India Behind The Lens (News Centre)

To be continue from... Vegetarian and Sattvik Diet is meant for us When creating the Universe, God has laid down rules about specific diets for specific beings. As per Nature’s rule, the cow is purely vegetarian. The dental pattern of man is similar to that of the cow’s. Hence, consuming vegetarian food is abiding by Divine rules. Abiding by Dharma means following the appropriate Code of Conduct of diet, enhancing Divine qualities and becoming capable of attaining Bliss. As a result of vegetarian diet the sattvaguna in man is enhanced. Vegetarian diet accomplishes the task of making man Divine, that is, man begins to progress on the spiritual path.

Some components of vegetarian diet

A. Plants: Plants are animate. Even science has found evidence that plants have emotions and they react to positive and negative emotions. Despite this plants are included in vegetarian diet. There are two main reasons for this.

1. The emotions of plants are not associated with the Tama-dominant actions denoting desire. Wood contains fire in latent form. Hence, plants are considered Holy.
2. Creation of a being (jiva) through the sprouting from a plant is not akin to that of animals, which are born through Tama-dominant sexual contact.

B. Milk: From scientific perspective milk, water, air  contain microorganisms. As such, how can these components be called vegetarian? However, from the perspective of Spirituality, these components are predominant in Sattva-Raja-guna. Upon coming in contact with these components, the Raja-Tama-predominant Jivas become inactive.

Components such as milk, water, air possess higher Principles such as the Tej and Vayu. These Principles absorb within themselves all components along with their Raja-Tama. This is why these components are considered vegetarian. Cow’s milk is the most sattvik and vegetarian component.

Some components of vegetarian diet, their features and effects:

• Consumption of ghee derived from buffalo milk increases the cholesterol levels in blood. But it is not the same with ghee made from cow’s milk.
• Regular consumption of fried foods increases the Raja-Tama.
• Consumption of rice, wheat, lentils and grains increases Sattva-guna in man.
• Bulbs and Tubers have the Pruthvi Element in higher proportion.
• Ghee made from cow’s milk, as well as fruit and leafy vegetables have higher proportion of Vishnu Principle.

Misconceptions about vegetarian diet, and its superiority: Some argue that a purely vegetarian diet weakens a man. He lags behind in the race of life. Non-vegetarians acquire more laurels than vegetarians. But by consuming vegetarian diet mankind increases the Sattva guna in themselves and proceed on the spiritual path which is the ultimate laurel. This award is of Supreme Bliss (Brahmananda), non-duality (advait) and Supreme Peace (Param-shanti).

Prevalent vegetarian dishes and their purity: Nowadays it has become common practice to eat baked  products like cake and pastry, processed butter, various types of biscuits, drink tea, coffee and different soups. People consider this as pure vegetarian diet. But is it purely vegetarian in the true sense?

• In baked items like bread, cakes and similar, eggs and animal fat is used.
• Vegetarian restaurants or hotels serve different soups prepared from items like tomatoes, onion, leafy and non-leafy vegetables, corn, green peas. To enrich its taste a thick broth of cow or fowl fat is commonly added.
• Ice-cream is prepared from milk. There are 25-30 famous ice cream flavours. These tastes cannot be created without the use of gelatine. Gelatine is a completely non-vegetarian item.

The above examples force us to ponder whether we are actually consuming vegetarian food.

Reason for prohibition of consumption of food like cottage cheese made by the souring of milk: Milk is considered to be a source of sagun Chaitanya. It is a ‘complete food’. Souring of milk amounts to enhancing its adverse Raja-Tama-dominant constituents and destroying those which function with the help of its sattvikta. Consumption of such food items devoid of sattva, prepared by souring of milk is harmful for the body. Due to this, distressing vibrations get concentrated in the body in maximum proportion, thus inviting many diseases.

Some examples of food constituents poisoned with chemicals:

• Presently, chemical fertilisers are being used to the maximum for crops of wheat, rice, pulses etc.
• Grass is fed to the cow. In order to keep it green for 10-15 days, chemical substances are used. The milk we get from the cow that eats such poisonous grass is also toxic..
• When vegetarians suffering from rickets (a disease of the bones caused by deficiency of Vitamin D) were examined, it was found that the food consumed by them was poisonous.
• In some medicines supplementing iron, the extract of animal blood is added.

Effects of spiritual practice on diet: While performing spiritual practice, a seeker begins to establish communion with God. Due to Divine grace, every action of his becomes sattvik and enriched with Chaitanya. When the attitude becomes sattvik, diet changes too, and the seeker becomes vegetarian. By complementing meal times with prayers, he gains sattvikta, Chaitanya and Deity’s Principle. According to the science of Spirituality, a vegetarian diet increases a person’s Sattva-guna by 0.0001 percent and complementary chanting with spiritual emotion (bhav) increases it by 5 percent. Hence, it becomes necessary to increase one’s Sattva guna by adopting vegetarianism.

to be continued ...

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