Hare Krishna to all.
I've been listening this from our all senior mentors and devotees that we must always engaged in communication which involves Krishna consciousness talks. Since I am a neophyte devotee but still try to talk and try to spread harinam with aethists and materialistic people. But they always say we need proof if God exists or anything related to Vedas. Also, I have observed that aethists always give scientific reasons to defend themselves against God talks. So, I have 2 questions which I put to aethists to tell them that God still exists but I myself was unanswerable since I am really lacking in spiritual knowledge to prove things as they are.
1. Many aethists who eat non-veg when asked to stop meat eating since it is sin and unlimited innocent animals are being killed just for the sake of tounge taste justify themselves by replying that even plants have life then why vegeterian people eat those?
2. I've read in Srimad Bhagavad Gita that whatever a human being things during their death time, in next life they become that. For eg if a man is thinking about cat at his death time he will become cat in his next life. So, one aethist asked me what is the living proof of this concept that what man thinks at this death time, he will be become that in the next life. Who have seen this?
Looking for practical answer for my above 2 queries.
Hare krishna
Replies
One more thing I would like to add is we Vaishnavas offer everything to Lord Krishna to make it a prasadam. Even when we cut vegetables and fruits also we are offering mentally to Lord and then only consuming. It is also important to note that in Olden days vaishnavas used to never pluck a veggie or fruit directly from the tree as they thought in the process of plucking the tree might get hurt. So they used to go collect only ripe , fallen fruit and vegetables. And before cutting offer prayer and after cooking offer to Lord and consume.
These days we get vegetables and fruits all from the market so we don't know with what consciousness the farmer might have plucked so just offering to Lord makes is pure and Parasadam.
These days here in USA we get Organic- grass fed cow milk also. These days cows milk also is extracted with cruel machinery and the cows might get hurt in the process of extraction. And they give even hormones to cows to increase production. We cannot trust the cow milk also. just going by labels which says " Organic Cow Milk Grass fed" it seems they feed the cows even no veg foods left over foods from hotels. So, it is becoming diffcult to trust anything.
Organic Grass fed cow milk, Organic Grass-fed butter, Organic grass- fed cheese. just going by labels.
Sarvam Sri Krishnaarpanamasthu !!!
What can we do more then this. even cheese is contaminated with rennet some enzyme from the stomach contents of the cows. So Cheese without Rennet is also available .. buying that .
In future we may convert to veganism rather seeing the cruelity against the cows.
Hare Krishna.
Hare Krishna Prabhu,
One cannot make an atheist understand or change them. It is impossible. This endeavor to change an atheist would make us only lose our faith. Just avoiding the company of atheists is the best that we can do. You see. Logic, reasoning, thinking reasoning, cognizition, discrimination these are all coming under the function of intellect. But Intellect is also made of matter. Matter can be explained with logic reasoning .. You can describe anything made of matter which the intellect will perceive but God is beyond matter. These atheists only think and see only what is visible to the eyes, but alas! eyes only see those things which are grossly visible ( 2D, 3D forms) one can explain anything which is in these limits giving reasoning why this substance has this much weight, what is its mass, what is the volume, density ... But God is spiritual thing. It is not simply possible for explaining logically these spiritual things.
your first question is about plants having life. Yes, they sure have life there is exchange of O2 and release of Co2, plants take in water and use sunlight to make food and glusose is the end product of photosynthesis. There is well developed root system and shoot system to carry out these functions ... but there is no brain and nervous system formed in the plants. isn't it?
If I try to bring a sharp object towards you even before I come near...you will try to move aside .. this is called pain response. This movement is due to fear of pain...Even animals respond to fire.. if there is some predator or fire they try to run to safe gaurd themselves., run to protect themselves. This response is due to reflex action to the stimuli the brain sends impulses to the muscles to move, run and escape. This is the function of nervous system. But if I prick the tree or lit of fire next to the tree also. the tree shows no movement. It is Jadha ( its consciousness is like this) though having life. It has limited consciousness. Compared to a stone a tree is in better position. Atleast tree is transpire, making food for itself and growing showing some change. Tree also grows, traspires and gets older, dies. They are lively but the consciousness is very less compared to humans or animals.
I want you to see this vid. It is really a good content vid. esp. a tight slap for these non veg. eaters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rYp6EjvlJ8
The arguements these non vegetarians pose are completely addresssed here. You can watch to get more information.
The second question:--
We know the story of Jada Bharata that example if we say also they wont accept it at all. they will surely say show us living proof. These atheists wants to disapprove basically the rebirth reincarnation and concept of soul itself. finally they come to this point that there is rebirth there is no soul at all. This is not so easy to show as soul is spiritual and these atheists think in material concept.
यं यं वापि स्मरन्भावं त्यजत्यन्ते कलेवरम् |
तं तमेवैति कौन्तेय सदा तद्भावभावित: ( 8.6 BG)
Lord says.--
Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail.
Now these are not my words. Its Lord Krishna's words and there is nothing more proof needed for us then this.
Hare Krishna.
Hare KRsna PRabhuji,
PAMHO.
Regarding plant eating and animal killing, the thing is - when we eat vegetables/ fruits, we are not necessarily killing plant. We are taking the fruit of the plant (could be a vegetable), the plant remains. I know the immediate argument will be on the underground vegetables like carrot, radish, coriander leaves. These are permitted to eat. Liek others mentioned already, its about developed consciousness. I dont think it requires too much to understand that the consciousness of plant is much lower than animal. Similarly, consciousness of animals and humans are expected to be at different levels.
Regarding proof of rebirth in the yoni as per last thought at the time of leaving body, classic example is of Bharat Maharaj who became deer and then Jada Bharat. These people will not accept because they dont have faith. You could explain that even among dogs, for example, we can make out different natures of 2 dogs.
Maybe you coudl give examples like the following:
- our body is made such that water comes out from the pores in the form of sweat, but water doesnt seep in when we take bath. Isnt it miraculous?
- Who has made arrangement for water to go right up a coconut tree and fill up the coconut, which is 2-3 floors above ground (if we compare with multi storeyed building's height).
- How does the entire body get blood, from head to toe. Through heart that functions non stop from before birth till maybe 100 years? Can any machine do the same without malfuncitoning or repairs requiring it to be temporarily shut?
- How come same soil produces chilli and same soil produces tomato or fruit?
- Who is regulating traffic so perfectly that all planets are moving around the sun in their orbit, all seasons happen in the same order and for the same duration every year, sunrise and sunset happen as per schedule everyday. Is it possible that its happening by chance, without regulation? Try making an imitation of the solar system. Then can you say, the planet model just fell into place without human intervention? No na. When a mere imitation cannot happen by chance, how the original will hapen by chance?
After saying the above, you say this - there is enough miracles happening around us everyday in nature When we have not trained our eyes to see those and appreciate them, then how can we expect to see God ? We have not trained ourselves for it at all.
Haribol,
YOur servant,
Radha Rasamayi DD
Hare Krishna Prabhu ji,
PAMHO,
Now, if your friends are saying that plants are also living and that is also killing, yes, but there the amount of violence against a plant is very less as compared to a chicken or an animal. Also, there is a research done, on this, that does animal feels same pain or not? And after doing research it was found that our nervous system and their nervous system work mostly same. So the amount of pain which we feel on being cut, the same amount of pain will be experienced by them also.
Also, there are two parts of food 🍞 1st is gross which we see and touch and 2nd is subtle part which is unseen to our eyes but it is there. And also we have two bodies too, 1st is Gross which is made up of panch mahabhut (earth, water, fire, air and ether) and we have liver, kidneys, lungs etc. And 2nd is subtle which is unseen to our eyes. And its part are mind, intelligence, ego which are unseen and untouched but they are there. So, if you eat chicken then it will nourish your body but brutally affects the subtle part because of fear, anxiety and curses of that being. Also we should eat prasadam because Vegetarian is far better than non-veg but prasadam is infinite times better than veg.
And 2nd query, let me do some research, but for now, you can prove them first that soul is there and it transmigrate from one body to another and it scientifically, have proven, there was a psychiatrist Ian Steveson who researched for 40 years years on reincarnations, rebirth etc. And have written so many books.
Also don't instruct them about Harinam directly like harinam is krishna himself, or krishna name has this much potency etc. If they say somethings against then it will be a aparadha against Holy name. Please read 10 offenses aginst Harinam.
Your Servant
Prince Kumar
Hare Krishna
1. You can ask your athiest friend is it okay to eat human beings? If not plants or animals are available? We need to eat something right? Plants are given to us. Animals have a deleloped consciosuness its just ignorant to compare a dog or a cow to a plant. Just PLAIN foolish. Animals if they have enough brain will be humans in next life. But as humans if we just kill these poor animals (its killing they didnt commit suicide) the karma we devlop from killing can lead us onto becoming animals OR at least having animal like concsiouness (which by and large is the same as being an animal).