Dietary Restrictions

[USFStudent]

I have already issued a post inquring as to Dietary Restrictions. These are the questions I asked.

Do you have dietary restrictions/beliefs?

 

ii. What are Dietary beliefs?

 

iii. Is there a sacred origin/what is origin?

 

iv. How long/continuous is belief structure?

 

1. Have they changed?

 

2. If so how have they changed?

 

v. Does food serve a sacred purpose in religious services/celebrations?

 

1. If so how

 

vi. Are there any differences in dietary practices from the movement in India or elsewhere in the world?

 

I appreiciate the information that was provided to me but I have a few more questions. If anyone can reiterate the questions above giving me more information as well as answer my new questions that would be greatly appreiciated.

1. Are the cooking utensils purified or special in any way?

 

2. Is the kitchen used in the cooking of the food purified or cleansed in any ritualistic fashion before the food can be truly prasada and offered to Krishna

 

3. Are there certain food items that are more pure and thus more appropriate to be offered to Lord Krishna?

 

Thank you very much for your time

 

 

[Guest guest]

The Vedic scriptures state that all living beings are God's creatures and they too should be respected and loved.

 

The non-vedic religions say 'animals are food' It's in-humane to kill.

 

Also according to scientific studies, meat is bad for your health and a vegetarian diet is good for heath.

[sumedh]

Hare Krishna

please accept my obesiences

 

 

Do you have dietary restrictions/beliefs?

 

 

 

No meat eating, eggs, no intoxicants (including tea/coffee). The foods have been categorized in three categories viz. satvic (mode of goodness), rajasic (mode of passion) and tamasic (mode of ignorance). All food is prepared for the Lord and offered to Him, and only the remnants called prasadam are taken. Of course, the Lord's eating is different in that He does not eat it as humans rather this process is only a chance for us to render devotional service to Him, so He "eats" only the devotion. Such a food (prasadam) is considered to be spiritualized which helps increase our attachment to God. As far as possible only foods in mode of goodness are offered; tamasic foods (such as somewhat spoiled food, or parasites growing in darkness like mushrooms) are not to be offered; also no onion/garlic as they are too much in the mode of passion. Please follow these links for more details:

http://www.harekrsna.com/practice/4regs/vegetarian/vegetarianism.htm

http://www.harekrsna.com/practice/prasadam/protocol/protocol.htm

http://www.harekrsna.com/practice/prasadam/offerings/bhoga-arati.htm

http://www.harekrsna.com/practice/prasadam/offerings/offerings.htm

http://www.harekrsna.com/practice/prasadam/gear/gear.htm

http://www.harekrsna.com/practice/prasadam/ingredients/ingredients.htm

 

 

iii. Is there a sacred origin/what is origin?

 

 

 

From the vedic texts, as also some other texts like Narada Pancharata. I gave a concise information of Vedic texts HERE

(please note that i had made an error in giving the total number of verses in puraanas which i corrected later in the thread)

 

 

iv. How long/continuous is belief structure?

 

 

 

The Vedic texts describe creation/dissolution as a continuous cyclical process, as well as the yugas as coming and going just like weather. So the precise answer would be at least since the beginning of this creation, as the vedic knowledge is considered to be coming from Brahmaji, the creator (or chief engineer) of this particular universe. Periodically this knowledge gets lost or forgotten or misrepresented, when the Divine Spiritual Masters or God Himself reinstate it.

 

 

1. Have they changed?

 

2. If so how have they changed?

 

 

 

With the progress of the age of Kali (described as the age of quarrel and hypocricy), things deteriorate but are periodically reinstated by the vaishnava masters. The dietary regulations are more or less similiar in most of the vaishnava disciplines. In india these were very widespread, particularly among the Brahmana community, but are not so now after the British occupation. Until very recently almost all "hindus" were vegetarians (except in coastal areas who would take fish).

[ivanjavis]

Hi

 

Im living San Francisco -at Mission- and I would like to know if you have a place here, in were I can take some YOGA CLASSES.

 

thank you

 

are krnsna

[Nrsinghadev]

ii. What are Dietary beliefs?

iii. Is there a sacred origin/what is origin?

 

Haribol,

 

boy,there's so much to say on this subject matter so please forgive me I tangle it up.

 

As stated in the Vedic scriptures, material nature consists of three modes, or "gunas". They are: sattva-guna (goodness), raja-guna (passion) and tama-guna (ignorance). Thus food also falls into these three categories.

For example Meat, fish and eggs are foodstuffs in the mode of ignorance, garlic, onions and and overly spiced foodstuffs are considered to be in the mode of passion whereas milk,grains,fruits and vegetables are foodstuffs in the mode of goodness.

While onions and garlic are also a vegetarian food source and the Ayurveda praises it's medicinal abilities, it is being dissuaded for the practicing yogi as it's consumption leads to a strong increase of raja-guna, resulting in loss of focus, patience and tolerance.

 

Part of the Vedic principles is to respect all life and thus any killing of lifeforms is condemned. Nonviolence is a quality created by Krishna alone (B.G. 10.4-5).It is therefore considered a divine quality. It is said to be one of the qualities that belong to godly men of divine nature (B.G.16.1-3). Nonviolence is amongst others considered as austerity of the body (B.G. 17.14).

 

Though we do also take some life (in the form of grains and vegetables), as stated in the scriptures, the Lord accepts vegetable offerings, and so by offering the food unto Him, it becomes free of sin, sanctified by the Grace of God, no karma incurred. The food is turned to "prasadam" ('favor',food offered to Krishna) after reciting a specific series of mantras. Actually after having offered the food to Krishna, it is no longer to be considered food, but rather the mercy of Sri Krishna. The scriptures state that God's senses are interchangable, so He can eat with His eyes, see with His ears etc. etc. So, although we do no physically see the Lord eat the food He can taste the food through His sound manifestation. Any food that has not been offered to Krishna is considered to be sinful, so His Grace should always be asked.

 

Killing is only to be applied as far as it is necessary for maintenance of the body (or, as in the case of the setting of the Bhagavad-Gita, an inevitable war when all other resolutions have failed but that's another issue). Fruits, milk, water, grains and vegetables are the natural resources of food for the human body, and are more than sufficient to provide for the maintenance of our bodies. Therefore, any other food source is automatically demoted to sinful sense gratification, food only for the satisfaction of the tongue. When we obtain milk from the cow we receive the cow's blood without killing it, so why should we still insist on killing it for it's flesh?

 

Staying on the subject of cow killing, in the vedic literature the words 'gobhih prinita-matsaram' indicate that one who, being fully satisfied by milk, is desirous of killing the cow, is in the grossest ignorance.

The Lord is also lovingly named "Govinda" which means:"One who gives pleasure to the land, the cows and the senses."

Another verse goes:

 

"Namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana hitaya ca jagaddhitaya krsnaya govindaya namo namah"

 

"My Lord, You are the well-wisher of the cows and the brahmanas, and you are the well-wisher of the entire human society and world."

 

Krsna appears as a cowherdboy, and on Krsna's own spiritual planet the cows, named Surabhi, enjoy Krsna's special attention. The cows on our earth are a reflection of these cows.

Cow protection is especially stressed in the Vedic culture as it said to be the basic principles religion and true civilization. The cow is considered as one of seven mothers, since she gives us milk, and the bull is considered the father of society by providing us with grains as it pulls the cart.

 

Further restrictions on consumption are obiviously any intoxicating substances.

 

iv. How long/continuous is belief structure?

 

1. Have they changed?

 

2. If so how have they changed?

 

All these principles have been unchanged since the Lord first originally spoke them, the Vedic tradition is that pure. This is verified by the Guru-parampara, a line of spiritual masters who kept the message uncontaminated and pure.

 

v. Does food serve a sacred purpose in religious services/celebrations?

 

Milk and Ghee are used in religious service and big feasts are prepared on celebrative occasions. There could be more though.

 

vi. Are there any differences in dietary practices from the movement in India or elsewhere in the world?

 

No, everywhere the same principles are being followed. However, if someone in for example Italy, knows how to cook some local dish that meets the demands of the Vedic standards, it can be offered, no problem.

 

2. Is the kitchen used in the cooking of the food purified or cleansed in any ritualistic fashion before the food can be truly prasada and offered to Krishna

 

We should share prasadam,observe fasting, eat moderately, not be wasteful with any foodstuff, eat a regular times, in a pleasant and calm atmosphere and another thing of special importance is cleanliness. Both in body and kitchen. It is said Krishna will accept a small offer from a clean kitchen but He will not accept a big offer from a dirty one. When cooking one should think of the pleasure of Krishna,not of one's self. Chanting helps. And lastly, the cook doesn't taste the food before it is offered.

 

3. Are there certain food items that are more pure and thus more appropriate to be offered to Lord Krishna?

 

Not as far as I know, only the foodstuff mentioned earlier but nothing outstanding.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Haribol!