TIPS TO BE A VEGETARIAN DEVOTEE IN A NON VEGETARIAN FAMILY!
A Devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
Hare Krishna Prabhuji. I am unintiated and live in a non devotee family. I am a pursuing my studies now. I am attached to Krishna from childhood and have a desire of serving Him. But this is becoming difficult for me. Although I am chanting regularly I eat meat and am also not able to offer Krishna food and accept prasadam. We have a small Radha Krishna deity ( not metal) at our alter. I offer Krishna only sweets and fruits and that also once. Since meat is daily cooked, it is not possible to offer proper bhoga to Krishna. And also since all my family members are working, there no one to cook bhoga. I do not follow all the procedures of worship and also following all the rules is not possible for me since I am pursuing my masters now. My parents do not allow me to quit meat. I avoid eating outside. But at home I am forced to eat meat. They think I will have serious protein deficiencies if I quit meat. My parents also do not allow me to follow ekadasi fasting. I want to serve Krishna properly and offer and accept prasadam. What to do? Also can an unitiated devotee wear tilak and chant on Tulasi mala? And marriage should a devotee woman cook meat for her husband? Thank you.
REPLY:
I like to tell you that one can’t enter into the Goloka in this birth if he is a non vegetarian. Of course, Krishna will bless them too if they ask Him for any material benefits. They can get any material benefits from Krishna, though they are non-vegetarians. But, you can’t escape from the network of karma. Every dose of non veg food adds in our karma, as it is prohibited for the devotees..
You have also written that you pray to Krishna and offer fruits while taking non veg. Though it is good that you have realized that it is wrong and hence you seek His pardon, I ask you, how long will you seek the pardon of Krishna? Pardon has a meaning if the mistake is done innocently. But, you are taking non-veg knowing that it is not suitable for devotees. So, Why can’t you quit meat and become vegetarian? Though it is difficult initially, it is possible if you try for alternative arrangements. Try to cook at your house/ room itself. Show this post to your parents and convince them.
Unless one follows the four regulative principles including vegetarian foods, he can’t go back to Krishna after this birth. He has to take many or a few births, purify him and only after that he can get qualified to enter into Goloka. It may happen even in your next birth or after many births.
So, if you do not like to go back to Lord after this birth itself, and, it is not a problem for you to take births again and again, you can continue with your non veg foods. But, if you like to go back to Krishna, you MUST QUIT NON VEG. Even in the case of Vegetarian foods, if you take it without offering to Krishna, you will be adding karma. So, better offer the vegetarian foods to Krishna and honour that prasadam daily.
Prabhupada would say: “Those who eat the food not offered to Krishna , are actually accepting sins.”
So, try your best to cook vegetarian food , offer to Krishna and then take it.
Of course, your interest in Krishna Consciousness Practices is appreciated. But, we have to remember one important thing: If you like to associate with a thief, you also need to be a thief. If you need to associate with good people, you too should be a good person.
Similarly, if you like to associate with a PUREST PERSON Krishna, you too need to be fully pure.
What I mean by PURE? Cleaning body alone? Wearing Tilak alone? Wearing a vaishnava dress alone?
Not so. I mean PURE HEART AND MIND AND HENCE PURE CONSCIOUSNESS. You should not even think of hurting others. You should live as per the advice of scriptures. You should not wish for the property of others. You should follow all the four regulative principles such as No meat, No gambling, No intoxication and No illicit sex. And free from jealousy. Detaching the mind from the material attractions and divert the mind in Krishna.
When you chant Lord’s Name to the maximum level possible for you or 16 rounds whichever is higher, the above purity will be achieved fast.
Only when you live like this, you can remain pure all the time and with this purity, you can think of ONLY Krishna and hence you can go back to Krishna.
So, meat eating is also a contamination as we violate the regulative principles. Meat eating will definitely divert us from serious devotional practices. How? As meat increases rajo and thamo guna, our body will always induce us to do something to satisfy the agitating senses. So, to satisfy the eyes, you may start to watch the movements of so many girls. To satisfy tongue, you may start to eat and drink prohibited things. To satisfy genitals, you may start to involve in illicit sex. And, as your temper is always high, you get angry instantly and frequently. And, as you eat the flesh of an animal without feeling mercy for that animal, your heart becomes rough and stone-like and you lose the quality of mercy and Jeevakarunya.
So, let me give some tips to get rid of meat eating:
(1) Whenever you eat a meat, imagine that you are eating the blood soaked flesh of an animal in which thousands of worms and microorganisms lived.
(2) Or, imagine as if you are eating your own flesh.
(3) Or, think of the animal’s CRIES and HELPLESSNESS IN PROTECTING IT when the meat seller cut its neck. Usually, the meat vendors purchase an animal or chicken and give them very liberal food to make it bulky. The animal also eats them in a hope that the vendor is taking care of them well. When other animals are killed in front of that animal, this animal is eating the grass or grains with a fearful eyes and without realizing that it will be killed next. When this animal is eating, the vendor pulls that animal and rubs its body because it is going to give money next. When two or three men are holding that animal, the vendor brings the sharp knife and stabs on its neck first. Pool of blood comes out amidst the helpless cries of animal.
Have you ever thought about this scene before eating flesh? Hereafter think. You will never touch the meat.
(4) Some argue that eggs are not non vegetarians. But, what happens in human girls? The egg is created in the fallopian portion above their womb every month and is waiting for the sperms to come into the womb. When no sperm comes for about 20 days, the egg becomes unused and hence that UNUSED egg is sent out of the girls’body as menses. Same happens in hens. The hens excretes UNUSED eggs periodically. So, hen’s egg is called the MENSES OF HENS. So, you are eating the menses of hens. Is it good? Is it a satva guna food? No. It has plenty of fat that increases Rajo and thamo guna. So, eggs should also be avoided.
(5) Meat is rich in Fat that enhances rajo and thamo gunas that induces us to commit sense related offences. And, most importantly, when you eat the meat, YOU DEVELOP THE QUALITY OF THE ANIMAL FROM WHICH THE MEAT WAS TAKEN. SO, A MAN ACQUIRES ANIMAL CHARACTER AND HE COMMITS CRIMES WHENEVER HE GETS CHANCES. Whereas, vegetarians will not have the domination of rajo and thamo gunas and hence they will atleast think many times before committing crimes. That is why, if you note the society, real brahmanas do not stand first in creating physical violences. The percentage of crimes will be much more among meat eaters compared to vegetarians.
(6) Keep you in the place of that animal and imagine how it will be for you if anyone comes and cuts your necks. You can’t sleep that night.
(7) Jesus Christ said: IF YOU DO NOT LIKE TO RECEIVE ANYTHING, NEVER DO THAT TO OTHERS ALSO. So, if you do not like to be tortured by others in the life, do not torture or kill other animals also. They too have right to live like you.
(8) Please visit any one slaughter house atleast once. If you see how the animals are handled and killed there like cutting vegetables. There is no respect for these innocent animals in slaughter houses. You will understand that meat eating is like giving support to such a cruel acts in slaughter houses.
(9) HOW TO BE HEALTHY AS A VEGETARIAN?
Lord has given plenty of vegetables to eat and our teeth have also been given to bite vegetables only, not meat. Only the wild animals have teeth suitable for cutting meat. So, meat eating is for wild animals. Not for humans. Meat alone is not rich in protein. Good and satvice protein-rich vegetables are plenty in number. Milk, Soya, Nuts, Beans, etc can be taken sufficiently to get protein. Necessary good and harmless fat can be taken by using Gingelly oil for cooking. Use more gingelly oil for cooking and less coconut oil, groundnut oil and sun flower oil. Get vitamins and minerals from fruits. Thus, you can remain healthy even with vegetarian foods. Tell me, are all the vegetarians weak? Didn’t Srila Prabhupada survived three heart attacks and served Krishna travelling ALL OVER THE WORLD? Remember, vegetarians have sharp brain and memory power. Just a right combination of vegetables, fruits and grains must be taken. That’s all.
(10) Finally, we should never eat those foods that can not be offered to Krishna. As Krishna wanted only water, leaves, flower, etc, in Bhagavad Gita, we too take only vegetarian foods. That too, after offering to Krishna as Prasadam.
Therefore, talk to your parents showing this post atleast by taking a print out. If they do not cooperate, you alone take vegetarian foods only. Fight for that in family and follow even the technique of avoiding eating in home till they agree.
They will agree one day.
And, use the kitchen only for preparing vegetarian foods. Let them prepare meat in a separate place using separate vessels. Do not mingle the both.
And, marry a vegetarian guy only. In case you have been already married, show this post to your husband and beg him or fight with him to cooperate with you for cooking vegetarian food only.
Fight for good cause till you succeed keeping Krishna in mind. Good intentions will succeed with the blessings of Krishna.
All the best.