Hare Krishna
I'm a school going devotee and I'm not initiated.Though I have been into bhakti since long, I have drastically got closer to krishna consciousness this year.
A few months back , I was constantly getting videos about kanthi; being familiar with the required rules of not eating garlic and onion I did not decide to wear it until my foreign- exchange program as I was uncertain of what my host family there would give me. My whole family is a vegetarian and none of us consume alchohol however garlic and onion is used very often. I also discussed this with my other devotee friend but after that conversation I felt extremely uneasy for no reason at all. I then decided to get kanthi and felt relieved. I have no intention of wearing a kanthi just to showcase myself as a devotee when I cannot abide by the rules of wearing it. I met with a terrible accident in Germany during which all sorts of protective acccesories that one is made to wear came off before or during this incident, except my kanthi which has made it extremely special to me.
What troubles me is that I try my best to avoid onion and garlic containing items , but all dishes in my house contain them.Another thing is that though I have no lust for onion and garlic, but whenever I go out with my cousins or friends I find it really difficult to refuse the vegeterian options they offer, often containing onion or garlic..most of them eat non veg and already have to make an exception for me..therefore I cannot bring myself to request for more. Ofcourse they do not boast about it , but I feel very bad to cause them such inconvinience because I'm not the one paying. Refusing to eat altogether makes the situation even more awkward. Does this mean I'm disrespecting my kanthi in such situations? will such circumstanstial consumptions of onion and garlic hinder my progress in bhakti?
Looking forward to your guidance
Hare Krishna
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