I have found conclusive answers for not eating onion , garlic and mushrooms but this one floors me.I end up giving the only reason which I heard-'eating masoor dal is considered equivalent to eating meat'. Is this true? can someone plz provide a valid reason for this.
Thanks in advance
YS
dipti
Replies
No It doesnt mean that you are monkey and your wife is cow, it means we are more than monkeys and cows we are Krishna Bhaktas (Krishnatarians) not just vegetarians like monkeys and cows.
And that quote comes from Srila Prabhupada! He is so Funny and so amazingly full of transcendental jokes that make real sense.
LOL!
Nitai Gauranga!
I came across this article by Prabhuji Kurma Dasa
Dal: An Answer to the Protein Question
By Kurma Dasa
Beef-, fish-, and chicken-lovers take note: There’s a cheaper, tastier, healthier and saintlier way to meet your protein needs.
A vegetarian friend of mine recently told me of a nightmare one-day unscheduled stopover in an Eastern European city “What do you have for vegetarians?” she asked the head waiter in the restaurant of a five-hundred room hotel where he was spending the night. The waiter replied with an astonished look. “We have nothing for vegetarians. I don’t know what you people eat.” He then sauntered to another table, obviously amazed that human beings could exist without meat.
This amazed me since I was of the opinion that the world had at last caught up with the vegetarian ethic. But it seems there are still a few isolated pockets of ignorance.
It wasn’t too long ago, though, that a vegetarian diet, a way of life for millions in India and other Eastern countries, was still considered the eighth wonder of the world. It conjured up images of a monotonous diet with a paucity of form and flavour—boiled green beans and mashed potatoes on an otherwise empty plate, and of bony, slightly wild-eyed young men in sandals.
Nowadays people are coming to realise that those ideas are cultural myths spawned by a society addicted to hamburgers, barbecues, roast beef and medium rare steaks. In truth, a vegetarian diet is anything but strange. There are at least 40 or so kinds of commonly eaten vegetables, 25 kinds of dried peas and beans, dozens of varieties of fruits, nuts, grains and many types of dairy products.
Take dal for instance, the subject of this essay. Dal is the generic name for all members of the dried pea and bean family, and also the name of the dishes made from them. Dal is also the ultimate Indian comfort food. It’s hearty, but not heavy, rich in flavour but light on digestion, the protein-rich staple for millions. Dal is not only delicious but it’s a good source of iron and B vitamins, and an excellent source of vegetable protein.
When you combine dal with a food that has complementary protein, like breads, rice or dairy products, a synergistic reaction occurs, and the usable protein in the dal increases by as much as 40%. In other words, if you eat ¾ cup of dal with 2 cups of rice, you get the protein equivalent of a quarter-kilo steak.
And if you eat dal and rice today instead of steak or hamburger, you won’t have to worry about cholesterol or calories. You won’t be having dinner that was once an innocent steer who suffered in filthy, over-crowded pens, was injected with antibiotics and tranquilisers, and was forced to eat an unnatural diet so he would gain weight quickly and cheaply.
Nor need you concern yourself about the fear of poisons that animals release into their blood at the time of slaughter. Nor about the bacteria from putrefactive decomposition. (They’re not all killed by cooking.) You won’t have to worry about the dozens of diseases and parasites that a meat-bearing animal suffers from, nor how its life was utterly miserable from birth to death. Nor will you pay exorbitant prices for your food. Yet you will receive all the protein your body requires for good health.
I hope it will be a help to you, Mataji.
Love always in Krsna,
Tatch Ram
let us not confuse people further with such quotations :) As Subramanium Pr said- we are aware of the major prohibited food articles- that shld be good enough ..
Hare Krishna!
@ Dipti,
I think it is better for us to follow Shrila Prabhupada completely rather than choosing what we should and what we should not.
Accepted that the above quote is very strong but we should also understand the context in which Shrila Prabhupada is mentioning. Prabhupada has mentioned Masur and Urad clearly without any confusion. Just for our sake we can't use one and leave another. Either use both based upon our choice or reject both as Prabhupada says.
But the point of discussion is that in what context Prabhupada mentioned this? Is this during only Chaturmasya because SP is writing the above quote wrt to Chaturmasya?
The protein content in Masur Dal is 26g/100 gm of meal and in Urad dal it is 24g and in Soya beans it 36 g. When we are taking Soyabean and Urad, what is the harm in taking Masur.... This can be one sort of debate. I have come across of some quotes regarding Urad-dhal where Prabhupada is recommending to be had. And in another case Prabhupada does not say anything regarding when the discussion about Masur dal has come. In fact these are the only two hits I received in Vedabase.
However instead of we deciding it, we should consult some senior devotees who were actually cooking during the time of Shrila Prabhupada.
Please forgive me for any offenses committed in this write-up.
One devotee was telling how Srla Prabhupada told him that that devotee was an idiot and less intelligent. And another time Srila Prabhupada said that "All my disciples are pure devotees." He also had said that anyone who is a devotee of Krishna is the most intelligent person above all. So which one is that devotee???? We have to understand Srila Prabhupada's meaning in each and every context or we can become lost.
And by the way that devotee is a very nice and senior devotee.
Hare Krishna!
Dandavat pranaam,All Glories To Srila Prabhupada
Thank you all for your valuable inputs
Thank you Aishwarya Pr for taking out time to compile the document.Appreciate your efforts.But my question is pertaining to only Masoor Dal & your doc does not mention it anywhere :).Cld you find some references for masoor dal
I believe Prasadam plays an important role in Krishna Consciousness.Cooking for programs is my service and so I end up with a lot of queries related to food restrictions followed in Krishna Consciousness.Most new families(aspiring devotees) are somehow intimidated by these restrictions.It is easy to explain them if we have convincing answers.That was the purpose of the question in the first place since I had no clue abt Masoor dal except a vague idea abt Brahmana story given by Santosh Pr.
I have compiled a write-up on food items for the benefit of local devotees here in Bloomington.Some of you may find it useful too..
Krishna Prasad-Snapshot
What to eat : Food offered to Sri Krishna.
What to avoid?
Following foods items are unofferable to Krishna & hence cannot be consumed by devotees
Onion : Mode of passion
Garlic : Mode of ignorance
Shallots : Mode of passion
Leeks : Mode of passion
Masoor Dal : Mode of ignorance
Mushrooms : Mode of ignorance
Meat : Dead matter –Mode of ignorance
Eggs : Dead matter –Mode of ignorance
Beverages/foods containing caffeine: Coffee, tea, coke, pepsi, cocoa etc.- Stimulants
Commonly found animal byproducts in food items:
Gelatin:
Some brands of yogurt and sour cream contain gelatin, a substance made from the horns, hooves, and bones of slaughtered animals. Also many desserts and jelly preparations contain gelatin.
Most common items containing gelatin: Yogurt, Sour cream, Marshmallows, packaged desserts-puddings, custards, jams, spreads
Renin :
An enzyme extracted from the stomach tissues of slaughtered calves. Traditionally cheese was made only by using rennin. Most hard cheese sold in America contains rennet, so be careful about any cheese you can't verify as rennet less. Renin can also be obtained by microbial or vegetable sources. Such cheese is usually called Natural cheese. So check the label carefully before buying.
Intestinal remnants on Silver Foil (Warck) :
Silver foil is used to decorate Indian sweets. Silver foil is made by hammering silver under layers of freshly slaughtered cow intestine. Imagine-this is offered as part of Prasad in temples too
Mono and Di-glycerides :
Used as preservatives in almost all packaged products like breads, biscuits, jams, chips etc. They are usually derived from animal fat and sometimes from plant sources. The source is never mentioned on the label. We are required to call the manufacturer and ask. Our devotees have cross-checked with manufacturers regarding certain items like bread etc.
Lard:
Animal Fat. Used in baking -usually in cookies, biscuits etc.It is much cheaper than vegetable fat hence used as a substitute. In India shocking discoveries of Ghee (pure ghee) adulterated with lard have been made. Hence advisable to buy ghee from reliable sources only. I am not sure of this test but seemingly a simple observation of the ghee sample can show you adulteration. Any ghee would be uniformly homogenous and not half semi-solid and the other bottom half fully caked hard. This most likely contains about 15% animal fats.
In a research Amul Ghee was found to be the purest though it was also a mixture of cow and buffalo ghee
Restaurant Food:
Best to avoid outside food but even when eating Vegetarian food in restaurants plz note the following:
• French fries are sometimes fried in fish oil for taste
• Most Chinese and Thai food is prepared in fish oil
• Many vegetarian dishes are prepared using chicken stock
• Naan (Indian flat bread) is made soft using eggs
• Dressings used in salads contain egg.e.g:mayonnaise
• Most ice-creams contain egg whites
• Most American restaurants do not consider egg as non-vegetarian (in some cases even white meat- chicken, turkey etc. and sea food is not considered non-veg)
Brands which we can buy (according to research done by devotees) :
Plz Note: This list is not comprehensive
• Cheese : Sargento, Amul
• Bread : Arnold, Brownberry
• Ghee : Homemade,Amul ghee
• Cake Frosting : Pillsbury Plain Vanilla
• Ice-cream : Bryers All Natural (only some flavours are eggless-plz check label carefully before buying)
• Yogurt/Sour cream : Stonefield, any brand which does not contain gelatin
• Flavored Yogurt : Stonefield (stick to this)
• Pastry sheets : Pepperidge farm
• Mayonnaise : Vegannaise (available in health food stores)
• Whipping cream : Deans (purple pack) ,Organic Valley
• Coffee : Barley coffee-Cafix, Pero ,Dec-café
• Tea : Herbal tea-Celestial, De-café tea
• Cocoa substitute : Carob –available as powder and chips
Few ingredients to watch out in product labels:
ALBUMEN: Egg Albumen. Albumin. In eggs, milk, muscles, blood and in many vegetable tissues and fluids. In cosmetics, albumen is usually derived from egg whites.
AMINO ACIDS: Animal or plant sources. In cosmetics, vitamins, supplements, shampoos, etc.
AMYLASE: An enzyme prepared from the pancreas of hogs. In cosmetics and Inedicines.
ARACHIDONIC ACID: A liquid unsaturated fatty acid occurring in the liver, brain, glands, and fat of animals. Generally isolated from the liver. In skin creams and lotions to soothe eczema and rashes.
ASPIC: An industry alternative for gelatin. Is made from clarified meat, fish or vegetable stocks and gelatin
CALCIFEROOL: Vitamin D. Ergocalciferol (Vitamin D2, Ergosterol, provitarnin D2, Calciferool). Vitamin D3. Vitamin D can come from fish-liver oil, eggs, milk, butter. Vitamin D2 is made by irradiating ergosterol, a provitamin from plants or yeast. Vitamin D3 is from fish-liver oil. In creams, lotions, other cosmetics, vitamins. Alternatives: sunshine, plant sources, synthetics.
CALCIUM CARBONATE: Calcite. Aragonite. A white or colorless powder, crystalline compund, found mainly in limestone, marble and chalk, bones, teeth, shells and plant ash.
CALCIUM PHOSPHATE: Any number of phosphates of calcium found in bones, teeth, and other animal tissues and used in medicine and in the manufacture of enamels, glass, cleaning agents, etc.
CARMINE: Cochineal. Carminic Acid. E120. Red pigment from the crushed female cochineal insect. Reportedly 70,000 beetles may be killed to produce one pound of this red dye. Used in cosmetics, shampoos, red apple sauce and other foods. May cause allergic reactions. Alternatives: beet juice, no known toxicity (used in powders, rouges, shampoos); alkanet root, from the root of an herblike tree, no known toxicity (used as a red dye for inks, wines, lip balms, etc. and can be combined to make a copper or blue coloring).
CETYL ALCOHOL: Cetyl Lactate. Cetyl Myristate. Cetyl Palmitate. Ceteth-1, 02, etc. Wax found in spermaceti from sperm whales or dolphin. Used in lipsticks, mascaras, nail polish removers, hand lotions, cream, rouges and many other cosmetics, shampoos, hair lacquers and other hair products, deodorants, antiperspirants (US regulations currently prohibit the use of ingredients derived from marine mammals.) Alternatives: vegetable cetyl alcohol (ie. coconut) synthetic spermaceti.
COD LIVER OIL: Fish Liver Oil. Fish Livers. Used in Lubricating creams and lotions, vitamins and supplements. In milk fortified with Vitamin D. Alternatives: vegetable oils, yeast extract ergosterol, sunshine.
COLLAGEN: A fibrous protein in vertebrates. Usually derived from animal tissue. In cosmetics. Can't affect the skin's own collagen. Alternatives: soy protein, almond oil, amla oil (from Indian tree's fruit).
DEPANTHENOL: Panthenol. Vitamin B Complex Factor. Provitarnin B5. Can come from animal or plant sources or synthetics. In shampoos, foods, supplements, emollients, etc.
DIGLYCERIDES: Monoglycerides. Glycerides. From animal fat. In margarines, cake mixes, confectionaries, foods, peanut butter, non-dairy coffee creamer, cosmetics, etc. Glycerin. Alternatives: vegetable monoglycerides and diglycerides, synthetics.
ELASTIN: Found in the neck ligaments and aorta of bovine. Similar to collagen. Can't affect the skin's own elasticity. Alternatives: synthetics, proteins from plant tissues.
ESTRADIOL: Estrone. Estrogen. From cow ovaries and pregnant mares' urine. Considered a drug. Can have harmful systemic effects if used by children. Used for reproductive problems and in birth control pills. In creams and lotions. Has no effect in the creams as a "nourishing" factor and simple vegetable source creams are considered better. Alternatives: Oral contraceptives marketed today are usually based on synthetic steroids. Phytoestrogens (from plants) are being researched currently.
GELATIN: Sometimes Gel. Protein obtained by boiling skin, tendons, ligaments or bones with water, from cattle and hogs. Used in shampoos, face masks, other cosmetics. Used as a thickener for fruit gelatins and puddings (Jello-brand desserts). In candies, marshmallows, cakes, ice cream, yogurts. On photographic film as a coating and in vitamins as capsules. Sometimes used to assist in "clearing" wines. Alternatives: algae and seaweed (carrageen/ Irish Moss, algin, agar-agar, kelp), Gelozone, used in jellies, plastics, medicines, pectin from fruit, dextrins, locust bean gum and cotton gum. Marshmallows were originally made from the root of the marshmallow plant.
LANOLIN: Lanolin Acid. Lanolin Alcohols (Sterol, Triterpene Alcohol, Aliphatic Alcohol). Wool Fat. Laneth-5, -10, etc. Lanogene. Lanosterol. Isopropyl Lanolate. A product of the oil glands of sheep, extracted from their wool. In many skin care products and cosmetics and in medicines. Some cosmetic companies won't use it because it commonly causes allergic contact skin rashes, and also they consider it to be a cheap filler. Vegetable sources are thought to be better moisturizers; lanolin is too greasy, waterproof and sealing - skin can't breathe.
LARD: Fat from hog abdomens. In shaving creams, soaps, cosmetics, baked goods and other foods. Hard to digest. Alternatives: vegetable fats or oils.
Plz Note: This article is in no manner comprehensive and will provide a general idea of foods items and ingredients to avoid.There is always a possibility of increase in this list of items.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Madhya 4.169
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