Must Hindus be Vegetarians?

This is a popular question... Must Hindus be Vegetarians...? If so what is the significance of being a vegetarian?

First of all, Hinduism does not have any theories of "must do" or "must not do".

In Hinduism there is a cardinal virtue called ahimsa. Cardinal means, of the greatest importance or fundamental. Ahimsa means non-violence. The practice of not hurting other living things either through physical force, words and even thoughts is the highest practice of goodness in Hinduism. A person who is able to live a life while observing all the edicts of ahimsa can be considered a saint. Our Hindu gurus and leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi are and were exponents of ahimsa. By extension of observing ahimsa, vegetarianism came to be. Whereby, the ideal practice of ahimsa inflicts no harm to life even in feeding oneself.

When it comes to rules, such as 'must I be vegetarian to be Hindu,' the answer is no. One does not need to be a vegetarian to call oneself a Hindu. This is because Hinduism does not enforce nor dictate commandments on how to live life. Rather, Hindu scriptures provide guidelines as to the ideal ways of living life and leaves it up to the devotee to 'grow' into them. In Hinduism it is accepted that as a devotee grows more and more spiritually aware, he or she will eventually become vegetarian.

In Hindu culture, to keep devotees reminded of the ideal of vegetarianism and ahimsa, Hindu families who are not vegetarians will observe vegetarianism at least once a week, (usually on the family's temple day) on a day of their choosing and also on religious festival days. I must state that the reason Hindus choose not to eat meat on certain days of the week has nothing to do with superstition or taboos. Instead, it is a practice that is observed to keep us reminded of the ideals of ahimsa, of which vegetarianism is just one of the ahimsa practices, that we should all be striving towards.

When we look at the greater observance of practicing ahimsa, controlling anger, jealousy, greed and hatred, even eradicating these impulses altogether from oneself is of far greater merit than being vegetarian. This is because performing hurtful deeds (through action, speech or even thoughts) out of anger or rage are far more destructive (meaning carrying a heavier negative karma) compared to eating meat.

Thus as Hindus, there is no force nor commandment that we must be vegetarians. However, it is an ideal that we should eventually incorporate in our life.

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Yoga And Food

Basics of Yoga Stages of Yoga Benefits of Yoga Yoga Articles Yoga Diet Yoga Mudras Pranayama Yoga Bandhas Yoga Poses Useful tips for yoga Surya Namaskar Yoga FAQ

1. Do I need to consult a yoga teacher for my diet chart?
2. Is there an ideal diet for a yoga practitioner?
3. Will vegetarian food serve as an ideal ingredient for my diet?
4. Do I have any specific timings for having my food?
5. Does light eating in between proper meals help?
6. What is the best time to eat before going to bed?
7. Can I eat something just before or after my yoga sessions?
8. Why is being a vegetarian stressed so much while practicing yoga?

Q1. Do I need to consult a yoga teacher for my diet chart?

It is found that man is the best teacher of himself through his own personal experience. Therefore it is recommended that he enjoys his freedom of food and set his own limitations. Moreover a number of factors play a role in the proper selection of one's individual diet. They are age, size, weight, habits, tastes, metabolism, climate, availability, resources, occupation, lifestyle, physical activities and social customs. For example, a human being should change his diet according to his growing age keeping in mind his medical history and his circumstances.

Q2. Is there an ideal diet for a yoga practitioner?

There is nothing called an 'ideal diet' as such. But a balanced diet is always preferred and recommended. Proper intake of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, fats, minerals, roughage and the so-called trace elements should be taken care on a daily basis. Moreover having a wholesome diet in a correct proportion taken from a wide range of natural food is always good.

Q3. Will vegetarian food serve as an ideal ingredient for my diet?

A preferred meal for any yogi is Lacto-vegetarian food. This includes whole-grain cereals, pulses, legumes, wheat-germ, gram flour, oilseeds, vegetable oils, nuts, roots, tubers, green and fresh vegetables, fresh and dry fruits, honey, sugar, milk, ghee, butter, sweet buttermilk, sweet curd and germinated grams. A permutation and combination of these above given natural food in a correct proportion is the best meal for a practitioner.

Q4. Do I have any specific timings for having my food?

The meals taken round the clock must be followed religiously on a daily basis. It is always better to avoid eating too often at irregular intervals. The best way of eating is to space out proper timings in a day and to follow that regularly. Even taking food at long intervals can be extremely harmful for the body as the stomach remains empty for a longer time.

Q5. Does light eating in between proper meals help?

Generally, two wholesome diets are sufficient for most people. Sometimes junk foods like nuts, chocolates and snacks taken in between the meals can disturb the digestion process as they will get consumed by your digestive system and you may lose the appetite for your main meal.

Q6. What is the best time to eat before going to bed?

The ideal time to go to bed is 2 hours after having dinner. It is not advisable to take dinner too late at night or going to bed as soon as you finish your meal. Also going to bed empty stomach is not recommended. But keeping your stomach light is advisable.

Q7. Can I eat something just before or after my yoga sessions?

Taking food right before or after vigorous exercise or hard work is not encouraged. It is better to rest for a while and then take a proper meal.

Q8. Why is being a vegetarian stressed so much while practicing yoga?

There is no hard and fast rule that a practitioner should become a complete vegetarian while practicing yoga. A normal diet which is balanced is what matters the most. However, as a yogi progresses in his path of yoga, he soon realizes that killing is unethical and therefore changes his diet automatically.

On medical ground, a vegetarian diet is recommended due to many reasons. Most important among them is that, Asanas and Pranayama give an automatic repulsive force to body and mind that refuses flesh-based diet in order to bring cellular quietness. Therefore, simple vegetarian dishes do not irritate the system.

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Application of Ayurveda in Cooking & Vegetarianism

The Ayurvedic cook derives his knowledge of herbs, spices, vegetables, legumes and so forth from the Ayurveda, which helps them maintain physical, mental, social and spiritual harmony.

Ayurvedic foods are appetizing, flavourful and aromatic and a way of offering love, becoming healing when served in an inspiring atmosphere. The cleansing of toxins that have entered the body and the electrochemical vitalising of the body are main objectives. Ayurvedic cooking thus is an art and a science at the same time, when cooking becomes alchemy and food becomes Tantra. 

The basic principles of Ayurvedic Cooking are : the five Elements, the three Doshas, the three Gunas, the seven Dathus and the six Tastes. It also attaches a lot of attention to the effect of the cooking method on the quality of the foods, the importance of the vibrations of the cook and of the surrounding atmosphere, the compatibility of foods, the right time for cooking and eating, the cycle of the seasons and the effects of foods on consciousness.

Also read the following :

• Why Vegetarian Diet!
• Comments on Western diet
• Cooked or raw food?
• Cooking without Tasting
• Cooking as Worship
• Food and Consciousness
• The 6 tastes in Ayurveda
• The three doshas
• The three gunas
• Digestability of foods
• Milk in a Vegetarian Diet

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Why Vegetarian Diet!

People want vegetarian recipes for many reasons. Ayurveda offers reasons that many might not have considered.

 

Vegetarian recipes have always been at the core of the Ayurveda and of the Hindu living principles. Ayurvedic wisdom provides a deeper insight into the reasons why you really should stick to vegetarian recipes, even if the meat-industry would ever get rid of mad cow disease, antibiotics and other horrifying stuff. Take mental health for example…

The nature of meat

Flesh is a dead food, often days old by the time it reaches the supermarket meat counter. Dead food from whatever source is tamasic in nature, removing vital energy from the organism. Fill two glasses with tap water and add a slice of fresh vegetable to one and a bit of steak to the other - keep at room temperature and observe at the end of the third day.

Foods and digestion

Carnivorous animals possess powerful stomachs and short simple intestines, allowing foods to be processed and expelled within a 24-hour cycle. This short digestive cycle minimizes both decay and the absorption of toxic chemicals. Even so, most carnivores sleep for 10 to 24 hours following a full meal, so that all energy may be concentrated on food processing. And most carnivores only eat freshly killed meat. Humans have a very different digestive tract than carnivores.

Anxiety and meat

Animals experience strong states of fear during the process of shipping and slaughter. Such fear will create a dramatic production of stimulating biochemicals such as adrenalin and dopamin within the animals' flesh, that produce similar reactions in human beings. The body of a meat-eating individual is continually in a state of drugged hyper-arousal, creating chronic tension, anxiety and feelings of insecurity and confusion. One simply looses touch with the true inner feelings and urges. Vegetarian recipes are a way out of such madness.

Carnivores and vegetarians

Compare the difference in breath smells of a cow and a cat. This smell is not only produced by residual particles in the mouth, but also by waste products discharged in the lungs.

Cat stool is probably the most unpleasant of its kind. Cow dung has been burned for millennia and forms the basic binding material in most of the forms of incense sold anywhere, also in the West.

The breath rate of carnivores is fast and shallow, a pattern associated in humans with anxiety, tension and pain. Herbivores breath deeply and slowly, breathing peace and relaxation.

Diet and choice

Carnivorous animals, because of their specialization that has ecological origins, have no choice. They must eat flesh or perish. Man however can very well survive without meat. The fact that millions live on vegetarian recipes alone should be ample evidence.

Plants become suitable foods for man in two basic circumstances : at the end of the reproductive cycle or at the end of the life cycle. Plants rely on the consumption of their fruits and seeds for reproduction. Most other vegetable foods are mostly eaten only when ripe, that is at the end of their life cycle.

The source of life

All vital energy on the planet ultimately comes from the sun. Vegetarian recipes provide the most efficient nutriment for the human system, because plants form the basis of the food chain, closest to the source of life itself, which is solar energy. Carnivores rely on second-hand photosynthetic energy, first converted to the flesh of the herbivorous prey. Very few people have tasted the flesh of carnivores because it is tough, stringy and difficult to digest.

What to do ? Fire and digestion

A comparison of the digestive tracts of man and carnivores reveals man to have a considerably longer intestinal system - yet shorter by an almost equal proportion than the viscera of herbivores. The human system is not geared for eating meat, but neither for eating raw fruits and vegetables. Man however has mastered the element of fire, thus reducing the expenditure of energy required by the intestines. One who is seeking to raise his energy level must inevitably conclude that digestion is one of the single greatest demands on the system. That much less energy is available for meditation, concentration and enjoyment. The obvious path of least resistance is well cooked vegetarian recipes.

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Comments on Western diet

How would you classify the typical Western diet? 

 

For those who are health conscious, I think they should avoid it. I would not say that those who are eating that fast-food diet are bad people, but I don't think they have any great understanding about food nor about life's actual purpose for that matter. They are rather unfortunate, because in a sense anyone on that diet lives only to die. The American diet is spreading around the world, but in Delhi in India, McDonald's went out of business, and Coca Cola is having great difficulty. 

In what direction do you see the Western diet moving in the future? 

Food is a necessity, not a luxury. Food should not be treated as carelessly as it is nowadays. It is common in this country to see someone walking down the street eating "fast food" on the run. Large-scale manufacturers of food do not concern themselves with the question of consciousness and vibration in regard to preparation. There are many people who have no time to think about food. They simply eat when they are hungry, and are not particularly interested in what, how, or where they eat. Others are led only by taste. Only a few realize the importance of understanding the relationship between our food and our living habits. Unfortunately, whatever is easier will become more popular, because at least in the West, man has no time.

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Cooked or raw food?

You recommend cooked foods over raw foods. Why?

Harish Johari :

Whatever you eat raw is then "cooked" within the body.

Most people do not have the necessary digestive power to eat many raw foods. Humanity has mastered the element of fire, which reduces the expenditure of energy required by the intestines. Body heat and stomach acids provide the catalysts for digestive action. The human body is not geared for eating only raw fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes. Foods such as these are more difficult to digest. They require more energy to digest.

The obvious path of least resistance is cooked vegetarian food, with raw foods like fruits, salads, nuts and sprouted beans and seeds eaten within an hour and a half after preparation. 

Cooking is also necessary to kill certain bacteria. If you do eat raw foods such as salads, oil or lemon is necessary for the same purpose. Only a few things can be eaten raw; most foods must be cooked. Civilized humanity knows how to cook food and use spices.

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Cooking without Tasting

In Ayurvedic Cooking, the cook should not taste the indian food before it is served.

In the West I doubt if many people could relate to not tasting the food while it's still on the stove. Typically one might think, "How will I know if it is done or properly cooked without tasting it first?"

Once the cooking starts, one cannot taste the food, nor should one try to enjoy the food being prepared even by smelling it. If it is enjoyed first by ourselves, it is no longer fit to offer to God.

I cook every day and never taste it before it is finished and offered and everyone tells me it tastes very good. One should have confidence in what he or she is doing to begin with. 

Those who cannot see, hear better; and those who cannot hear, see better. At the loss of one faculty, nature gives more power to other faculties. If we refrain from tasting the food beforehand, then our ability to subtly experience what it will taste like will increase. One must learn to cook by feeling, not by tasting. 

Cooking improves one's sense of smell, sight and touch respectively. The sense of taste is deliberately not used. The energy that would have been centered there may then flow into other sense organs, thus making them more receptive. By willfully abstaining from tasting, a cook improves his or her other senses such that they become more sensitive and efficient. I know a blind man who used to cook bread simply by listening to the sounds it made during the process of cooking.

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Cooking as Worship

In Indian food, cooking is a form of worship just as any activity in life can be seen as worship.

You have described eating and cooking as forms of worship. Can you explain that?

Eating is always worship in the sense that the body is our instrument of work and we must take care of it in terms of diet. We should not eat simply for filling the belly. Food should have some taste and give rise to love and life, like most indian food does. 

The body is a temple: the individual consciousness that dwells within the body is part of the supreme consciousness. Every effort to make our body pure and help its proper growth and development is a form of "worship." So it is with eating as well as cooking. Food that is cooked by someone who does not want to cook, who is not in the proper consciousness, will not be healthy food despite the ingredients. You may not get sick from it, but it is not health producing. We do not eat only the food that is cooked, but the consciousness of the cook as well. 

Cooking should be done as an offering to God. Before eating one should first offer a portion on a separate plate to God in meditation. It should be done slowly and deliberately since meditation cannot be done in a hurry. In India, one who has not taken bath and put on clean cloth will not be allowed in the kitchen. One must be clean, and the kitchen also must be clean before starting. The one cooking should be in a happy mood, as should be the one who serves the indian food. Food cooked by one who really likes to cook tastes quite different from that food which is cooked merely out of obligation. 

Bathing before cooking has a twofold effect: preparing to bathe makes the cook more conscious of his or her work; in this way it prepares one's mind. It also cleans, purifies, relaxes, and removes fatigue and depression. 

The art of cooking involves an emotional relationship between the food and the cook. Cleaning, cutting, chopping food - all these activities can be performed with a sense of rhythm and in a relaxed manner. Cooking should be enjoyed as much as any other art. It becomes a creative art when the person cooking does so with complete emotional involvement. In this way, like a clairvoyant, he or she will receive messages through intuition, creating new tastes and evolving new recipes. 

Once the cooking starts, one cannot taste the food, nor should one try to enjoy the food being prepared even by smelling it. If it is enjoyed first by ourselves, it is no longer fit to offer to God.

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The three gunas

According to the ayurveda, medicines and foods are sattvic, rajasic or tamasic or a combination of these gunas.The gunas are three fundamental attributes that represent the natural evolutionary process through which the subtle becomes gross. In turn, gross objects, by action and interaction among themselves, may again become subtle. Thus the three gunas are defined as :

Sattva : Essence (subtle)
Rajas : Activity
Tamas : Inertia (gross)

People equally can be more or less dominated by one of the three gunas and an important way to regulate these gunas in body and mind is through ayurvedic cooking :

Sattvic foods :

• Are fresh, juicy, light, unctuous, nourishing, sweet and tasty.
• Give the necessary energy to the body without taxing it.
• The foundation of higher states of consciousness.
• Examples : juicy fruits, fresh vegetables that are easily digestible, fresh milk and butter, whole soaked or also sprouted beans, grains and nuts, many herbs and spices in the right combinations with other foods,…

Rajasic foods :

• Are bitter, sour, salty, pungent, hot and dry.
• Increase the speed and excitement of the human organism.
• The foundation of motion, activity and pain.
• Examples : sattvic foods that have been fried in oil or cooked too much or eaten in excess, specific foods and spices that are strongly exciting, …

Tamasic Foods :

• Are dry, old, decaying, distasteful and/or unpalatable.
• Consume a large amount of energy while being digested.
• The foundation of ignorance, doubt, pessimism, …
• Examples : foods that have been strongly processed, canned or frozen and/or are old, stale or incompatible with each other - meat, fish, eggs and liquor are especially tamasic.

Saints and seers can survive easily on sattvic foods alone. Householders that live in the world and have to keep pace with its' changes also need rajasic energy. They ought to keep a balance between the sattvic and rajasic foods and try to avoid tamasic foods as much as possible.

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Milk in a Vegetarian Diet

Milk is central to the yogic Indian diet, yet milk has been assailed in modern America due to its association with the unjust treatment of the cow. Its nutritional value is also questioned. You call milk the miracle food, even recommending occasional milk fasts (consuming only milk for up to 40 days at a time) for purifying the body and mind. What is your response to those who denounce milk?

Harish Johari :

First of all we are mammals. Our mothers have milk to give us and our life thus depends upon milk from the start. If modern society has polluted the cow's milk and caused harm to the giver of the milk, then so much for city living and "civilized life". This represents only 20% of the population. The other 80% living in the Third World are drinking milk without any difficulty. Because someone has corrupted natural living, that does not mean we should throw out milk. Milk has everything we require for healthy living. According to the Vedic culture, the rishis who gave up everything, all work, were living on milk alone as their perfect food. 

Milk is a food that is readily converted into semen, which produces new blood. Thus if milk is the sole nourishment of the human organism for some time, it can rejuvenate that organism. "Milk kalpa" or a milk fast is a treatment employed by homeopathic doctors for patients who have lost hope of living a healthy, happy life. Such a milk fast can also cure premature aging. During the fast the body reorganizes itself. Premature aging is often the result of food material clinging to the intestinal walls. When the process of assimilation malfunctions, various organs in the system are unable to receive the proper supply of nutrients and thus begin to age quickly. If these waste materials can be expelled, all the organs will receive proper nutrition. Milk is known to clean the digestive tract. It expels toxins and waste from the stomach and intestines and supplies nutritious food material readily digestible and convertible into blood. Being alkaline in nature, milk is an aid to the stomach in its digestive function.`

The main organs of digestion are the mouth, stomach, and small intestine. Milk helps the entire digestive process and if digestion is working properly, the circulatory system works well. If the circulatory system is functioning properly, then the nervous system will be healthy. These three systems regulate the human body, and milk helps to regulate them.

Milk is best straight from the cow while it is still warm. Milk from a cow 21 days after she has delivered a calf is especially powerful. It must be remembered that in India cows are especially well taken care of, even revered. They are brushed and washed regularly and they are not milked when they are pregnant. In Vedic times, care of the cow was considered sattvic. There was no need to pasteurize or tone milk. With the appearance of anthrax, people in Europe became alarmed and pasteurization began and saved many lives. Pasteurization was an alternative to disease. But no one ever thought to revert to cleaning and properly caring for the cow. Thus today we have ultra-pasteurization and poorly cared-for cows who, instead of being gently hand-milked by someone who cares about them, are milked electronically without sensitivity. 

In ayurveda cows are classified according to color and place of residence. Milk from a black cow is highly praised and recommended. Such milk is like nectar and it relieves gases, mucus, bile, burning sensations, depression, heart disease, stomach troubles, kidney disorders, jaundice and more. Milk from a spotted cow, brown cow or red cow cures problems of excess bile. But milk from a cow whose calf has died creates mucus, bile and gas. Milk from a cow who has stopped feeding her calf is strengthening but harder to digest. So in this way, before modern society condemns milk, they might do well to consult those who have the experience of loving and knowing cows as we do in India. There is more to be discussed than the fact that cows are mistreated. One must learn how to treat the cow properly and that includes taking her milk, which is her gift to humanity in return for her being nicely taken care of.

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