hare krishnai have a few doubts regarding chaturmasys.1. what is the in depth meaning of vishnu goes to sleep?(obviously god does not sleep for 4 months a year)2. why are foods rich in protien such as urad dal considered non veg. ?(read it in the caturmasya article)3. how is refraining from milk (and curd)considered sense gratification? it is the purest form of food.(even in the Bhagvad Gita lord says that cow milk and milk products are sattvika in nature then why refrain from consuming sattvika food?)please clarify my doubts.thank you.Hare Krishna.
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Hare Krishna Prabhu, please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
It is Lord's lila - to go to sleep. But His sleep is not ordinary. When He sleeps He can still control whole creation and also meditate upon His own lilas in Vaikuntha of Gokul.
Not only He goes to sleep but also many Demigods do so. So i heard that in particular times some of Demigods go to sleep and human body won't be able to digest particular types of food. So it is one of many reasons.
So these 4 months are meant for doing austerities. As like chaste wife does not decorate her self nicely when her husband is out. So we doing austerities and controlling our senses try to show our chastity and devotion to the Lord while He is resting.
Kartik month is very special month so that month especially should be used for pure devotional services. But if we eat food rich for protein our senses will be very active and we will have lusty desires. So in order to control our lust and other material desires we should fast from such foods.
It says that in Chaturmasya if one restrains from 6 tastes it will also considered as one type of austerity.
So milk has all 6 tastes, so if we fast from milk it will also be an austerity. Plus some Demigods who digest milk are sleeping.
Another thing i heard that usually in this month cows give birth to child so it is not allowed to drink her milk for one month. So this is also another reason out of many.
But i heard that we can add turmeric and honey to milk and that won't be considered as milk...
Also it says one can add water to curd and have that curd.
...
For example it says if one fast from salt will have sweet voice;
if one fasts from honey will have shining skin...
so main thing is THESE 4 MONTHS ARE MEANT FOR AUSTERITIES.
Replies
besides whatever is there in God we copy not He copies us.
i mean He sleeps we sleep, He eats we eat, He enjoys we enjoy, He perspires we perspire....
But His Body is spiritual and what is He doing is also spiritual but ours is material.
Hare Krishna Prabhu, please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
It is Lord's lila - to go to sleep. But His sleep is not ordinary. When He sleeps He can still control whole creation and also meditate upon His own lilas in Vaikuntha of Gokul.
Not only He goes to sleep but also many Demigods do so. So i heard that in particular times some of Demigods go to sleep and human body won't be able to digest particular types of food. So it is one of many reasons.
So these 4 months are meant for doing austerities. As like chaste wife does not decorate her self nicely when her husband is out. So we doing austerities and controlling our senses try to show our chastity and devotion to the Lord while He is resting.
Kartik month is very special month so that month especially should be used for pure devotional services. But if we eat food rich for protein our senses will be very active and we will have lusty desires. So in order to control our lust and other material desires we should fast from such foods.
It says that in Chaturmasya if one restrains from 6 tastes it will also considered as one type of austerity.
So milk has all 6 tastes, so if we fast from milk it will also be an austerity. Plus some Demigods who digest milk are sleeping.
Another thing i heard that usually in this month cows give birth to child so it is not allowed to drink her milk for one month. So this is also another reason out of many.
But i heard that we can add turmeric and honey to milk and that won't be considered as milk...
Also it says one can add water to curd and have that curd.
...
For example it says if one fast from salt will have sweet voice;
if one fasts from honey will have shining skin...
so main thing is THESE 4 MONTHS ARE MEANT FOR AUSTERITIES.
Your servant,