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sorry, I was on leave and upon returning just saw your mail.

Ok, regarding Hitler: This is got nothing to do exclusively with food. Mark
the words, exclusively. Food is one of the factors. You are right,
Vegetarian does not mean calm and quiet. In fact it can be the opposite in
most cases. The first factor is we - as also Hitler - are born with certain
ingrained (genetic) design. This constantly mutates. This is Nature. The
Sankhya talks about this quite interestingly. There is Prakriti which keeps
on undergoing change constantly. Man is part of Prakurti. Food and for
that matter,all "matter" is Prakriti. Prakriti is the primal, first cause
and all others are the effect.It is akin to the H2o definition. 2 parts of
Hydrogen and one part of oxygen form water, but one part of Hydrogen and
two parts of oxygen is poison and harmful for humans. In the same way,
what is poison to us is fuel/food to plants namely Carbon dioxide and vice
versa i.e. oxygen is expelled by plants and inhaled by us.

So there is an inherent, natural balance which is a cosmic mystery which
cannot be unraveled under normal circumstances - more on this follows
towards the end of this note.

As per the Patanjali Yoga Sutras, our thought, act, words are interwoven in
a very tight manner in a circular fashion, each feeding the other. So each
thought, action, word leaves has a tendency to leave "samskaras" (not to be
understood in the general sense of the 16 samskaras) but here these
samskaras imply "impressions", indelible impressions.These impressions are
etched onto the consciousness and inner mind, intellect or whatever you may
call it. In modern Scientific language this is closest to genetic
imprints. Therefore, whatever the mind sees it starts to identify with
itself and the concept of "I" Ahmkara is born. Therefore, one starts to
say "I am this, I am that , this is My name..and so on...".

One of our basic acts is eating for survival. So food becomes one of the
sources wherein the impressions are made onto the inner mind. And since
food like us is Prakriti i.e. matter it is composed of three gunas i.e.
Rajas, Satvic and Tamas. Even assuming humans do not need food, still
humans will have qualities of Rajas, Tamas and Satvic in different
proportions. So food by itself is not the only factor. One may have
excessive Tamasic body, mind and limbs and intellect, but Satvic food may,
repeat may, upset this balance and dilute the Tamasic tendency until Satvic
starts to dominate. Rajas has the most critical role of activating,
upsetting and initiating Satva and Tamas into action and motion. Under
normal equilibrium when the universe is a big zero,all three Rajas,Tamas
and Satva are deeply silent and inactive in relation with each other. Once
Rajas starts pushing itself it has a ping pong effect on its side-brothers
Tamas and Satva. Both of which start to get influenced and all the three
then start interacting and mixing resulting in creation of matter i.e. Man,
food, earth, water etc.Oxygen, hydrogen. Various combinations start
happening. This keeps on happening for ages and thousands and zillions of
mutations keep on taking place. Until on "judgement day" , to borrow the
most convenient and appropriate phrase from the Bible and Quran, Pralaya
takes place wherein everything is mass-destroyed and goes back into itself
i.e. everything goes back to the pre-creation static state where all Gunas
are within themselves.

Hope this is not confusing? Please feel free to clarify if necessary. One
is trying one's best to explain. Excuse the writer if you find this
somewhat mysterious and far fetched.

To continue.

Now lets look at the concept of "Karma". This is much simpler and
easier. These are residual impressions of our actions, desires and keep on
ensuring that the cycle of Birth and death is eternally played. What is
this Karma with reference to Yoga and Genetic theory of modern science?
Karma is nothing but the impressions which as explained above which get
etched onto the consciousness. The keyword is Cause/Effect cycle or the
third law of Newton i.e. all cause will have an equal and reciprocal
effect. So, one needs to be ever watchful, alert like a snake, Adiseshan
on whose head the earth is balanced. Every act of mine leaves a
impression, which impels me for further action, reaction or which causes
action, reaction in another body/thing. And this results in an opposite
action, reaction which will create a further impression on my consciousness
and the cycle will keep on happening. I kill an ant. In my next birth
maybe for 1 hr I will be born as an ant and someone may kill me. But while
as an ant, I bite a dog to and relish the bite and the food (the flesh
etc.), then I am hiking and introducing Rajasic tendencies and this will
reinforce my Rajasic qualities and thus I may invite violence from say a
crow who wants to push me out to partake the flesh. Alternatively, I may
bite a human and in annoyance he/she may slap me and kill or maim me. It
all depends on the force,ferocity and intensity of my earlier act on the
ant when I was a human. I may die, and at that very moment, may think of a
city, and remember my good old free days 1000 years ago in one of my past
births as a wild ass in the desert. My next birth will be the last
impression i.e.wild ass.

The story of Jada Bharata might be interesting to you in this regard. There
was a good, just king. On old age, he gave up the throne to his son and
mended to the forest to meditate. Here after a long long passage of time,
he was about to achieve Samadhi or 'see the Lord" and attain the Lotus
Feet literally. He had to persevere some more and he would be in
Vaikuntham forever, freed from the eternal birth/death cycle. Suddenly,
one day when he was about to bathe in the river he found that a pregnant /
laboring deer about to deliver and was being chased by a tiger. The deer
jumped into the river to escape and in the process died. At the moment of
dying it gave birth and the baby started struggling in the water. The tiger
had gone by then.

The king saw this whole episode and felt pity (remember, felt i.e.
impressions are being etched now) on the doe. He rescued it, nursed it,
feed it. In the very act of feeding, nursing, he felt compassion,
attachment, love for the simple, innocent and dumb creature i.e. felt.
Remember, both his first feeling of pity and subsequent acts, all are
Satvic. Now,a stage came when as the baby started to grow, and the king's
original concern, care for the safety of the doe became Rajasic i.e. it
became an obsession. He could not meditate freely. He could not empty his
soul,mind as there were some more fragments of impressions/samskaras left.
He wanted the doe to grow strong, mate, be safe, enjoy nature etc. Note,
He wanted, now the original feeling of compassion becomes a gnawing
want/desire. This gnawing is the result of the genetic mutation mentioned
earlier in the first para.

Now he could not stay a moment away from the deer. The deer had become a
"dear", which is another word for Costly proposition. Don't we see so and
so thing is too "dear" or cheap. So this lead him to neglect his primary
duty of meditation. He was in the same state as when was a king when he
was concerned about the welfare of his subjects.Now a deer was his subject.

Now as he was about to die, the last and first thought was not for himself
(no selfish Rajasic,Tamasic thought, but a Satvic thought) "oh what will
happen to the dear child?...who will look after it?. He died and this last
impression ensured that in the next birth he was born as a deer. Now, his
original work of meditation had been interrupted when he rescued the doe
the first time. So, this new born deer (which was the king really, was
full of Satva and used to always be near the ashram of holy people, listen
to holy talk of Sanyasis and so on. Eventually, since it did not act,do,
talk, think anything else but was working out its own salvation.

The king-deer then was reborn as the last brother in a priest's family. He
continued to be perfectly aware of his previous births and events and was
still keen to continue his quest for Moksha and therefore decided to remain
totally silent, do as was told and never answer back, not harm anyone and
be totally indifferent to pain and pleasure. In due course, everyone
including his brothers, relations, neighbors took him to be a madman, a
silent good for nothing fool fit for exploitation for hard labor. He was
nick named Jada Bharata, the Jada prefix denoting total
good-for-nothing-fellow

He kept on with his silence and went about his work. Once while he was
resting on the wayside, an educated king was being carried on a palanquin
by bearers and wanted to rush. The guards called-up Jada Bharata taking
him to be a jobless man and commanded him to take one end of the palanquin
handle on his shoulders, which without any comment he complied with.
However, since he did not want to harm any creature consciously and was in
a constant state of enlightened meditation, he kept on shifting his feet
this way and that way to avoid the creatures coming in the way. This action
jerked the palanquin considerably and the king felt some discomfort and
enquired as to who and why this was taking place. When he was told that the
new recruit was trying to shake and walking zigzag and causing the jerky
movements, the king wanted to punish the offending palanquin bearer.

It was then that for the first and last time Jada Bharata replied politely
"I am not the body,so the punishment will not have any effect.....". The
king was astounded at the deep and lofty description and quickly prostrated
before Jada Bharata and requested him to teach him, which Jada Bharata
readily complied and subsequently Jada Bharata attained salvation.

Now lets look at yet another concept of transmission of Karmas : As the
popular saying goes "amma appa panradhu kozanthigalai kakum...". The best
example is nonperformance of daily Sandhyavandanam. If this is not done
properly and is discontinued for 3 generations, then the entire clan/family
is likely to come to great and continued grief for ages down the line. If
the father commits steals and has escaped the police, he may not have a
peaceful end. He may have accumulated enough for 10 generations but they
may not be able to enjoy the same; We all are well aware of this. The sins
not absolved in the lifetime apart from attaching to ones' children also
attach like bad Karma to be worked out in the next birth. The clutches of
Kala and Karma are very tight. On top of this, we have the dictates of
Dharma which says "Pitru devotion like Shardha etc, must be done as
prescribed and cannot be taken lightly". This ensures that both the pitru
as well as your own (the Karta's doer's) sins, problems, psycho-genetic
baggage is lightened and eventually everyone merges into the unknown.

Dovetailing all the concepts above, we come down to Hitler's case, it is
possible, though this is conjecture at this point, that a small, casual,
seemingly insignificant act,word or thought of one or many of his
forefather(s) may have:

a. either not cared for their forefathers' or
b. might have shown disrespect to some worthy person or
c. might have caused considerable harm to someone or
d. might not have done his/her duty enjoined by Dharma

The smallest reason is enough. Two staunch devotees of our ever favourite
LORD Vishnu were enjoyed the greatest boon anyone can get i.e. to be the
Dwarapalakas for the LORD. Their devotion and loyalty were fierce. They
were firmly established in their duties and did not change their stance
once when some divine children (saints in fact) wanted to visit the LORD.
The dwarapalaka-devoutees refused to allow the divine children and were
somewhat rude and casual in their attitude of shooing away the divine kids
who cursed them to be born as asuras on the earth. The devoutee-guards
implored with the Divya Dampathis to intervene and nullify the curse. The
LORD refused to accept this because an act had already been done and this
had already unleashed an equally opposite reaction and the cycle had to be
completed. However, the LORD asked them to choose whether they desired to :

a. Be born as human-devoutees on earth for 100 birth cycles
OR
B. Be born as demons and trouble makers for 3 birth cycles

Both choose option (B) since all they wanted was to at the gate of the LORD
in HIS service as quickly as possible. They asked the LORD to make sure
that their death is through HIS holy hands.The LORD obliged them by taking
different avataras and ensured that their salvation was quick.

Who are these worthy souls? In their second birth they are Ravana and
Kumbarkarna !!!!They were born, bred, and died as totally Rajasic and
Tamasic without a trace of Satva. Being asuras, as per the Dharma laws
they ate only Rajasic/Tamasic food. They maimed, tortured and harmed
millions, did all unjust acts and ultimately attained the Lotus Feet of
that GREAT MAHAVISHNU

Myriad and mysterious are the Lord's designs and it is beneath our capacity
and capability to question or even wonder. On the one hand you have
colossal killer earthquakes like the one in Gujarat and on the other you
have the 9/11 World Trade Center bombings. Millions perish.Surely not
everyone has sinned? where is the Justice one may ask? But there could be?
who knows?

Hitler may have been a divine design of an earthquake, a 9/11 bombing
equivalent in that period

Reading the Yoga Sutras could give you a better insight into the whole
gamut of this great mysterious game of the LORD, often termed as Maya.The
Yoga path says clearly :

a.such and such are the gunas
b. Such is the way to salvation, though salvation is not defined/described
c. such and such are the foods, enjoyments, fruits etc. available
d. mind /intellect is something which each one must use to wade thru (a)
(b) (c)
e. eventually in the end, after wading thru (a)(b) (c), empty the mind and
arrive at Samadhi or merge with the Supreme, attain Brahman, know yourself,
moksha,nirvana or any other word you care to use. The mystery seems to have
been solved. Example of such persons : Shri Ramanuja, Shri Ramakrishna
Paramahamsa, Shri Ramana Maharishi, the Sankracharyars, the Jeeyars.
f. the path which one must travel is called " ashtanga" or 8 parts.

You have a choice. Use it judiciously. Brandy is alcohol and an evil to be
avoided, but in Tibet if one is stranded and develops pneumonia and numbing
of the limbs, then brandy is the one and only sure fire treatment for
bringing warmth into the body. Such a consumer is not a drunkard or
Tamasic/Rajasic. He continues to be Satvic. But if he begins to lick his
tongue to his lips and thinks of the ' enjoyment' the Brandy offered, he
becomes Tamasic/Rajasic. The mutation has taken place.

Satvic food may impart some Satvic tendencies, but then he /she may not
necessarily be free from envy and anger, revenge etc. Who has cooked the
food, who has sown the wheat and reaped the corn also matters. Eating a cup
of fat free curd in a hotel daily and having the same home prepared
lovingly by your mother is all the difference between Rajasic and Satvic.
The server may be unclean, unknown careless mistakes, mix-up may have taken
place in the hotel. It is common knowledge that Rasam ladle is used to
mix/churn Sambhar also in hotels. The same hand which makes the McDonald
French fries also cuts the beef for the pizza.

The Great Krishnapremi's example often quoted by some of his disciples may
be noted. A very upright honest man on a rainy day seeks shelter in a
wayside house. The householder is courteous and kindly offers him food and
water. The next day the honest man departs, but half way finds to his
shock that he has unconsciously and without intention or thought lifted a
silver vessel from the house where he was a guest the previous night. He
returns and after apologizing gives back the vessel. But he is still unable
to understand why/how he even had the thought of doing such a dishonest
act. By and by he enquired and found that the householder who had given him
food / water was a part time thief by profession.




Sudarsanam Ranga Bhargavan 
<Sudarsanam.ranga_bhargavan@adcc. To: s.ramachandran@xxxx 
alcatel.be> cc: 
Subject: Excellent explanation!! 
12/09/02 09:36 AM 






Hello,
Abivadaye Bhargava syavan avlavan avoorva jamadagni pancha rishayaha,
pravarnmitha, srivatsa gotra aavastambha sootra yadush shaakadyaye Ranga
bhargava sarman aham asmibho!!!!!

Dear Swamin,
It was giving me immense pleasure to read your notes. But, what
justification is given to "hitlers action of racism". I could justify in
my view as that, he was an vegetarian but what sort of food did he have
does matters. It is no where said (according to me) that, vegetarians
are calm and polite. BUt it is said that saatvic food makes them polite
and calm. Here calm means, who is free of envy, pride anger(here revenge
etc). Am i correct.

As he said that "Garlic have medicinal values," that doesnt mean that
taking crocin daily a bit would avoid fever, its true but lead me to
some other organ's mal-function..


eagerly waiting for your reply,
Bhargav

Subject: Tamasic/Rajasic foods for medicinal purpose ?Response to Shri
VK Ranganathan regarding Garlic

The words Tamasic, Satvic and Rajasic must be read in conjunction with
the
broad classification based on very sound and extremely reasonable logic
of
the Vedas. The Samkhya philosophy - derived from the Vedas - and which
is
the base for Yoga one of the most crucial factor in the daily life of an

individual refers to the above 3 gunas which Prakriti always possesses.

In fact ancient Yogic texts mention this in brief " hita mita aharam"
(One
is not sure of the exact Sanskrit Pronouncation)

Garlic by itself is not an issue. The 'bhava' or attitude is important.

If garlic or onion is taken to satisfy one's cravings and taste buds
then
will kindle the baser and other negative electro-chemical impulses in
our
nervous system from the brain and this will result in one more record
to
be etched onto our genetic code.

The moment any food is consumed for medicinal purposes or for survival
necessity - here again,the highest intent should be for having enough
mental and physical stamina/strength to serve the Lord - thent such food

automatically becomes Satvic and in fact is outside the purview of
Rajasic/Tamasic

The Chinese one of the world's most ancient civilisations have been
consuming garlic and avoiding milk for thousands of years. They also
succeed, live, enjoy the benefits of this earth, enjoy the Lords
blessings
and live long. In fact many of the old-fashioned Chinese and especially
Japanese live over 110 years. In Japan eating a particular species of
fish
raw with salt is said to promote longivity - both the Chinese and the
Japanese consume this due to :

a. ready availibility over the ages
b. non-availiblity / non-exposure to other types of foods
c. having the normal human tendency to 'walk the trodden path' attitude
i.e. this was what was being eaten by my ancestors and thats it.

The 'Rajasic' factor of desire for more relish is missing in (a) (b)
(c).
However, the impact of the Rajasic factor cannot be avoided like
'destiny'.
So, the Chinese mentality is always - more unknowingly despite their
strong affinity to Buddhism etc. - somewhat cruel to fellow creatures.
They can kill any walking, crawling, creeping creature at the drop of a
hat. Butchering is a routine part of their daily lives. This is due to
the
inherent nature of the Rajasic /Tamasic food

The same can be said broadly of the Moslem world. Everywhere, the
impact/effect of going in for such type of food cannot be avoided. The
heredity factors, genetic factors and behaviorial tendencies of such
civilisations are bound to be impediments to their path of progress
towards
Divinity. Linking this with a 'bhava' / attitude of greed, one can
easily
see that if an attitude of indulging exists then such a consumption of
even
Satvic food becomes a problem.

It is therefore, for these very reasons you will find only among the
Indians/Hindus, especially, the base attitude of Ahimsa, etc. ingrained
into their daily living that at least people like the members of this
group
of SriVaishnavaites are able to at least talk of the Lord and about
their
Acharyas and Sampradayas.

For the Chinese and Moslem maybe lets say the salvation may work out in
a
delayed fashion. Even here, if you come across the famed and secretive

Shaolin monks in Burma, Thailand and inner China, you will find they
avoid
garlic, onion etc. and even meat. These monks are of an ancient order
and
have great powers. They are literally yogis. they avoid Rajasic/Tamasic
food.

Close home we have the Jains who avoid all plant food grown underground
like Potatoes, Yam etc. Here the attitude is involved.

The Hindu / Indian / Vedic system has been worked out ages ago taking
into
account all such things and the various sastras have identified that
such
and such type of foods will be (a) available (b) created by nature and
(c)
will have so and so tendencies. As man progresses mentally he is
supposed
to CONSCIOUSLY as a matter of discernment avoid Rajasic and Tamasic
food.
Live and let live should be the motto. As he progresses further, the
more
enlightened he becomes because of food and other habits and attitude, he

may give up foods and live on a bare minimum irrespective of taste.

Trust the writer was able to contribute something to this discussion
thread.

Our Acharayas, Jeeyars are all famous for living long periods on just a
handful of puffed rice or milk and fruits. The writer gives below
glorious
words from one of the most enlightened and holiest godly incarnation,
the
Paramacharya of Kanchi.

FROM THE MAHA PERIAVA SHR SHRI CHANDRASEKHARA SARASWATHI SANKARACHARYAR
ON
HINDU DHARMA
""..........To sustain ourselves, we cause hurt to so many creatures,
don't
we? We take pride in keeping our house clean but we forget that every
household is a butchery. According to dharmasastras it is not one
butchery
but five butcheries together. What are these five?

Pancasuna grhasthasya vartante harahah sada
Khandani pesani culli jalkumbha upaskarah

Khandani is used to cut vegetables- it stands for one type of butchery.
Vegetables also do have life. The second butchery is represented by the
grinding our pounding stone. We mercilessly grind corn, pulses, etc, in
it.

Here an answer must be given to objections raised by meat-eaters about
vegetarian food. They tell us:"Like the goats, cows and fowl that we
eat,
vegetables and cereals also have life. "True. Though there is no
difference
in kind between them, there is a difference in the degree of violence
done
to vegetables and animals. Plants have life and feelings like humans but

they do not have the sensation of pain to the same degree as animals and

birds have. This has been scientifically established. Also, but for
certain
leafy vegetables which we uproot to be prepared as food, most other
vegetables are obtained from plants without killing them: it is like
removing our nails or hair. The plant suffers only a little pain. Pain
even
to this degree will not be caused if we eat the fruits of these plants
after they drop ripe. As for the cereals they are harvested only after
the
crop is ripe and dry.

There is one more argument in favour of vegetarianism. Now only certain
types of meat like beef are eaten. Horsemeat is not usually eaten.
During
World War I or II, when the question arose as to whether the soldiers
could
be fed horsemeat, the non-vegetarians themselves opposed the idea.
People
who think it civilized to eat birds and animals condemn tribes in some
remote land who eat human flesh as barbarous and call them cannibals. We

must tell meat-eaters who remind us that vegetables also have life.
"Yes,
but when it comes to violence, are all creatures the same? Why do you
make
a difference between animal flesh and human flesh? Similarly, we make a
distinction between plants and animals. Vegetarianism also promotes
sattvic
qualities. "Unavoidably, for the sake of existence, we have to keep at
home
instruments of butchery like the khandani, pesani, etc.

The third butchery is represented by the culli or the kitchen fire. Many

insects perish in the cooking fire. An ant crawls about the oven or
fireplace and is burnt. Sometimes when we keep a pot on the floor or the

shelf an insect or two get crushed. In the summer insects come seeking
wet
places, places for example where vessels are kept. The water-pot is also

included among the objects of butchery. Then there is the upaskara, the
broomstick. Aren't many tiny insects killed as we sweep the floor? Thus
there are five instruments or objects of butchery in our home.

We must not cause harm even to those creatures that hurt us. But what do
we
do? We cause pain to, or kill, even harmless creatures. It is sad to
think
that to live, to sustain ourselves, we have to keep hurting so many
living
things. But it all seems unavoidable. We do not kill deliberately. There
is
an expiation for the sin committed unwittingly. It is the prayascitta of

the "vaisvadeva". We perform this function to ask the Lord to forgive us

our sin of having caused the destruction of various creatures and to
pray
for their happiness in afterlife. Vaisvadeva is meant for the
excommunicated and for all creatures of earth like dogs, crows, insects,

all. This rite absolves us of many a sin.

The pancha-mahayajnas were conducted for eons by the sages, by the
children
of Brahma. All performed them from the hoary past until the time of our
grandfathers. The five great sacrifices are to be performed
uninterruptedly
until the deluge. But we have had the "good fortune" of having broken
this
tradition. Worse, we have deprived future generations of the benefits to
be
derived from them.

I have dealt with a variety of rites. Perform at least those you can
without prejudice to your office or professional work. If you fail to do
so
you must be regretful and make amends for the same.


Preserving the Vedas: Why it is a Lifetime Mission from Hindu Dharma

This chapter contains an illuminating exposition of the physics and
metaphysics of sound. ....
....by the cowherd and also use it to make buttermilk; we cook our food
in
the pot made by the potter. We find that all jatis provide commodities
useful for the society. What is the Brahmin's contribution in this
context?
What vocation is assigned to him by the Sastras which are the basis of
varna dharma?

........One more thing. We need food for our sustenance. And to grow
food
there must be rain. The formation of clouds and their precipitation are
dependent on certain vibrations. Rainfall depends on the production of
particular sounds which, in turn, create particular vibrations. The same

applies to all our needs in life. It is true that unnecessary and evil
objects are also produced .... But the one and only goal of the sound of

the Vedas is the creation of well-being throughout the world......
There have to be differences between the jatis based on food, work and
surroundings. The photographer needs a dark room to develop his films.
To
shoot a film, on the contrary, powerful lights are needed. Those who
work
in a factory canteen have to scrupulously clean; but those who dust
machinery wear soiled clothes. This does not mean that the waiter in a
canteen is superior to the factory hand who dusts machines. The man who
takes the utmost care to keep himself intellectually bright, without any

thought of himself, observes fasts, while the soldier, who has to be
strong
and tough, eats meat. ....

Why should there be bad feelings between the two, between the Brahmin
and
the Ksatriya? Does the Brahmin have to come into physical contact with
the
Ksatriya To prove that he does not bear any ill-will towards him? If he
interdined with the Ksatriya he would be tempted to taste meat and such
a
temptation might eventually drag him into doing things that militate
against his own duty. Each community has its own duties, customs and
food
habits. If all jatis mixed together on the pretext of equality without
regard to their individual ways of life, all work would suffer and
society
itself would be plunged into confusion. It was with a definite purpose
in
view that the village was divided into different quarters: the agrahara
(the Brahmin quarter), the agriculturists quarter and so on. Such a
division was possible in rural life but not in the the new urban way of
living. With urbanization and industrialization it becomes necessary for

people belonging to various jatis to work together on the same shift,
sit
together in the same canteen to ear the same kind of food. The Brahmin
for
whom it is obligatory to observe fasts and vows and to perform various
rites was now seen to be no different from others. Office and college
timings were a hindrance to the carrying out of these rites. So the
Brahmin
ithrtew them to the winds. He had so far taken care to perform these
rites
with the good of others in mind. Like a trustee, he had protected dharma

for the sake of society and made its fruits available to all. ....All
that
belonged to the past. ....

The Brahmin spoiled himself and spoiled others. By abandoning his dharma
he
became a bad example to others. as a matter of fact, even by strictly
adhering to his dharma the Brahmin in not entitled to feel superior to
others.





Qs ========================
Priya Bhatawatas,
Our Acharyas say that some Tamasic/Rajasic foods when prescribed by
doctors specifically to cure certain ailments may be taken TILL IT IS
CURED, if it comes to survival issue as 'Atmahatya mahapaathakam'. .
That means such Tamasic/Rajasic foods probably are required for patients

but not for healthy people. Still, such ailments are nothing compared
to the biggest ailment called samsaric disease. Thus if a patient has
a big heart problem and if some food is advised to cure a small ailment
like cold/cough which may not be good for heart; then it is better for
the patient to suffer from lighter pain than endanger his heart/life.
Similarly some Tamasic/Rajasic foods even though are medicines for
certain problems, they endanger us by preventing us from leading a
life of a Mumukshu ( who eats to live and not viceversa).

Thus a sincere Mumukshu will never argue over prohibited foods, but
still probes for any other foods/intakes that are still preventing him
from leading a Mumukshu life with non stop attachment to Tiruvadi of
Acharya/Emberumanar/Azhwar/Srimannarayana

Jai Srimannarayana

Sarvaaparaadhamulatow

Dr. Kilambi Ramakrishna Ramanuja Dasan

--
Walk with a Hope in your Heart and You will never Walk Alone




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