A pedestrian at Chandni Chowk offered Richard (now Radhanath Swami) food at a roadside restaurant. While eating his dinner Richard saw a white cow nuzzling its calf. Richard’s heart melted upon seeing the gentle and graceful movements of the calf and the cow. The innocence that shone in the eyes of the animals touched him and Richard thought how the loving exchanges they shared with each other is so similar to those of a human mother and her child. Just then the host pointed out to Richard the chunks of meat on his plate. Richard suddenly felt pained to realize that meat meant innocent animals are slaughtered in organized slaughterhouses. For the first time Richard made a connection between his diet and suffering of animals; he realized how humans are insensitive and cruel towards these innocent children of God. That night he vomited the meat and repeatedly dreamt of the cows. He then took a vow to never again eat meat.
While meat eating is not advisable for spiritual advancement, cow meat is certainly destructive. It takes a person away from God, says Radhanath Swami. Radhanath Swami personally served cows for over a decade in a farm in America. He points out that in the Indian culture cow is referred to as ‘go mata, ‘mother cow’. It’s abominable for a cultured person to kill and eat the flesh of his own mother. In India thousands of places are named after mother cow (‘go’): Gauhati, Gorakhpur, Goa, Godhra, Gondiya, Godavari, Goverdhan, Gautam, Gomukh, Gokarna, Goyal, and Gochar besides many others. These names signify reverence for the cow, and the abiding faith that cow is to be respected as mother.
The arguments for cow slaughter are no more uncontested. There are better sources of protein than beef. Any dietician’s chart shows that beef with 22 per cent protein ranks below soya-bean (43), groundnut (31) and pulses (24 per cent). One kilogram of beef takes seven kg of crops and 7,000 kg of water to produce. Thus cow protection makes economic and ecological sense. Non-vegetarianism indirectly contributes heavily to greenhouse gases and other pollution. The UN report (2006) states, “Raising animals for meat as food generates more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks in the world combined”.
’Radhanath Swami explains that we can tell a person’s consciousness by what they eat and how they eat. There are people in mode of ignorance who like to eat all kinds of stale food or food that’s product of bloodshed, murder and horrible suffering. That is the food in the mode of ignorance. Then there is food in the mode of passion, which is very hot and simulating to the senses and the mind. The vegetarian food is in the mode of goodness because it minimizes violence as far as possible. “But even if you eat vegetarian food, it’s still sinful because it’s the property of God, and there is some violence involved”, says Radhanath Swami. Violence is far less compared to eating fish, meat, eggs and similar things. but it’s still sinful because it’s not completely free from violence. Therefore the best food, Radhanath Swami says is a vegetarian food cooked and offered with love and devotion to God; that makes it free of all bad karma.
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Founder-acharya of the International Society For Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)
“Go to India” a sweet but commanding voice; spoke up in the heart of young Richard (later Radhanath Swami) who was immersed in meditation, his search for meaning in life has brought him to the Isle of Crete. Today he was ordered to go to India. Born and raised in the middle class suburbs of Chicago, Radhanath swami grew up in the 1950’s and 60’s era when popular musicians protested war, prejudice and social injustice. Radhanath swami would listen to these songs again and again, but their lyrics referring to God stirred his soul. Peter, Paul and Mary- the folk trio from Greenswich village sang in their debut album
“Early in the morning, about the break of day
I ask the Lord, to help me find my way”
This simple prayer was to guide Radhanath swami in the coming years of his life........
’Radhanath Swami explains that we can tell a person’s consciousness by what they eat and how they eat.Really its very much true.Thank you so much Maharaj.
View Commentthere is nothing like prasadam….
View CommentVery informative article
View Commentamazingly clarity in his vision …and great direction to this dark world where sinning has become part of daily life..
View CommentThank you maharaj for sharing this.
View CommentThank you very much maharaj for clarifying what to eat, what not to eat and how to eat.
View CommentHopefully this message of Radhanath Swami is heard by meat eaters to understand the benefits of vegetarianism and not make their stomachs a graveyard.
View CommentThis article is specially meant for the people who eat non vegeterian food,which is in-digestable to the stomach.I hope after reading this article atleast the person,reading it will stop eating this stale food
View CommentThanks to the inspiring words of Radhanath Swamy, so many thousands of devotees have taken to vegetarian food.
View CommentThe connection between what we eat and what our thoughts are is well documented. Radhanath Swami touches the essence of everything.
View CommentThank you for sensibly, scientific reavelation of the truth Y.H.Radhanath Swami,
View CommentThe last line is the most important because it gives us the crux of pure living: even if we eat vegetables it is still sinful unless we offer the food to God.
View CommentMaharaj is showing us the way to live a peaceful, happy and healthy human life
View CommentEating santified food is a rich source of mercy of the Lord. Thank u Maharaj.
View CommentRadhanath swami has wonderful & amp;loving heart which feel something for others.
View Commenthttp://www.radhanath-swami.info
Great message. We have to understand the fundamentals of nature and human life.
View CommentNice explanation about eating habits. I have been a vegetarian through out my life and sometimes had been proud of being so, thinking myself to be saintly. Hence the last line struck me deeply – “But even if you eat vegetarian food, it’s still sinful because it’s the property of God, and there is some violence involved”, says Radhanath Swami… but it’s still sinful because it’s not completely free from violence. Therefore the best food, Radhanath Swami says is a vegetarian food cooked and offered with love and devotion to God; that makes it free of all bad karma.”
View CommentJust Superb scientific way of explanation, why one should eat veg food. IF you see the trend nowadays, it is West which is going Veg and ourselved going the other way (western culture)
View CommentThank u Maharaj…
View CommentBhoga offered to the Lord becomes sanctified food.
View CommentHari Bol, thanks very much for sharing
View CommentWonderful article
View CommentThankyou Maharaj for the pearls of wisdom.
View CommentSurely, eating only prasad always keeps us in constant touch of Krishna Consciousness.
Thanks for sharing Radhanath Swami’s words “A vegetarian food cooked and offered with love and devotion to God; that makes it free of all bad karma and makes our heart purified as it is the remnant of God”
View CommentThank you radhanath swami
View CommentScience has proof that eating meat can cause various types of cancer and neoplastic disorders. We can relate it directly to the bad karma caused due to eating meat
View CommentEating only prasadam is a step forward towards Lord Krsna & always keeps us in constant touch of Krishna Consciousness.
View CommentLiving without causing any pain to others is good. Living for one’s purification is the best. Vegetarian food be offered to God and accepting it as His mercy makes one free from all sins. All glories to Radhanath swami.
View CommentVegetarian Food which is offered to the Lord is so very satisfying to the body as well as soul. By this we come to the mode of goodness & therefore whatever acts we perform are for the welfare of the society. Thank u Radhanath Swami for giving us this understanding.
View CommentSingle incident made Maharaj think deeply and change his food habits (Ref: ‘…made a connection between his diet and suffering of animals’), whereas in India, so sadly, it is still style statement of ‘being a non veg’ despite Western studies also advising to become vegetarian and economical reasons indicate the same
View CommentThank you Maharaj. You have revealed to us the most perfect understanding of vegetarianism and non-violence.
View CommentSwamiji, thank you so much for explaining the benefits of eating a healthy vegetarian diet which has been offered to Lord krishna with love.
View CommentEating non-vegetarian food definitely causes a lot of violence to cow & many other innocent animals. Human beings should not be so insensitive to the pains of innocat animals who cannot defend themselves.
Thank you for guiding us.
Hare krishna!!! Thank You Maharaj.
View CommentNow we understand that eating only vegetarian food is not enough. But offering veg food to the lotus feet of Lord is more important because only prasadam (offered food) is sinless and connecting us to the LORD.
Thank you Radhanath swami for giving us the knowledge on how to eat and what to eat.
View CommentThank you Maharaj!
View CommentSuch wonderful wisdom that it is difficult for anyone to ignore.
Vegetarian Diet With Offered To Lord First & Then Taking It As Prasad Is Must For Person Who Wants Spiritual Advancement On Path Of Devotion.
View CommentVery enlightening article – Thanks a lot Maharaj for showering the wonderful realizations.
View CommentConvincing facts for a person to give up meat eating and lead a healthy life-karma free life! Thanks for sharing!
View CommentSatvik food takes the person towards God.The non vegetarian food takes towards ignorance. because that it shows non piteous
View Commentmentality.Killing is killing whether it is animal or tree or human.Thanks to maharaj.
Really very much required & Radhanath swami has very nicely reveal the science of vegetarian food.
View CommentRadhanath Swami’s sincerity brought him to the lotus feet of his spiritual master Srila Prabhupada.
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