by hosting several different regional feast get-togethers. Not only will they look forward to the next sumptuous meal, their minds will slowly get attuned to the pleasures of hearing about Krsna as part of the eating celebration. Reading aloud from Krsna Book, or reading about Lord Caitanya’s prasadam pastimes, is a nice tie-in to the food theme, and gives guests a great dose of nectar.

End the evening with a rousing game of India Mission, which lets you organize various spiritual events across a beautiful map of India. "

Cooking classes are another excellent way to simultaneously share Krsna Conscious culture and distribute prasadam to new folks. A great trend has unfolded with the upsurge of natural and organic supermarkets.

Many of these markets have a small kitchen built-in where gourmet and whole foods cooking classes are held. Try signing-up to teach a Krsna prasadam cooking class. No one but the devotees are trained up to teach the remarkable art of cooking to please Lord Krsna! You’ll have a rapt audience.

Prabhupada: “.... If halava is made nicely, actually it is best. So prepare all these things. Offer to Krsna and devotees, and at last, you take. Don't take first. Give all, as much as you like, then you take. Susukham kartum avyayam. It is such a nice movement. It is simply pleasing. To execute, it is simply pleasing. And avyayam. Whatever you do is permanent. Whatever little service you have given. It will never be lost. Avyayam.

Therefore Narada Muni says, bhajann apakvo 'tha patet tato yadi. Even if he's not fully matured and falls down, kva vabhadram abhud amusya kim. Where is loss? Whatever he has done, that is permanent. Because that will grow.

If the seed is permanently sown, then it will naturally grow. It may take some time, but it will grow. So, he's not loser. If he's little careful, then it will grow. Mali hana sei bija kare aropana, sravana-kirtana-jale karaye... Then the creeper goes, grows, and at last takes shelter of Krsna. These are described in the Caitanya-caritamrta.

Vipramukhya: When we prepare a feast we should give and give and give, and when no one wants any more then... Prabhupada: Up until he comes to this point. Not only this point, but up to this point. Eat as much as you like. We are not miser. You eat. As much you want I shall supply. But don't waste. Eat. Don't waste.

Hari-sauri: This morning you were saying that fasting is very good. (laughter)

Harikesa: I was just thinking about that. Prabhupada: No. Not prasadam. I never said. No, those who want to eat... Fasting... One who has not developed Krsna consciousness, for him fasting. And one who takes pleasure, "Oh, it is Krsna's pleasure, or Krsna's food. I'll take." This is the idea. So we are not devotees, therefore we should first fast.

And those who are devotees, they'll take as much as they like. I was telling fasting because I am not a devotee. (laughs) For me fasting is good. If I eat more--atyaharah. Atyaharah prayasas ca, sadbhir bhaktir pranasyati.

Hari-sauri: If you can appreciate krsna-prasadam without filling up to the neck...

Prabhupada: Yes. It is for the devotee. A devotee can eat. As Caitanya Mahaprabhu was eating. Govinda, his servant complained,

"Sir, so many things are lying here and everyone asks, 'Whether Caitanya Mahaprabhu has taken my preparation.' 'Oh yes, He has taken.' So I have to speak so many lies. You don't take. What can I do?" He said, "All right, bring it. Bring it."

So He began to eat for one hundred men's foodstuff stocked. He finished. Then He asked, "Any more?" So, now only the bags are there. Everything finished. (laughs) So He ate. Everything, one after another, one after another, one after another. "All right. Bring, bring, bring." So He can eat. We cannot.”

Srila Prabhupada Garden Conversation, 09-06-76Vrindaban

[bhaktajan]

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The pressing Issue of Humanity's Manifest Destiny:

Only when "Cow-Protection" is legistated via a 'change-in-heart' --then love, peace, and mutual respect for our fellow man on this planet will accrue.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

[Ashvatama]

[

[bhaktajan]

To GANGANAM DASA, where ever you are,

 

I'm so sorry to hear how darkness and nescience has been your lot in life.

 

Just think of the bright side:

 

There are 2.5 million incarcerated prisoners performing penace in American penitentiaries --So many prisoners who also had childhood stolen by even more genuine mudha-parents (jackass-parents).

 

Count your blessings especially while in the trenches and especially during the present Business Quarter.

 

Bhaktajan

 

PS: I thought this is what you were going to say:

 

"... Now as a result, many of us have grown up into exactly what was planned for us, World War with the dumbest bunch of Simpleton warriors ever conceived seeking suicide by Military Bombardment, 'again-become-embroiled-in-world-wide-conflagration(s)'-- but evidently GANGANAM DASA has a different perspective of world-events..." --this is what I thought you were going to say.

 

... but now you Know the rest of the story, Read the News Headlines for how normal institutions are prospering with happy lives complete with families of their own.

[Bishadi]

"Currently, India is home to over 60 million coronary heart patients and

more than two million patients succumb to the disease every year," said

cardiologist Naresh Trehan

 

 

India warned over heart disease

 

 

 

India will account for 60% of heart disease cases worldwide within two years, according to new research.

 

The study, published in the British journal Lancet, says that is nearly four times more than its share of the global population

 

 

 

 

in case people like to think about their choices

 

i will leave these types of thread to them of ill regard to continue what deciet they wish to convey

 

i was only offering food for thought to them who are truly wishing to see what is true over what is just believed

 

meaning anyone can create a frame that represents their needs, all i wish for, is to understand and as far as i can see, either Krishna is mad at India

 

or the people are killing themselves based on the corruption to the knowledge possessed by the teachers

 

 

 

the choice is yours to make

 

i find it best to be honest over following a teacher and their beliefs

 

Time proves everything but the immediate choice is what we each must weigh at every moment of experience.....

 

Each has their own preference but soon the children will have what was promised and then the old can learn from the honesty of the pure minds of truth!

[Sarva gattah]

 

Read the News Headlines for how normal institutions are prospering with happy lives complete with families of their own.

 

Well, good point, I see that you are having a go at ISKCON's pioneering years of growing pains, but seriously, does not a dog even believe they are happy? Or a pig eating stool think they are happy.

 

Actually, there is happyness in the mateial world, but it's only temporary.

 

Its that endless eternal happyness with Krishna, in our svarupa form, that we are trying to awaken and regain beyond the confines of this troublesome material body

[Bishadi]

 

 

Actually, there is happyness in the mateial world, but it's only temporary.

yet how we 'support' the eternal; is by the choices made, while walking

 

 

Its that endless eternal happyness with Krishna, in our svarupa form, that we are trying to awaken and regain beyond the confines of this troublesome material body

 

the feeling or emotions of 'happiness' are in this period, the eternal is both

 

 

yet a tangent reveals itself

 

so let's take a walk

 

 

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam

 

4.17.29

 

 

dharovāca

namaḥ parasmai puruṣāya māyayā

vinyasta-nānā-tanave guṇātmane

namaḥ svarūpānubhavena nirdhuta-

dravya-kriyā-kāraka-vibhramormaye

 

 

SYNONYMS

dharā — the planet earth; uvāca — said; namaḥ — I offer my obeisances; parasmai — unto the Transcendence; puruṣāya — unto the person; māyayā — by the material energy; vinyasta — expanded; nānā — various; tanave — whose forms; guṇa-ātmane — unto the source of the three modes of material nature; namaḥ — I offer my obeisances; svarūpa — of the real form; anubhavena — by understanding; nirdhuta — not affected by; dravya — matter; kriyā — action; kāraka — doer; vibhrama — bewilderment; ūrmaye — the waves of material existence.

 

 

TRANSLATION

The planet earth spoke: My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, You are transcendental in Your position, and by Your material energy You have expanded Yourself in various forms and species of life through the interaction of the three modes of material nature. Unlike some other masters, You always remain in Your transcendental position and are not affected by the material creation, which is subject to different material interactions. Consequently You are not bewildered by material activities.

 

perhaps another view (humbly shared)

 

 

 

The material (man) feeling and seeing (experiencing life), made a commitment; i submit to truth, shared throughout time from the collective to them; who also walked pure. I submit my person in understanding without the guise of self; in action and performance; without preconceptions; as One with the total.

 

 

 

The idea seems that material earth, (man alive from the mass of) upon realizing an absolute interrelation with existence itself (God), thereby a life (the light) within made a promise to be committed to learning what is true with no self as a purpose but as to be of the total, for the total.

 

 

 

in a sense the spirit of godhead while alive in the flesh doing what is good for the evolution of knowledge.

 

 

 

Thanks... something insides said there was a reason for facing the lion today

[bhaktajan]

 

yet how we 'support' the eternal; is by the choices made, while walking

 

the feeling or emotions of 'happiness' are in this period, the eternal is both

yet a tangent reveals itself

so let's take a walk

perhaps another view (humbly shared)

 

The material (man) feeling and seeing (experiencing life), made a commitment; i submit to truth, shared throughout time from the collective to them; who also walked pure. I submit my person in understanding without the guise of self; in action and performance; without preconceptions; as One with the total.

 

The idea seems that material earth, (man alive from the mass of) upon realizing an absolute interrelation with existence itself (God), thereby a life (the light) within made a promise to be committed to learning what is true with no self as a purpose but as to be of the total, for the total.

 

in a sense the spirit of godhead while alive in the flesh doing what is good for the evolution of knowledge.

 

Thanks... something insides said there was a reason for facing the lion today

 

 

If you can, you'd be one out of many thousands among men

who might endeavor the mysteries of Truth--for even those who have achieved the mysteries of Truth, hardly one knows truth that is absolute.

 

..........................................................................

"... decades ago there was a plane crash in the Andes Mountains of South America. Some of the dead human victims, due to the cold weather, became the only source of food for the few survivors. Hence, out of necessity, they turned to canabalism.

..."

WOW!

 

An intelligent, honest compassionate representation of such an important concept as consumption.

 

The religions ideals have ruined the reality so bad, an instinctive critter is practically considered diety.

 

Thank you for your contribution to basic logic.

 

"be mindful"

[Bishadi]

 

If you can, you'd be one out of many thousands among men

who might endeavor the mysteries of Truth--for even those who have achieved the mysteries of Truth, hardly one knows truth that is absolute.

 

the difference is that the absolute does not conflict with nature, mother earth, all that is --------- GOD!

 

Hence to submit to 'all that is' then the humility of unknowing is where to begin.

 

That beginning was from the fathers many years back, and that life (spirit) is was has lived within the contributers throughout time. The 'true' commit themselves to the pursuit removing all self preservation, all preconceptions, all needs of things, for the pursuit of that which is true.

 

That is why from each period often new forms of thinking unfold. For example from Tantric to the Krishna movement (both within Hinduism)

 

As well from Ptolomy to Newtonian, to the Copenhagan Interpretations.

 

Each flavor of knowledge has evolved based on the commitment of people and the change usually starts from a person; an individual devoted to the seeking of knowledge and truth over the acceptance of beliefs and accepted paradigm.

 

you just so happen to be barking at the fool who combined the branches of knowledge and the only reason i still seek and learn and take the abuse from the fool (scoundrel) is the duty is more important than anything and the humility to pursue is sort of like a 'family tradition.'

 

That life is within and although the face may not look as the pictures had painted, be certain the truth lives and a whole new creation is about to unfold.

 

Srila was a good man and i have always honored the sect but tell the corrupt, the isolating monkeys; kalki walks!

[bhaktajan]

Bhagavata-purana (SB 1.17.38 Purport by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada):

... In the Vedas two different types of injunctions are there

for the pravåttas, or those who are engaged in material enjoyment, and

for the nivåttas, or those who are liberated from material bondage.

 

The Vedic injunction for the pravåttas is to gradually regulate their activities towards the path of liberation.

 

Therefore, for those who are in the lowest stage of ignorance and who indulge in wine, women and flesh, drinking by performing sauträmaëé-yajïa, association of women by marriage and flesh-eating by sacrifices are sometimes recommended.

 

Such recommendations in the Vedic literature are meant for a particular class of men, and not for all. But because they are injunctions of the Vedas for particular types of persons, such activities by the pravåttas are not considered adharma.

 

One man’s food may be poison for others; similarly, what is recommended for those in the mode of ignorance may be poison for those in the mode of goodness.

 

Çréla Jéva Gosvämé Prabhu, therefore, affirms that recommendations in the scriptures for a certain class of men are never to be considered adharma, or irreligious.

 

But such activities are factually adharma, and they are never to be encouraged.

 

The recommendations in the scriptures are not meant for the encouragement of such adharma, but for regulating the necessary adharma gradually toward the path of dharma. ...