Eating is sinful?

[Govindaram]

 

Lord Krishna says..

Bg.3.13

" The devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because they eat food which is offered first for sacrifice. Others, who prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin ".

---

 

Why or how can eating be sinful /images/graemlins/confused.gif

[Guest guest]

yajnarthat karmano ’nyatra

loko ’yam karma-bandhanah

tad-artham karma kaunteya

mukta-sangah samacara

 

"Work done as a sacrifice for Vishnu has to be performed, otherwise work causes bondage in this material world. Therefore, O son of Kunti, perform your prescribed duties for His satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain free from bondage."

 

All work causes bondage in the material world. In addition every action is filled with sinful activities, from the killing of plants and insects, to the stealing of natural resources such as air and water without offering anything in return to the controllers. Thus it is necessary for us to perform all actions as an offering to the Lord so that we can become free from these sinful reactions.

[yasodanandana]

to eat you have to kill plants or animals

 

in both cases you take the karma, the sin, of the killing

 

if you offer the plants you kill, to krishna, before eating them, you do not take any sin, you make spiritual advancement

 

so, ideally, offering to krsna means that we cook for the enjoyement of krishna, not for our senses... when we begin is only a duty, a ritual that we make ordered by the spiritual master and we do not cook really for krsna, we cook for us.. so there's a percentage of sin

 

advancing in the practices of krsna consciousness we became completely absorbed in gratificating krsna, we do everything for krsna, we cook exclusively for his pleasure, and consequently we are completely released from any sin

 

the food offered to krsna is a sacrifice, from the latin meaning of this word, a MADE(=facere) SACRED food by the contact of the lotus mouth of sri krsna bhagavan

[Gauracandra]

The killing of any life including plant life is a sin. So even as vegetarians we are engaged in sinful conduct. The activities are not as bad as killing more sentient life, but it is still the taking of life. So unless we only do what is necessary for survival, and do that in order to become self-realized, then we are commiting sin. Thats my understanding atleast.

[Tarun]

SP explained how vegetarians don't even kill grain. In 3rd Ch, Krishna says non-offerers r thieves, not killers.

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

When you eat potatos, carrots, sprouts, etc., you kill the plant. Even dry dahl is alive. Just add water and let it soak over night. In the morning you have plants growing out of the dahl seeds (i.e. sprouts).

 

[Guest guest]

Hare Krishna

 

why is meat-eating against the vedic teachings?

 

what do we gain by eating meat?

 

practically nothing. by eating meat, we make our bodies graveyards; we accept the pollution gathered within those bodies; for taste, we destroy our advancement.

 

i don't consider eating plants sin, as long as it is offered to Krishna first for sacrifice: that is, "Others, who prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin ". so, if the food is non meat, and offered to Krishna for sacrifice before eating, it becomes pure, prasadama, released of any sinful results.

 

Mother Earth produces so much food for us, that we have no need to kill other animals for our sense enjoyment.

 

Also, by eating prasadama--food purified by offering it to Krishna, we become pure. People try to control their senses, yet to no good. they don't realize that the voracious tongue needs to be controlled in order for other senses to be controlled. this can be done in the following way: talk as little as possible, but chant Hare Krishna--hare krishna maha mantra--as much as possible. eat prasadama, no meat, only vegetarian food. eat as much as needed, but not more than needed.

 

and remember:

Eat to live; not, live to eat!

 

Haribol