Pariprashnena — Q&A Archive

This is interesting but I never heard it before. Can you provide the exact quote?

We should offer the best things (...) available. If lentils and soy beans are considered to be impure, than what can be considered to be pure in these days of kali yuga, where everything is manipulated, treated or contaminated one way or the other? Isnt love and devotion not becoming the most important ingredient in the offering and the selection of so called food stuffs of secondary importance?

In Narayan Maharaj camp, they say carrots are impure, like the blood of the earth or something like that.

Soya beans and lentils are unofferable. [personal instruction by Shrila Prabhupada to Hrdayananda dasa Gosvami]

Doesnt the word lentil cover "dal"

BTW, an interesting side note, soyabean are the eternal controversy in many temples in India. The Indian brahmacharis like to eat the dried soyabean chunks but mostly the managers dont want them to because it has a meat-like texture.

but lentils or just red lentils... or any kind of lentils?

The Pancaratra-Pradipa is the Deity Worship Handbook. This has been out of print for many years but it is included on the Vedabase in the section Handbooks and Reference. The Pancaratra-Pradipa - PP1 under the section headed "Forbidden Foods" is where you will find the quotation,

Hare Krsna

and what about cocoa?

and "WHITE" chocolate?

Its a good question. I am also aware of the fact that soya products and red lentils (masoori dal) cant be offered to the Deities, but dont know why. We should post the Q in Philosophy section, as I think more people visit there.

you noticed this is a different kind of forum, last questions come first in line in the front page, so let us see if someone picks it up, or we can ask the admin to make it sticky on top.

what about tomatoes, potatoes, chillies...???

What about non-veg cheese?
I think it is a common thing that is not taken in consideration. You can eat it at home but offer it to the deities? hmmmm.

I am talking about pizza or course. Devotees use non-veg cheese to make it regularly.
btw, Is pizza in Mayapur veg or nonveg?

beware abhiram, if you attack pizza in any way, the admin could have a go on you

Pizza-aparadhas are among the forums no-no rules? Didnt notice. ;)

read that part VEDA... "threatening, invasive of a persons privacy" It is implicit.

>What about non-veg cheese?
I think it is a common thing that is not taken in consideration. You can eat it at home but offer it to the deities? hmmmm.

I am not sure where did you see devotees eating non-veg cheese at home, none of the many devotees I know do it. It is a big no-no, as it is breaking the regulative principles in major way. Maybe they were not aware of it being non-veg? Some people might not know what rennet is, in that case please explain it to them. However the cheese you saw devotees eating could have been vegetarian, as there are plenty of cheese brands on the market that in fact are vegetarian.

As to offering non-veg cheese to the Deities, it shouldnt be happenning at all as cheese, even vegetarian one, is one of those unofferable products. Actually, all processed foods, foods pre-cooked/pre-made by non-devotees, are not offerable to the Deities. This is the standard of worshipping a Deity in the temple.

>what about tomatoes, potatoes, chillies

All of them can be offered, not canned ones though.

dont get me wrong. I LOVE PIZZA prabhu!
but i dont like people eating chesse mixed with cows intestines...you know.

Prabhupada has suggested not to use soya beans too much because of the association with meat.

Its better to serve (offer) fresh fruit and vegetables.

Soya beans dont belong to the fresh products that can be offered. Soya beans are synthetically made. I believe that Prabhupada said that people can use soya beans for the fase of going to be vegetarian, but this fase cant be too long. Once great devotees didnt want to eat prasadam where soya beans where made in.

I heard this from a prabhuji. I didnt know this also at first.

ys, Servant Krsna

>and what about cocoa?
and "WHITE" chocolate?

Not offerable.

>I am talking about pizza or course. Devotees use non-veg cheese to make it regularly.
btw, Is pizza in Mayapur veg or nonveg?

Ive never heard of devotees using nonveg cheese on pizza. I fully trust that Mayapur pizza is 100% vegetarian. I lived in India for several years during which not even once I came across nonveg cheese. It could have changed in recent years though.. But re Mayapur pizza, I am more than sure that the ingredients used in cooking are carefully monitored by qualified people.

in Spain we dont have much vegetarian cheese, maybe 1 or two brands very difficult to get and very expensive :(

Yes, it was the same here in New Zealand - not many brands of vegetarian cheese, and very expensive. Until recently an australian company made one of its most popular cheeses vegetarian, so now we have vegetarian and cheap!!! :) You can also try making your own cheese - http://www.cheesemaking.com/includes/modules/jWallace/ChsPgs/1Mozz/

That is quite sad that most of the cheeses in Europe are not vegetarian! A lot of the cheeses here in America are vegetarian. Even if it says rennet, if it says microbial rennet or microbial enzymes - it implies that it is vegetarian. If it just says enzymes, a quick call to customer service can ensure whether the enzymes are animal derived or synthesized. Most companies should eventually start switching over to chemically synthesized rennet I should think since it is much cheaper to produce.....

There is a list of brands and types of cheeses that are vegetarian on this site:- http://cheese.joyousliving.com/

I would be quite sad if I couldnt get veggie cheese....I feel for all you devotees in Europe :(
On a side note - any good pizza recipes ? :D

Fav pizza toppings - extra sharp cheddar cheese (veggie of course), cashew nuts, spinach, artichoke hearts - not necessarily all on the same pizza.

About soy beans - I was told that they are too high in protein and create body and mental disturbances that are detrimental to devotees and their service.

I read the recipe for cheese making... do you know where to get vegetable rennet in Spain???

Hare Krishna, Sol. I am sorry, I dont :) But you can always contact the local vegetarian society and they might have some info for you, or you can buy some from one of the online shops. Hope, this helps.

Your servant,
saryu.

Haribol Sol, here I found info about spanish cheese, look at the thread and next pages:

http://www.forovegetariano.org/foro/showthread.php?t=185

vegetable rennet:

http://www.abiasa.es/es/cuajo_vegetal.html

and this is a link to all the cheese manufacturers of Spain, choose your area:

http://www.guiasamarillas.es/directorio/Alimentaci%F3n%20y%20bebidas/L%E1cteos%20y%20derivados.%20Quesos/Fabricantes%20y%20mayoristas%20de%20quesos

If you are successful let me know, so I can get invited to pizza next time we meet :)

karma-less pizza prasadam kijaya!

Regarding soy beans again... would Krsna accept them or not? I find them very good for non-vegetarian people, so they can take prasadam happily, but if Krsna is not accepting them then its not prasadam!!!

I know its said they are unofferable so...

Fortunately there are many many preparations that are very pleasing to the heart :)

It is oke to eat it (it is vegeterian), but it is best not to offer it. because its better to offer fresh things to Krishna. I think He would accept it. But not sure... :)

Re all unofferable things I mentioned - they cant be offered in the temple to the Deity. At home we still eat tofu sometimes (soya bean product), and definitely masoori dal and cheese, and cook pasta bought in supermarkets, and offer them too. I dont know if chocolate can be offered, as we dont eat it. Generally the temple worship standards are very high and may be hard to follow at home.

yes, I also offer tofu :)

...and soymilk with corn flakes or cruesly...apple compote, jam, chocolate, chips, ketchup, karmi ice cream, a vegetarian meal prepared by my sinful mother... I offer it all... Krsna probably never takes anything, but I just eat it (no meat, no fish, no eggs)...

Boy, O boy, is there anyone more sinful than me or what? :)

Forgot to mention something which makes things only worse,

I offer it all in the mind...if I dont forget it.

From my knowledge most ketchups have onion in them, even if it is not mentioned in the ingredients. Better to ring up the company to confirm. And many ice-creams have "may contain traces of egg" or something similar in the allergy information section on the box. So watch out! :)

and some flakes have fish too...even if it is not mentioned.
So you are having a full non-veg breakfast prabhu!!!

>and some flakes have fish too...even if it is not mentioned

??? :O

i don'b4t think so.. i check every time since i have had the opportunity to or buy some, and the least is the garlic on sausages and different sauces and vinegar onioning etc... but, certainly sometimes is much more of chemicals, than for the intoxicated eatables i think, but certainly, check what your eating too, there'b4s the clue, if.

hare hara

Im not so much concerned with onions, since they dont fall under the category of meat-fish-eggs. I never promised not to eat onions and the like. Im a physically hard working person and therefore not so much concerned to become freed from passions which is necessary for a yogi to sit still whole day. If there is some passion, Ill work it off. Some passion is even welcome to have some physical energy. Passion also may come in the form of lust but there is not much time left to give it a lot of attention anyway. Im tired in the evening and just fall asleep quickly.

Does that make any sense?

I have Pancaratra-Pradipa in 2 vols

on page 63 of vol 1 there is a heading Forbidden Foods under the section Food Offerings

the text is

common forbidden foods include meat, fish, eggs, onions, garlic, red lentil, burned rice, white eggplant, hemp, citron, saps from trees, if not boiled first, buffalo and goat milk products and milk with salt in it

Then there is a page of quotes from letters and conversations with Srila Prabhupada. All ofthe quotes have a date and location e.g. Letter from Srila Prabhupada, 13 Nov 1968.

Then there is the quote mentioned above with no date or other reference, it must be a personal recollection or something

"Soya beans and lentils are unofferable. [personal instruction by Srila Prabhupada to Hrdayananda dasa Gosvami]"

clearly the authors of the book take Srila Prabhupada to be referring to red lentil because the dont have lentils in the list the give (above) but not do they include soy beans. There would be no traditional reason that soy bean should be excluded it is not tamasic, which is why onion, garlic and mushroom are excluded, they are tamasic. According to Ayurveda they are to be avoided unless prescribed as medicine.

I could type out the other quotes if anyone is interested enough, nothing not available in vedabase as has been said.

regards to all

Illicit blue, dont be so illicit and try to avoid onions.

abrennan - would it be possible to put them in a .txt file and attach it to a post here?

Attached: ch. 2 of Pancaratra Pradipa

Also in Vedabase (section 24.).

Then why did we only have to promise not to eat meat, fish and eggs and not all the other products?

you didnt promise "no bhoga eating" but still you are not suposed to eat it...
actually you are not breaking the regulative principles if you eat onion and so on but you cant offer it so it will be bhoga...

different levels of approach... one swami even told me one time not to get in the case of people that drink tea and the like, main thing is meat and fish.
depends on your level. And, interesting enough advancement is relative to your position according to SB.

>Then why did we only have to promise not to eat meat, fish and eggs and not all the other products?
Some things you dont promise to not do it but you dont do it because its right.
(didnt have another way to say it. lil complicated...)

Its the difference between breaking standards (4r) and keeping low standards (eating bhoga, etc.).

Please explain why corn flakes have fish in them???? Color me confused!

Check all the ingredients of your flakes to find out:
http://www.food-info.net/uk/index.htm

very nice site, shina ty

"E120 - Carmine, Cochineal - Colour isolated from the insects Coccus cacti"

They use this in many yogurts. (to give it a reddish color)

Why do they put such groose things in food?
:(

I have no idea. I guess they think it is healthy like adding fish to milk.

seaweed is also non offerable. see attached file

Thanks mishra. Never knew about the seaweed. So many devotees make vege sushi with it and use it in other preparations.

Good on you mate

great link

if anyone comes across any Vaisnav/Vedic web matter that is in any way food related Id be interested.

Yes, great link. Too bad I cant follow all the recommendations provided there. But I have this idea that maybe future generations of devotees, born into devotee families, will have the purity (and right environment) to follow these high standards.