Supported by whose protection Heaven and Earth, shining brightly and inspired in their spirit, manifest this glory, with whose effulgence does the risen sun shine forth? To whom else, besides that giver of happiness, can we offer all our devotion?
Rig Veda 10.121.6. RVP, 4615
Let us now invoke for our aid the Lord of Speech, the Designer of all things that are, the inspirer of wisdom! May He, the ever-kindly, be well disposed to our summons, and may He, whose work is goodness, grant us His blessing!
Rig Veda 10.81.7. VE, 808
The gift of wealth and victory in deeds, sweetest of garlands, honor and fame, too, love and esteem are His bounties -- so even devas adore the elephant-faced One, in devotion sweet with cooped hands.
Tirumurai 11 (Kapiladeva). AG, 159
Wherever I hear the sound of drums, the music of hymns, the Vedas chanted, there my heart remembers God our Master, the Lord who dwells in Itaimarutu.
Tirumurai 5.129.1. PS, 180
The Lord of Citticcaram shrine in Naraiyur, who has the river in His hair, the poison stain on His throat and the Veda on His tongue, goes resplendent in ceremonial dress as His devotees and perfected sages sing and dance His widespread fame, and the sound of festival drums beaten on the streets, where the temple car is pulled, spreads on every side.
Tirumurai 1.71.5. PS, 183
Pumpavai, O beautiful girl! Would you go without having seen, on the streets of great Mayilai, always busy with festive crowds, the festival of Uttaraphalguni with its great sound of celebration, at which beautiful women sing and distribute alms, at the Lord's Kapaliccaram shrine, center of many festivals?
Tirumurai 2.183.7. PS, 188
You took for your shrine the good temple at Itaimarutu where, for the blessing of the world, scholars praise you with the Vedic chant, and great seers and Gods gather to bathe on the day of the Pusam festival in the month of Tai.
Tirumurai 2.192.5. PS, 183
Folk from far and near, good men and rogues and those who pray every day for an end to disease -- our Lord of Arur is kinsman to all those who cry, "O my jewel, golden one, dear husband! My son!" Such is the splendor of Ardra day in Arur town!
Tirumurai 4.21.2. PS, 184
As the blare of the moon-white conch, the parai drum's beat and the jingle of the cymbals of dancing devotees spread everywhere, peacocks, thinking that the rains have come, dance in delight. Such is the splendor of Ardra day in Arur town!
Tirumurai 4.21.5. PS, 185
Hail! Shankara, Dispenser of Bliss! Hail! The oldest in Sivaloka! Hail! Our youngest youth appearing to extricate us from affliction! Hail! Matchless One! Hail! The Lord of devas! Hail!
Tirumurai 8. TT, 151
By drinking the water after washing the holy feet of the guru and sprinkling the remains on the head, man attains the fruit of bathing in all the sacred waters of all sacred rivers and of all pilgrimages.
Guru Gita 29. GG, 10
I'll wreathe Him in garland. I'll hug Him to heart. I'll sing Him His name and dance with gifts of flowers. Singing and dancing, seek the Lord. This alone I know.
Tirumantiram 50. TM
The golden emblems of Siva and the smear of holy ashes are apt insignia of the Saiva path. This path of jnana is San Marga, which no evil can obstruct. It is the beloved way of Shuddha Saivam. The blemishless jnani is king of the entire realm of wisdom. He is the sun whose beams illumine the massive lore of Vedanta-Siddhanta. He remains immortal, ever devoted to the Shuddha Saiva way.
Tirumantiram 1427-1428. TMR, 221
Why think and suffer further for the insubstantial body, that is transient as a dew drop on a blade of grass? While on this Earth, extol with love the holy feet of Him who has six faces.
Natchintanai, "Give Praise..." NT, 199
Monday, April 19, 2010
Verses from Scripture on Sacraments
When a man is born, whoever he may be, there is born simultaneously a debt to the Gods, to the sages, to the ancestors and to men. When he performs sacrifice it is the debt to the Gods which is concerned. It is on their behalf, therefore, that he is taking action when he sacrifices or makes an oblation. And when he recites the Vedas it is the debt to the sages which is concerned. It is on their behalf, therefore, that he is taking action, for it is said of one who has recited the Vedas that he is the guardian of the treasure store of the sages. And when he desires offspring, it is the debt to the ancestors which is concerned. It is on their behalf, therefore, that he is taking action, so that their offspring may continue without interruption. And when he entertains guests, it is the debt to man which is concerned. It is on their behalf, therefore, that he is taking action if he entertains guests and gives them food and drink. The man who does all these things has performed a true work; he has obtained all, conquered all.
Shukla Yajur Veda, Shatapatha Brahmana 1.7.2.1-5. VE, 393
With holy rites prescribed by the Veda must the ceremony on conception and other sacraments be performed for twice-born men, which sanctify the body and purify in this life and after death.
Manu Dharma Shastras 2.26. LM, 33
Let the father perform or cause to be performed the namadheya, the rite of naming the child, on the tenth or twelfth day after birth, or on a lucky lunar day, in a lucky muhurta under an auspicious constellation. The names of women should be easy to pronounce, not imply anything dreadful, possess a plain meaning, be pleasing and auspicious, end in long vowels and contain a word of benediction.
Manu Dharma Shastras 2.30; 33. LM, 35
When the son is one year old, the chudakarana, the tonsure of his head, should be performed, or before the lapse of the third year. When he is sixteen years old, the keshanta, the shaving of his beard, is to be done, or according as it is considered auspicious by all.
Paraskara Griya Sutra 2.1.1-4. GS, VOL. 29, 301
Life universal shall guard and surround you. May Pushan protect and precede you on the way! May Savitri, the God, to that place lead you where go and dwell the doers of good deeds!
Rig Veda 10.17.4. VE, 608
I take thy hand in mine for happy fortune that thou may reach old age with me, thy husband. "This woman, strewing grains, prays thus, 'May I bring bliss to my relations. May my husband live long. Svaha!'"
Rig Veda 10.85.36. RVG, VOL. 2, 544 & Shankhayana Griya Sutra 1.14.1. SB, VOL. 29, P. 37
That the father and mother give birth to him from mutual desire, so that he is born from the womb; let this be known as his physical birth. But that birth which is given, according to the ordinance, through the Savitri, by the preceptor who has mastered the Vedas, that is the true birth, the unaging and immortal.
Manu Dharma Shastras 2.147-8. SD, 156
After completing the life of a student, let a man become a householder. After completing the life of a householder, let him become a forest dweller, let him renounce all things. Or he may renounce all things directly from the student state or from the householder's state, as well as from that of the forest dweller.
Shukla Yajur Veda, Jabala Upanishad 4. VE, 440
Having reached the last order of life, one should sit in a solitary place in a relaxed posture, with pure heart, with head, neck and body straight, controlling all the sense organs, having bowed with devotion to the master.
Atharva Veda, Kaivalya Upanishad 5. VE, 442
Having studied the Vedas in accordance with the rule, having begat sons according to the sacred law and having offered sacrifices according to his ability, he may direct his mind to final liberation.
Manu Dharma Shastras 6.36. LM, 205
Knowingly or even unknowingly, intentionally or even unintentionally, a mortal, having gone to death in the Ganga, obtains heaven and moksha.
Padma Purana, Srishti, 60.65. HE, 105
The boy grows to youth and youth as surely to old age decays. But time's changes teach them not that nothing abides. He pervades this Earth and the space beyond. I long for His feet and desire there to remain.
Tirumantiram 181. TM
Shukla Yajur Veda, Shatapatha Brahmana 1.7.2.1-5. VE, 393
With holy rites prescribed by the Veda must the ceremony on conception and other sacraments be performed for twice-born men, which sanctify the body and purify in this life and after death.
Manu Dharma Shastras 2.26. LM, 33
Let the father perform or cause to be performed the namadheya, the rite of naming the child, on the tenth or twelfth day after birth, or on a lucky lunar day, in a lucky muhurta under an auspicious constellation. The names of women should be easy to pronounce, not imply anything dreadful, possess a plain meaning, be pleasing and auspicious, end in long vowels and contain a word of benediction.
Manu Dharma Shastras 2.30; 33. LM, 35
When the son is one year old, the chudakarana, the tonsure of his head, should be performed, or before the lapse of the third year. When he is sixteen years old, the keshanta, the shaving of his beard, is to be done, or according as it is considered auspicious by all.
Paraskara Griya Sutra 2.1.1-4. GS, VOL. 29, 301
Life universal shall guard and surround you. May Pushan protect and precede you on the way! May Savitri, the God, to that place lead you where go and dwell the doers of good deeds!
Rig Veda 10.17.4. VE, 608
I take thy hand in mine for happy fortune that thou may reach old age with me, thy husband. "This woman, strewing grains, prays thus, 'May I bring bliss to my relations. May my husband live long. Svaha!'"
Rig Veda 10.85.36. RVG, VOL. 2, 544 & Shankhayana Griya Sutra 1.14.1. SB, VOL. 29, P. 37
That the father and mother give birth to him from mutual desire, so that he is born from the womb; let this be known as his physical birth. But that birth which is given, according to the ordinance, through the Savitri, by the preceptor who has mastered the Vedas, that is the true birth, the unaging and immortal.
Manu Dharma Shastras 2.147-8. SD, 156
After completing the life of a student, let a man become a householder. After completing the life of a householder, let him become a forest dweller, let him renounce all things. Or he may renounce all things directly from the student state or from the householder's state, as well as from that of the forest dweller.
Shukla Yajur Veda, Jabala Upanishad 4. VE, 440
Having reached the last order of life, one should sit in a solitary place in a relaxed posture, with pure heart, with head, neck and body straight, controlling all the sense organs, having bowed with devotion to the master.
Atharva Veda, Kaivalya Upanishad 5. VE, 442
Having studied the Vedas in accordance with the rule, having begat sons according to the sacred law and having offered sacrifices according to his ability, he may direct his mind to final liberation.
Manu Dharma Shastras 6.36. LM, 205
Knowingly or even unknowingly, intentionally or even unintentionally, a mortal, having gone to death in the Ganga, obtains heaven and moksha.
Padma Purana, Srishti, 60.65. HE, 105
The boy grows to youth and youth as surely to old age decays. But time's changes teach them not that nothing abides. He pervades this Earth and the space beyond. I long for His feet and desire there to remain.
Tirumantiram 181. TM
Verses from Scripture on Ways of Wisdom
May the Goddess of culture, associated with the models of other cultures, may the Goddess of wisdom in company with men, ordinary and intellectual, may the fire divine, and may the Goddess of divine speech with masters of language come to bless us and enshrine our hearts.
Rig Veda 7.2.8. RVP, 2355
In vain the foolish man accumulates food. I tell you, truly, it will be his downfall! He gathers to himself neither friend nor comrade. Alone he eats; alone he sits in sin. The ploughshare cleaving the soil helps satisfy hunger. The traveler, using his legs, achieves his goal. The priest who speaks surpasses the one who is silent. The friend who gives is better than the miser.
Rig Veda 10.117. 6-7. VE, 851
Shilpani, works of art of man, are an imitation of divine forms. By employing their rhythms, a metrical reconstitution is effected of the limited human personality.
Rig Veda, Aitareya Brahmana 6.5.27. EI, 60
There are five great sacrifices, namely, the great ritual services: the sacrifice to all beings, sacrifice to men, sacrifice to the ancestors, sacrifice to the Gods, sacrifice to Brahman.
Shukla Yajur Veda, Shatapatha Brahmana 11.5.6.1. VE, 394
Find a quiet retreat for the practice of yoga, sheltered from the wind, level and clean, free from rubbish, smoldering fires and ugliness, and where the sound of waters and the beauty of the place help thought and contemplation.
Krishna Yajur Veda, Shvetashvatara Upanishad 2.10. UPM, 88
Lightness, healthiness, steadiness, clearness of complexion, pleasantness of voice, sweetness of odor, and slight excretions -- these, they say, are the first results of the progress of yoga.
Krishna Yajur Veda, Shvetashvatara Upanishad 2.13. UPR, 723
Vasana is divided into two, the pure and the impure. If thou art led by the pure vasanas, thou shalt thereby soon reach by degrees My Seat. But should the old, impure vasanas land thee in danger, they should be overcome through efforts.
Shukla Yajur Veda, Mukti Upanishad 2. UPA, 7
Gracious be the constellations struck by the meteor, gracious incantations and all magic! Gracious to us be buried charms, the meteors and plagues that afflict us. Gracious to us be the stars and the moon, gracious the sun and Rahu, gracious be Death with his banner of smoke, gracious the powerful Rudras.
Atharva Veda 19,9.9-10. VE, 305-306
Works of sacrifice, gift and self-harmony should not be abandoned, but should indeed be performed, for these are works of purification. But even these works, Arjuna, should be done in the freedom of a pure offering, and without expectation of a reward. This is My final word.
Bhagavad Gita 18.5-6. BGM, 115
Easy for all to offer in worship a green leaf to the Lord. Easy for all to give a mouthful to the cow. Easy for all to give a handful when sitting down to eat. Easy for all to speak pleasant words to others.
Tirumantiram 252. TM
So let my star be the sun or the moon, Mars or Mercury or Jupiter; let it be Venus or Saturn or the two snakes! All the planets and stars are good stars for us, all bring good luck to Siva's devotees!
Tirumurai 2.221.1. PS, 109
Plough with truth. Plant the seed of desire for knowledge. Weed out falsehood. Irrigate the mind with the water of patience. Supervise your work by introspection and self-analysis. Build the fence of yama and niyama, or right conduct and right rules. You will soon attain Sivananda, or eternal bliss of Siva.
Tirumurai (Appar). SW, 191
Moderately, moderately eat for your sustenance. Take pains at all times to assimilate knowledge. In your youth, learn the arts and the sciences. To the mean and the miserly be not attached. Foster, foster the friendship of well-nurtured people. Live in happiness, saying you are lacking in nothing. Look after, look after your brothers and kinfolk. Inwardly and outwardly let your life be the same.
Natchintanai "Our Duty." NT, 178
Rig Veda 7.2.8. RVP, 2355
In vain the foolish man accumulates food. I tell you, truly, it will be his downfall! He gathers to himself neither friend nor comrade. Alone he eats; alone he sits in sin. The ploughshare cleaving the soil helps satisfy hunger. The traveler, using his legs, achieves his goal. The priest who speaks surpasses the one who is silent. The friend who gives is better than the miser.
Rig Veda 10.117. 6-7. VE, 851
Shilpani, works of art of man, are an imitation of divine forms. By employing their rhythms, a metrical reconstitution is effected of the limited human personality.
Rig Veda, Aitareya Brahmana 6.5.27. EI, 60
There are five great sacrifices, namely, the great ritual services: the sacrifice to all beings, sacrifice to men, sacrifice to the ancestors, sacrifice to the Gods, sacrifice to Brahman.
Shukla Yajur Veda, Shatapatha Brahmana 11.5.6.1. VE, 394
Find a quiet retreat for the practice of yoga, sheltered from the wind, level and clean, free from rubbish, smoldering fires and ugliness, and where the sound of waters and the beauty of the place help thought and contemplation.
Krishna Yajur Veda, Shvetashvatara Upanishad 2.10. UPM, 88
Lightness, healthiness, steadiness, clearness of complexion, pleasantness of voice, sweetness of odor, and slight excretions -- these, they say, are the first results of the progress of yoga.
Krishna Yajur Veda, Shvetashvatara Upanishad 2.13. UPR, 723
Vasana is divided into two, the pure and the impure. If thou art led by the pure vasanas, thou shalt thereby soon reach by degrees My Seat. But should the old, impure vasanas land thee in danger, they should be overcome through efforts.
Shukla Yajur Veda, Mukti Upanishad 2. UPA, 7
Gracious be the constellations struck by the meteor, gracious incantations and all magic! Gracious to us be buried charms, the meteors and plagues that afflict us. Gracious to us be the stars and the moon, gracious the sun and Rahu, gracious be Death with his banner of smoke, gracious the powerful Rudras.
Atharva Veda 19,9.9-10. VE, 305-306
Works of sacrifice, gift and self-harmony should not be abandoned, but should indeed be performed, for these are works of purification. But even these works, Arjuna, should be done in the freedom of a pure offering, and without expectation of a reward. This is My final word.
Bhagavad Gita 18.5-6. BGM, 115
Easy for all to offer in worship a green leaf to the Lord. Easy for all to give a mouthful to the cow. Easy for all to give a handful when sitting down to eat. Easy for all to speak pleasant words to others.
Tirumantiram 252. TM
So let my star be the sun or the moon, Mars or Mercury or Jupiter; let it be Venus or Saturn or the two snakes! All the planets and stars are good stars for us, all bring good luck to Siva's devotees!
Tirumurai 2.221.1. PS, 109
Plough with truth. Plant the seed of desire for knowledge. Weed out falsehood. Irrigate the mind with the water of patience. Supervise your work by introspection and self-analysis. Build the fence of yama and niyama, or right conduct and right rules. You will soon attain Sivananda, or eternal bliss of Siva.
Tirumurai (Appar). SW, 191
Moderately, moderately eat for your sustenance. Take pains at all times to assimilate knowledge. In your youth, learn the arts and the sciences. To the mean and the miserly be not attached. Foster, foster the friendship of well-nurtured people. Live in happiness, saying you are lacking in nothing. Look after, look after your brothers and kinfolk. Inwardly and outwardly let your life be the same.
Natchintanai "Our Duty." NT, 178
Verses from Scripture on Children
I am inclined to adore you, the two sages, the ministrants at the places of work and worship of men, from whom all the prosperity is derived. May you raise our offspring to a higher stature and help us to acquire precious treasures preserved amongst nature's bounties, when the worship is being conducted.
Rig Veda 7.2.7. RVP, 2355
I know not how to stretch the threads or weave or discern the pattern of those who weave in the contest. Whose son will be the one to speak so well as to surpass, advancing from below, his father?
Rig Veda 6.9.2. VE, 331-332
Keen of mind and keen of sight, free from sickness, free from sin, rich in children, may we see you rise as a friend, O Sun, till a long life's end!
Rig Veda 10.37.7. VE, 319
Never may brother hate brother or sister hurt sister. United in heart and in purpose, commune sweetly together.
Atharva Veda 3.30.3. VE, 857
To you, O Lord, the Priest, beloved of all men, we bring our praise with reverence. Keep watch over our children and ourselves, we pray. Guard both our lives and our cattle.
Atharva Veda 3.15.7. VE, 295
Let there be no neglect of the duties to the Gods and the fathers. Be one to whom the mother is a God. Be one to whom the father is a God. Be one to whom the teacher is a God. Be one to whom the guest is a God.
Krishna Yajur Veda, Taittiriya Upanishad 1.11.1-2. UPR, 537-8
If he should desire, "Let me be born here again," in whatever family he directs his attention, either the family of a brahmin or the family of a king, into that he will be born.
Shukla Yajur Veda, Jaiminiya Brahmana Upanishad 3.28.3-4. VO,115
By honoring his mother he gains this world, by honoring his father the middle sphere; but by obedience to his teacher, the world of Brahman. All duties have been fulfilled by him who honors those three.
Manu Dharma Shastras 2.232-3. LM, 72
"Sweet are the sounds of the flute and the lute," say those who have not heard the prattle of their own children.
Tirukural 66. WW
A father benefits his son best by preparing him to sit at the forefront of learned councils. The son's duty to his father is to make the world ask, "By what great austerities did he merit such a son?"
Tirukural 67, 70. WW
Of all blessings we know of none greater than the begetting of children endowed with intelligence. What pleasure it is to human beings everywhere when their children possess knowledge surpassing their own!
Tirukural 61, 68. WW
Study well. Be obedient. Hear and follow the advice of your father, mother, brothers and sisters, and your aunt and uncle. You alone always set a good example in obedience.
Natchintanai, Letter 10. NT, 22
Meditate, meditate, on God's name in five letters. Eagerly come forward to serve Sivathondan. Grow and grow, the path of tapas ne'er leaving. Live in concord with parents and other relations. Conquer, conquer the wayward mind little by little. Offer your worship to the feet of Gurunathan. Abandon, abandon sin with contrition. Have love and affection for all. Moderately, moderately eat for your sustenance. Take pains at all time to assimilate knowledge. In your youth, in your youth, learn the arts and the sciences. To the mean and the miserly be not attached. Foster, foster the friendship of well-nurtured people. Live in happiness, saying you are lacking nothing. Look after, look after your brothers and kinsfolk. Inwardly and outwardly let your life be the same. Be firm, be firm in grace -- yourself quite forgetting. Annihilate ego, forbidding doubt to arise. Then speak and speak of the greatness of the guru.
Natchintanai, "Our Duty" NT, 178
Blessing and joy to our mother and father! Joy to cattle, to beasts, and to men! May all well-being and graces be ours! Long may we see the sun! May the wind blow us joy, may the sun shine down joy on us.
Atharva Veda 7.69.6.4-5. ve 30
Rig Veda 7.2.7. RVP, 2355
I know not how to stretch the threads or weave or discern the pattern of those who weave in the contest. Whose son will be the one to speak so well as to surpass, advancing from below, his father?
Rig Veda 6.9.2. VE, 331-332
Keen of mind and keen of sight, free from sickness, free from sin, rich in children, may we see you rise as a friend, O Sun, till a long life's end!
Rig Veda 10.37.7. VE, 319
Never may brother hate brother or sister hurt sister. United in heart and in purpose, commune sweetly together.
Atharva Veda 3.30.3. VE, 857
To you, O Lord, the Priest, beloved of all men, we bring our praise with reverence. Keep watch over our children and ourselves, we pray. Guard both our lives and our cattle.
Atharva Veda 3.15.7. VE, 295
Let there be no neglect of the duties to the Gods and the fathers. Be one to whom the mother is a God. Be one to whom the father is a God. Be one to whom the teacher is a God. Be one to whom the guest is a God.
Krishna Yajur Veda, Taittiriya Upanishad 1.11.1-2. UPR, 537-8
If he should desire, "Let me be born here again," in whatever family he directs his attention, either the family of a brahmin or the family of a king, into that he will be born.
Shukla Yajur Veda, Jaiminiya Brahmana Upanishad 3.28.3-4. VO,115
By honoring his mother he gains this world, by honoring his father the middle sphere; but by obedience to his teacher, the world of Brahman. All duties have been fulfilled by him who honors those three.
Manu Dharma Shastras 2.232-3. LM, 72
"Sweet are the sounds of the flute and the lute," say those who have not heard the prattle of their own children.
Tirukural 66. WW
A father benefits his son best by preparing him to sit at the forefront of learned councils. The son's duty to his father is to make the world ask, "By what great austerities did he merit such a son?"
Tirukural 67, 70. WW
Of all blessings we know of none greater than the begetting of children endowed with intelligence. What pleasure it is to human beings everywhere when their children possess knowledge surpassing their own!
Tirukural 61, 68. WW
Study well. Be obedient. Hear and follow the advice of your father, mother, brothers and sisters, and your aunt and uncle. You alone always set a good example in obedience.
Natchintanai, Letter 10. NT, 22
Meditate, meditate, on God's name in five letters. Eagerly come forward to serve Sivathondan. Grow and grow, the path of tapas ne'er leaving. Live in concord with parents and other relations. Conquer, conquer the wayward mind little by little. Offer your worship to the feet of Gurunathan. Abandon, abandon sin with contrition. Have love and affection for all. Moderately, moderately eat for your sustenance. Take pains at all time to assimilate knowledge. In your youth, in your youth, learn the arts and the sciences. To the mean and the miserly be not attached. Foster, foster the friendship of well-nurtured people. Live in happiness, saying you are lacking nothing. Look after, look after your brothers and kinsfolk. Inwardly and outwardly let your life be the same. Be firm, be firm in grace -- yourself quite forgetting. Annihilate ego, forbidding doubt to arise. Then speak and speak of the greatness of the guru.
Natchintanai, "Our Duty" NT, 178
Blessing and joy to our mother and father! Joy to cattle, to beasts, and to men! May all well-being and graces be ours! Long may we see the sun! May the wind blow us joy, may the sun shine down joy on us.
Atharva Veda 7.69.6.4-5. ve 30
Why Hindus Don't Eat Meat
by Dr. Jai Maharaj
Vegetarianism is the key to good health and happiness. The Hindu view is multi-dimensional, including the ecological, medical and spiritual, as is evident in the following excerpts from Hinduism Today:
Besides being an expression of compassion for animals, vegetarianism is followed for ecological and health rationales
Reasons
In the past fifty years, millions of meat-eaters -- Hindus and non-Hindus -- have made the personal decision to stop eating the flesh of other creatures. There are five major motivations for such a decision:
1. The Dharmic Law Reason
Ahinsa, the law of noninjury, is the Hindu's first duty in fulfilling religious obligations to God and God's creation as defined by Vedic scripture.
2. The Karmic Consequences Reason
All of our actions, including our choice of food, have Karmic consequences. By involving oneself in the cycle of inflicting injury, pain and death, even indirectly by eating other creatures, one must in the future experience in equal measure the suffering caused.
3. The Spiritual Reason
Food is the source of the body's chemistry, and what we ingest affects our consciousness, emotions and experiential patterns. If one wants to live in higher consciousness, in peace and happiness and love for all creatures, then he cannot eat meat, fish, shellfish, fowl or eggs. By ingesting the grosser chemistries of animal foods, one introduces into the body and mind anger, jealousy, anxiety, suspicion and a terrible fear of death, all of which are locked into the the flesh of the butchered creatures. For these reasons, vegetarians live in higher consciousness and meat-eaters abide in lower consciousness.
4. The Health Reason
Medical studies prove that a vegetarian diet is easier to digest, provides a wider ranger of nutrients and imposes fewer burdens and impurities on the body. Vegetarians are less susceptible to all the major diseases that afflict contemporary humanity, and thus live longer, healthier, more productive lives. They have fewer physical complaints, less frequent visits to the doctor, fewer dental problems and smaller medical bills. Their immune system is stronger, their bodies are purer, more refined and skin more beautiful.
5. The Ecological Reason
Planet Earth is suffering. In large measure, the escalating loss of species, destruction of ancient rainforests to create pasture lands for live stock, loss of topsoils and the consequent increase of water impurities and air pollution have all been traced to the single fact of meat in the human diet. No decision that we can make as individuals or as a race can have such a dramatic effect on the improvement of our planetary ecology as the decision not to eat meat.
History
The book Food for the Spirit, Vegetarianism and the World Religions, observes, "Despite popular knowledge of meat-eating's adverse effects, the nonvegetarian diet became increasingly widespread among the Hindus after the two major invasions by foreign powers, first the Muslims and later the British. With them came the desire to be `civilized,' to eat as did the Saheeb. Those actually trained in Vedic knowledge, however, never adopted a meat-oriented diet, and the pious Hindu still observes vegetarian principles as a matter of religious duty.
"That vegetarianism has always been widespread in India is clear from the earliest Vedic texts. This was observed by the ancient traveler Megasthenes and also by Fa-Hsien, a Chinese Buddhist monk who, in the fifth century, traveled to India in order to obtain authentic copies of the scriptures.
"These scriptures unambiguously support the meatless way of life. In the Mahabharat, for instance, the great warrior Bheeshm explains to Yuddhishtira, eldest of the Paandav princes, that the meat of animals is like the flesh of one's own son. Similarly, the Manusmriti declares that one should `refrain from eating all kinds of meat,' for such eating involves killing and and leads to Karmic bondage (Bandh) [5.49]. Elsewhere in the Vedic literature, the last of the great Vedic kings, Maharaja Parikshit, is quoted as saying that `only the animal-killer cannot relish the message of the Absolute Truth [Shrimad Bhagvatam 10.1.4].'"
Scripture
He who desires to augment his own flesh by eating the flesh of other creatures lives in misery in whatever species he may take his birth. Mahabharat 115.47
Those high-souled persons who desire beauty, faultlessness of limbs, long life, understanding, mental and physical strength and memory should abstain fromacts of injury. Mahabharat 18.115.8
The very name of cow is Aghnya ["not to be killed"], indicating that they should never be slaughtered. Who, then could slay them? Surely, one who kills a cow or abull commits a heinous crime. Mahabharat Shantiparv 262.47
The purchaser of flesh performs Hinsa (violence) by his wealth; he who eats flesh does so by enjoying its taste; the killer does Hinsa by actually tying and killing the animal. Thus, there are three forms of killing: he who brings flesh or sends for it, he who cuts off the limbs of an animal, and he who purchases, sells or cooks flesh and eats it -- all of these are to be considered meat-eaters. Mahabharat Anu 115.40
He who sees that the Lord of all is ever the same in all that is -- immortal in the field of mortality -- he sees the truth. And when a man sees that the God in himself is the same God in all that is, he hurts not himself by hurting others. Then he goes, indeed, to the highest path. Bhagavad Geeta 13.27-28
Ahinsa is the highest Dharm. Ahinsa is the best Tapas. Ahinsa is the greatest gift. Ahinsa is the highest self-control. Ahinsa is the highest sacrifice. Ahinsa is the highest power. Ahinsa is the highest friend. Ahinsa is the highest truth. Ahinsa is the highest teaching. Mahabharat 18.116.37-41
What is the good way? It is the path that reflects on how it may avoid killing any creature. Tirukural 324
All that lives will press palms together in prayerful adoration of those who refuse to slaughter and savor meat. Tirukural 260
What is virtuous conduct? It is never destroying life, for killing leads to every other sin. Tirukural 312, 321
Goodness is never one with the minds of these two: one who wields a weapon and one who feasts on a creature's flesh. Tirukural 253
(Excerpts from Hinduism Today.)
Vegetarianism is the key to good health and happiness. The Hindu view is multi-dimensional, including the ecological, medical and spiritual, as is evident in the following excerpts from Hinduism Today:
Besides being an expression of compassion for animals, vegetarianism is followed for ecological and health rationales
Reasons
In the past fifty years, millions of meat-eaters -- Hindus and non-Hindus -- have made the personal decision to stop eating the flesh of other creatures. There are five major motivations for such a decision:
1. The Dharmic Law Reason
Ahinsa, the law of noninjury, is the Hindu's first duty in fulfilling religious obligations to God and God's creation as defined by Vedic scripture.
2. The Karmic Consequences Reason
All of our actions, including our choice of food, have Karmic consequences. By involving oneself in the cycle of inflicting injury, pain and death, even indirectly by eating other creatures, one must in the future experience in equal measure the suffering caused.
3. The Spiritual Reason
Food is the source of the body's chemistry, and what we ingest affects our consciousness, emotions and experiential patterns. If one wants to live in higher consciousness, in peace and happiness and love for all creatures, then he cannot eat meat, fish, shellfish, fowl or eggs. By ingesting the grosser chemistries of animal foods, one introduces into the body and mind anger, jealousy, anxiety, suspicion and a terrible fear of death, all of which are locked into the the flesh of the butchered creatures. For these reasons, vegetarians live in higher consciousness and meat-eaters abide in lower consciousness.
4. The Health Reason
Medical studies prove that a vegetarian diet is easier to digest, provides a wider ranger of nutrients and imposes fewer burdens and impurities on the body. Vegetarians are less susceptible to all the major diseases that afflict contemporary humanity, and thus live longer, healthier, more productive lives. They have fewer physical complaints, less frequent visits to the doctor, fewer dental problems and smaller medical bills. Their immune system is stronger, their bodies are purer, more refined and skin more beautiful.
5. The Ecological Reason
Planet Earth is suffering. In large measure, the escalating loss of species, destruction of ancient rainforests to create pasture lands for live stock, loss of topsoils and the consequent increase of water impurities and air pollution have all been traced to the single fact of meat in the human diet. No decision that we can make as individuals or as a race can have such a dramatic effect on the improvement of our planetary ecology as the decision not to eat meat.
History
The book Food for the Spirit, Vegetarianism and the World Religions, observes, "Despite popular knowledge of meat-eating's adverse effects, the nonvegetarian diet became increasingly widespread among the Hindus after the two major invasions by foreign powers, first the Muslims and later the British. With them came the desire to be `civilized,' to eat as did the Saheeb. Those actually trained in Vedic knowledge, however, never adopted a meat-oriented diet, and the pious Hindu still observes vegetarian principles as a matter of religious duty.
"That vegetarianism has always been widespread in India is clear from the earliest Vedic texts. This was observed by the ancient traveler Megasthenes and also by Fa-Hsien, a Chinese Buddhist monk who, in the fifth century, traveled to India in order to obtain authentic copies of the scriptures.
"These scriptures unambiguously support the meatless way of life. In the Mahabharat, for instance, the great warrior Bheeshm explains to Yuddhishtira, eldest of the Paandav princes, that the meat of animals is like the flesh of one's own son. Similarly, the Manusmriti declares that one should `refrain from eating all kinds of meat,' for such eating involves killing and and leads to Karmic bondage (Bandh) [5.49]. Elsewhere in the Vedic literature, the last of the great Vedic kings, Maharaja Parikshit, is quoted as saying that `only the animal-killer cannot relish the message of the Absolute Truth [Shrimad Bhagvatam 10.1.4].'"
Scripture
He who desires to augment his own flesh by eating the flesh of other creatures lives in misery in whatever species he may take his birth. Mahabharat 115.47
Those high-souled persons who desire beauty, faultlessness of limbs, long life, understanding, mental and physical strength and memory should abstain fromacts of injury. Mahabharat 18.115.8
The very name of cow is Aghnya ["not to be killed"], indicating that they should never be slaughtered. Who, then could slay them? Surely, one who kills a cow or abull commits a heinous crime. Mahabharat Shantiparv 262.47
The purchaser of flesh performs Hinsa (violence) by his wealth; he who eats flesh does so by enjoying its taste; the killer does Hinsa by actually tying and killing the animal. Thus, there are three forms of killing: he who brings flesh or sends for it, he who cuts off the limbs of an animal, and he who purchases, sells or cooks flesh and eats it -- all of these are to be considered meat-eaters. Mahabharat Anu 115.40
He who sees that the Lord of all is ever the same in all that is -- immortal in the field of mortality -- he sees the truth. And when a man sees that the God in himself is the same God in all that is, he hurts not himself by hurting others. Then he goes, indeed, to the highest path. Bhagavad Geeta 13.27-28
Ahinsa is the highest Dharm. Ahinsa is the best Tapas. Ahinsa is the greatest gift. Ahinsa is the highest self-control. Ahinsa is the highest sacrifice. Ahinsa is the highest power. Ahinsa is the highest friend. Ahinsa is the highest truth. Ahinsa is the highest teaching. Mahabharat 18.116.37-41
What is the good way? It is the path that reflects on how it may avoid killing any creature. Tirukural 324
All that lives will press palms together in prayerful adoration of those who refuse to slaughter and savor meat. Tirukural 260
What is virtuous conduct? It is never destroying life, for killing leads to every other sin. Tirukural 312, 321
Goodness is never one with the minds of these two: one who wields a weapon and one who feasts on a creature's flesh. Tirukural 253
(Excerpts from Hinduism Today.)
Putra Dharna
According to the Vedic version, there is a hellish planet called Put, and one who delivers a person from there is called putra. The purpose of marriage, therefore, is to have a putra, or son who is able to deliver his father, even if the father falls down to the hellish condition of put. Mahäräja Påthu’s father, Vena, was a most sinful person and was therefore cursed to death by the brähmaëas. Now all the great saintly persons, sages and brähmaëas present in the meeting, after hearing from Mahäräja Påthu about his great mission in life, became convinced that the statement of the Vedas had been fully proved. The purpose of accepting a wife in religious marriage, as sanctioned in the Vedas, is to have a putra, a son qualified to deliver his father from the darkest region of hellish life. Marriage is not intended for sense gratification but for getting a son fully qualified to deliver his father. But if a son is raised to become an unqualified demon, how can he deliver his father from hellish life? It is therefore the duty of a father to become a Vaiñëava and raise his children to become Vaiñëavas; then even if by chance the father falls into a hellish life in his next birth, such a son can deliver him, as Mahäräja Påthu delivered his father.
SB 9.18.44
A son who acts by anticipating what his father wants him to do is first class, one who acts upon receiving his father’s order is second class, and one who executes his father’s order irreverently is third class. But a son who refuses his father’s order is like his father’s stool.
PURPORT
Püru, Yayäti’s last son, immediately accepted his father’s proposal, for although he was the youngest, he was very qualified. Püru thought, “I should have accepted my father’s proposal before he asked, but I did not. Therefore I am not a first-class son. I am second class. But I do not wish to become the lowest type of son, who is compared to his father’s stool.” One Indian poet has spoken of putra and mütra. putra means “son,” and mütra means “urine.” Both a son and urine come from the same genitals. If a son is an obedient devotee of the Lord he is called putra, or a real son; otherwise, if he is not learned and is not a devotee, a son is nothing better than urine.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SB 2.7.10
Mahäräja Vena went astray from the path of righteousness, and the brähmaëas chastised him by the thunderbolt curse. By this King Vena was burnt with his good deeds and opulence and was en route to hell. The Lord, by His causeless mercy, descended as his son, by the name of Påthu, delivered the condemned King Vena from hell, and exploited the earth by drawing all kinds of crops as produce.
PURPORT
According to the system of varëäçrama-dharma, the pious and learned brähmaëas were the natural guardians of society. The brähmaëas, by their learned labor of love, would instruct the administrator-kings how to rule the country in complete righteousness, and thus the process would go on as a perfect welfare state. The kings or the kñatriya administrators would always consult the council of learned brähmaëas.
They were never autocratic monarchs. The scriptures like Manu-saàhitä and other authorized books of the great sages were guiding principles for ruling the subjects, and there was no need for less intelligent persons to manufacture a code of law in the name of democracy. The less intelligent mass of people have very little knowledge of their own welfare, as a child has very little knowledge of its future well-being.
The experienced father guides the innocent child towards the path of progress, and the childlike mass of people need similar guidance. The standard welfare codes are already there in the Manu-saàhitä and other Vedic literatures.
The learned brähmaëas would advise the king in terms of those standard books of knowledge and with reference to the particular situation of time and place. Such brähmaëas were not paid servants of the king, and therefore they had the strength to dictate to the king on the principles of scriptures. This system continued even up to the time of Mahäräja Candragupta, and the brähmaëa Cäëakya was his unpaid prime minister.
Mahäräja Vena did not adhere to this principle of ruling, and he disobeyed the learned brähmaëas. The broad-minded brähmaëas were not self-interested, but looked to the interest of complete welfare for all the subjects.
They wanted to chastise King Vena for his misconduct and so prayed to the Almighty Lord as well as cursed the king. Long life, obedience, good reputation, righteousness, prospects of being promoted to higher planets, and blessings of great personalities are all vanquished simply by disobedience to a great soul. One should strictly try to follow in the footsteps of great souls.
Mahäräja Vena became a king, undoubtedly due to his past deeds of righteousness, but because he willfully neglected the great souls, he was punished by the loss of all the above-mentioned acquisitions. In the Vämana Puräëa the history of Mahäräja Vena and his degradation are fully described.
When Mahäräja Påthu heard about the hellish condition of his father, Vena, who was suffering from leprosy in the family of a mleccha, he at once brought the former king to Kurukñetra for his purification and relieved him of all sufferings.
Mahäräja Påthu, the incarnation of God, descended by the prayer of the brähmaëas to rectify the disorders on earth. He produced all kinds of crops. But, at the same time, he performed the duty of a son who delivers his father from hellish conditions. The word putra means one who delivers from hell, called put. That is a worthy son.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SB 4.13.32
The head priests said: O King, in this life we do not find any sinful activity, even within your mind, so you are not in the least offensive. But we can see that in your previous life you performed sinful activities due to which, in spite of your having all qualifications, you have no son.
PURPORT
The purpose of marrying is to beget a son, because a son is necessary to deliver his father and forefathers from any hellish conditional life in which they may be. Cäëakya Paëòita therefore says, putra-hénaà gåhaà çünyam: without a son, married life is simply abominable. King Aìga was a very pious king in this life, but because of his previous sinful activity he could not get a son. It is concluded, therefore, that if a person does not get a son it is due to his past sinful life.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
SB 4.21.46
They all declared that the Vedic conclusion that one can conquer the heavenly planets by the action of a putra, or son, was fulfilled, for the most sinful Vena, who had been killed by the curse of the brähmaëas, was now delivered from the darkest region of hellish life by his son, Mahäräja Påthu.
PURPORT
According to the Vedic version, there is a hellish planet called Put, and one who delivers a person from there is called putra. The purpose of marriage, therefore, is to have a putra, or son who is able to deliver his father, even if the father falls down to the hellish condition of put. Mahäräja Påthu’s father, Vena, was a most sinful person and was therefore cursed to death by the brähmaëas. Now all the great saintly persons, sages and brähmaëas present in the meeting, after hearing from Mahäräja Påthu about his great mission in life, became convinced that the statement of the Vedas had been fully proved.
The purpose of accepting a wife in religious marriage, as sanctioned in the Vedas, is to have a putra, a son qualified to deliver his father from the darkest region of hellish life. Marriage is not intended for sense gratification but for getting a son fully qualified to deliver his father.
But if a son is raised to become an unqualified demon, how can he deliver his father from hellish life? It is therefore the duty of a father to become a Vaiñëava and raise his children to become Vaiñëavas; then even if by chance the father falls into a hellish life in his next birth, such a son can deliver him, as Mahäräja Påthu delivered his father.
SB 9.18.44
A son who acts by anticipating what his father wants him to do is first class, one who acts upon receiving his father’s order is second class, and one who executes his father’s order irreverently is third class. But a son who refuses his father’s order is like his father’s stool.
PURPORT
Püru, Yayäti’s last son, immediately accepted his father’s proposal, for although he was the youngest, he was very qualified. Püru thought, “I should have accepted my father’s proposal before he asked, but I did not. Therefore I am not a first-class son. I am second class. But I do not wish to become the lowest type of son, who is compared to his father’s stool.” One Indian poet has spoken of putra and mütra. putra means “son,” and mütra means “urine.” Both a son and urine come from the same genitals. If a son is an obedient devotee of the Lord he is called putra, or a real son; otherwise, if he is not learned and is not a devotee, a son is nothing better than urine.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SB 2.7.10
Mahäräja Vena went astray from the path of righteousness, and the brähmaëas chastised him by the thunderbolt curse. By this King Vena was burnt with his good deeds and opulence and was en route to hell. The Lord, by His causeless mercy, descended as his son, by the name of Påthu, delivered the condemned King Vena from hell, and exploited the earth by drawing all kinds of crops as produce.
PURPORT
According to the system of varëäçrama-dharma, the pious and learned brähmaëas were the natural guardians of society. The brähmaëas, by their learned labor of love, would instruct the administrator-kings how to rule the country in complete righteousness, and thus the process would go on as a perfect welfare state. The kings or the kñatriya administrators would always consult the council of learned brähmaëas.
They were never autocratic monarchs. The scriptures like Manu-saàhitä and other authorized books of the great sages were guiding principles for ruling the subjects, and there was no need for less intelligent persons to manufacture a code of law in the name of democracy. The less intelligent mass of people have very little knowledge of their own welfare, as a child has very little knowledge of its future well-being.
The experienced father guides the innocent child towards the path of progress, and the childlike mass of people need similar guidance. The standard welfare codes are already there in the Manu-saàhitä and other Vedic literatures.
The learned brähmaëas would advise the king in terms of those standard books of knowledge and with reference to the particular situation of time and place. Such brähmaëas were not paid servants of the king, and therefore they had the strength to dictate to the king on the principles of scriptures. This system continued even up to the time of Mahäräja Candragupta, and the brähmaëa Cäëakya was his unpaid prime minister.
Mahäräja Vena did not adhere to this principle of ruling, and he disobeyed the learned brähmaëas. The broad-minded brähmaëas were not self-interested, but looked to the interest of complete welfare for all the subjects.
They wanted to chastise King Vena for his misconduct and so prayed to the Almighty Lord as well as cursed the king. Long life, obedience, good reputation, righteousness, prospects of being promoted to higher planets, and blessings of great personalities are all vanquished simply by disobedience to a great soul. One should strictly try to follow in the footsteps of great souls.
Mahäräja Vena became a king, undoubtedly due to his past deeds of righteousness, but because he willfully neglected the great souls, he was punished by the loss of all the above-mentioned acquisitions. In the Vämana Puräëa the history of Mahäräja Vena and his degradation are fully described.
When Mahäräja Påthu heard about the hellish condition of his father, Vena, who was suffering from leprosy in the family of a mleccha, he at once brought the former king to Kurukñetra for his purification and relieved him of all sufferings.
Mahäräja Påthu, the incarnation of God, descended by the prayer of the brähmaëas to rectify the disorders on earth. He produced all kinds of crops. But, at the same time, he performed the duty of a son who delivers his father from hellish conditions. The word putra means one who delivers from hell, called put. That is a worthy son.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SB 4.13.32
The head priests said: O King, in this life we do not find any sinful activity, even within your mind, so you are not in the least offensive. But we can see that in your previous life you performed sinful activities due to which, in spite of your having all qualifications, you have no son.
PURPORT
The purpose of marrying is to beget a son, because a son is necessary to deliver his father and forefathers from any hellish conditional life in which they may be. Cäëakya Paëòita therefore says, putra-hénaà gåhaà çünyam: without a son, married life is simply abominable. King Aìga was a very pious king in this life, but because of his previous sinful activity he could not get a son. It is concluded, therefore, that if a person does not get a son it is due to his past sinful life.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
SB 4.21.46
They all declared that the Vedic conclusion that one can conquer the heavenly planets by the action of a putra, or son, was fulfilled, for the most sinful Vena, who had been killed by the curse of the brähmaëas, was now delivered from the darkest region of hellish life by his son, Mahäräja Påthu.
PURPORT
According to the Vedic version, there is a hellish planet called Put, and one who delivers a person from there is called putra. The purpose of marriage, therefore, is to have a putra, or son who is able to deliver his father, even if the father falls down to the hellish condition of put. Mahäräja Påthu’s father, Vena, was a most sinful person and was therefore cursed to death by the brähmaëas. Now all the great saintly persons, sages and brähmaëas present in the meeting, after hearing from Mahäräja Påthu about his great mission in life, became convinced that the statement of the Vedas had been fully proved.
The purpose of accepting a wife in religious marriage, as sanctioned in the Vedas, is to have a putra, a son qualified to deliver his father from the darkest region of hellish life. Marriage is not intended for sense gratification but for getting a son fully qualified to deliver his father.
But if a son is raised to become an unqualified demon, how can he deliver his father from hellish life? It is therefore the duty of a father to become a Vaiñëava and raise his children to become Vaiñëavas; then even if by chance the father falls into a hellish life in his next birth, such a son can deliver him, as Mahäräja Påthu delivered his father.
What is Father...
God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so,
He called it ... Dad
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so,
He called it ... Dad
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