Vegetarianizm and ISKON principles

October 9, 2003

I am a vegetarian and dont eat eggs and dont wear silk as silk is made by killing the cucoons. Is your Guruji wearing Silk shawl in the photograph I see. If so is it not against the principles of Gita.

In much ancient times, originally the silk people were using were made after the pupa metamorphosed and escaped as insect. Nowadays I find in temples also they put silk for God including Krishna. Why this is so inspite of talking about non-vegetarianism

stonehearted · October 10, 2003

Guest: Is your Guruji wearing Silk shawl in the photograph I see. If so is it not against the principles of Gita.

I don't know what photgraph you see, or even if it's my guru in the picture. My spiritual master, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, did sometimes wear silk cloth. Basically, he wore whatever we gave him to wear, but as silk is considered ritually pure, his disciples provided him with silk cloth when we could afford it. I believe that he preferred ahimsa silk, which is as you describe it. In the mid '70s, a friend of mine who lived here on the Big Island had an idea of raising silkworms as a business. He is a wonderful artist who made Deities, and Srila Prabhupada encouraged him to make Deities and figures for dioramas presenting our philoshophy. When he asked Srila Prabhupada about rasing silkworms, Prabhupada replied, "I've asked you to make dolls, but you want to become a butcher?"

theist · October 10, 2003

Never heard of it. I don't know much about silk production anyway, but it seems encouraging that there may be a difference in production methods.

October 10, 2003

I have read Prabupadaji's Gita commentary. But when I saw his photo in which he was wearing a shining silk cloth, I felt how he could be doing this when he is talking about My Lord. I hope he was wearing the ahimsa silk as you have mentioned. But silk where the worms were killed is not considered divine anyday and this is what Kanchi Paramacharya told when he was alive. I too can afford expensive silk cloth, but I dont feel pride in it and wear it because its a pride of butchery. I like to be simple and this is what Krishna said. Anyway thanks for your explanation. But please change your views on divinity of silk.

stonehearted · October 10, 2003

My views? I never said it was divine; I said that shastra considers it ritually pure. That means it's clean and doesn't have to be washed every time you wear it. I prefer cotton and hemp cloth, but for my puja I have lungis made of ahimsa silk.