A pedestrian at Chandni Chowk offered Richard (now Radhanath Swami) food at a roadside restaurant. While eating his dinner Richard saw a white cow nuzzling its calf. Richard’s heart melted upon seeing the gentle and graceful movements of the calf and the cow. The innocence that shone in the eyes of the animals touched him and Richard thought how the loving exchanges they shared with each other is so similar to those of a human mother and her child. Just then the host pointed out to Richard the chunks of meat on his plate. Richard suddenly felt pained to realize that meat meant innocent animals are slaughtered in organized slaughterhouses. For the first time Richard made a connection between his diet and suffering of animals; he realized how humans are insensitive and cruel towards these innocent children of God. That night he vomited the meat and repeatedly dreamt of the cows. He then took a vow to never again eat meat.
While meat eating is not advisable for spiritual advancement, cow meat is certainly destructive. It takes a person away from God, says Radhanath Swami. Radhanath Swami personally served cows for over a decade in a farm in America. He points out that in the Indian culture cow is referred to as ‘go mata, ‘mother cow’. It’s abominable for a cultured person to kill and eat the flesh of his own mother. In India thousands of places are named after mother cow (‘go’): Gauhati, Gorakhpur, Goa, Godhra, Gondiya, Godavari, Goverdhan, Gautam, Gomukh, Gokarna, Goyal, and Gochar besides many others. These names signify reverence for the cow, and the abiding faith that cow is to be respected as mother.
The arguments for cow slaughter are no more uncontested. There are better sources of protein than beef. Any dietician’s chart shows that beef with 22 per cent protein ranks below soya-bean (43), groundnut (31) and pulses (24 per cent). One kilogram of beef takes seven kg of crops and 7,000 kg of water to produce. Thus cow protection makes economic and ecological sense. Non-vegetarianism indirectly contributes heavily to greenhouse gases and other pollution. The UN report (2006) states, “Raising animals for meat as food generates more greenhouse gases than all the cars and trucks in the world combined”.
’Radhanath Swami explains that we can tell a person’s consciousness by what they eat and how they eat. There are people in mode of ignorance who like to eat all kinds of stale food or food that’s product of bloodshed, murder and horrible suffering. That is the food in the mode of ignorance. Then there is food in the mode of passion, which is very hot and simulating to the senses and the mind. The vegetarian food is in the mode of goodness because it minimizes violence as far as possible. “But even if you eat vegetarian food, it’s still sinful because it’s the property of God, and there is some violence involved”, says Radhanath Swami. Violence is far less compared to eating fish, meat, eggs and similar things. but it’s still sinful because it’s not completely free from violence. Therefore the best food, Radhanath Swami says is a vegetarian food cooked and offered with love and devotion to God; that makes it free of all bad karma.
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Founder-acharya of the International Society For Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)
“Go to India” a sweet but commanding voice; spoke up in the heart of young Richard (later Radhanath Swami) who was immersed in meditation, his search for meaning in life has brought him to the Isle of Crete. Today he was ordered to go to India. Born and raised in the middle class suburbs of Chicago, Radhanath swami grew up in the 1950’s and 60’s era when popular musicians protested war, prejudice and social injustice. Radhanath swami would listen to these songs again and again, but their lyrics referring to God stirred his soul. Peter, Paul and Mary- the folk trio from Greenswich village sang in their debut album
“Early in the morning, about the break of day
I ask the Lord, to help me find my way”
This simple prayer was to guide Radhanath swami in the coming years of his life........
This narration clearly distinguish that there is nothing good in non vegetarian food.it is simply shows the cruelty of human being to innocent animals.
View CommentVery informative piece of information. I hope, more and more people turn towards pure, spiritual food after reading this.
View CommentAmazing article.
View CommentWe are living in a world where we are shielded from reality sometimes by force and other times by choice. Thank you Radhanath Swami for opening our eyes.
View CommentThis statment is very true and such a deep anyalisis for mother cow, Gurudev has commented.Jai Gurudev!!!
View Commentwonderful,thank you very much
View CommentVery Nice Article
View CommentRadhanath Swami Maharaj teaches non violence in every aspect of life!
View CommentVery nice contemplation!
View CommentHow soft Swamiji’s heart is……just by seeing love between a cow & calf he gave up eating meat…..very nice realisation…..thanks for sharing
View CommentThe excerpts from Lecture of Radhanath Swami are really touching.. It gives discrimination to individual…Jai Radhanath Swami,,,Glories to Him And Glories to his followers
View CommentThank you for reminding us the importance of eating Krishna Prasadam.
View CommentGreat read for all ages to come !!
View CommentThe connection made between the cow and the various places named after her, is amazing.
View CommentMahraj intorduced the need for krishna prasadam at the ending in a very nice way.
View CommentHow can one eat one’s mother…
View CommentVery convincing thought flow with facts and figures. Thank you for sharing this
View CommentWhat is the advancement we are making in this world where we are becoming so insensitive to fellow living beings! A soft and kind heart immediately turns away from such sinful/cruel ways of satisfying our tongues!
View CommentOur food decides our consciousness
View CommentThank you Maharajah for teaching us that only vegetarianism is not enough. The crucial point is we should cook with devotion and offer to God with love.
View CommentThis article must be read by everyone. Killing animals for gratification of the taste buds is most unfortunate situation today. Radhanath Swami’s realization is a vital message that we must stop this murder for love and peace to exist in the world.
View CommentNice discription. For spiritual advancement, we must avoid the meat eating. Here Maharaj explained why we have to protect Cow and its importance as per the Indian tradition. Thank you Maharaj.
View CommentThank you for sharing the statistics w.r.t. the higher protien content in vegetables.
View CommentAlso for sharing that our consciousness is a result of our diet. Thank you. This is very useful information
Actually what H.H. Radhanath Swami has spoken is very true , one must follow that.
View CommentVery inspiring article……thanks
View Commentwonderful article and this is such useful information that we all must understand and implement in our regular life, haribol, rajesh karia
View CommentHHRNSM is very true in what he has just illustrated and we must all be so thankful to HHRNSM for making giving us this wonderful knowledge and guide us in our spiritual path, HHRNSN ki Jai! Krishna Prasadam ki Jai! haribol, bhakti
View CommentThis is a wonderful article by Radhanath Swami. A must read.
View Commentthese articles as meditations on Radhanath Swami’s book are awesome, in the sense that the statistics given in this article to explain economic and social ill-effects of cow slaughter are so easy to understand and remember. Thank you.
View Commentmany thanks for posting this nice article
View CommentThank you Radhanath Swamiji
View CommentVery nice
View CommentNowadays many people are becoming vegans due to the inhuman maintenance and upkeep of the cows. How I wish the whole world would be vegetarians! Wow!
View CommentRadhanath Swami’s vivid explanation is inspiring
View CommentThe best foodis a vegetarian food cooked and offered with love and devotion to God; that makes it free of all bad karma.
This is endorsed by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, wherein He says that any food eaten without offering it to Him is verily eating sin.
Thank you HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj.
View CommentVeg food is the best food for SPIRITUAL PROGRESS.
View CommentRadhanath Swami can inspire and convince even hard core nonveggies to lead a life of pure vegetarianism.
View CommentAn important one!
View CommentThis example motivate people who are addicted to eat flesh. We should always be compassionate towards every living entity as we all are parts and parcel of God.
View CommentIf one looks around, one learns how one lives in a world of hypocrisy. We say something and do something.This is what Radhanath swami wants to tells us
View CommentRadhanath Swami could make the connection between what we eat and the mercy towards other living entities, even though he was born and brought up in a culture where meat eating is not forbidden. We must learn something from this and try to imbibe his teachings.
View Commentvery nice
View CommentReally nice article
View CommentRadhanath Swami explains that we can tell a person’s consciousness by what they eat and how they eat.
Hmm! the statement is packed with punch, there is a learning for us,you don’t need others opinion on your character ,just look at your plate and you have the answer.
View CommentVery nice analysis showing how non-vegetarianism is so dangerous to not only persons consciousness but also to environment. Any sane person can understand how violent act it is to kill animals just to satisfy the tongue of people
View CommentThank you Maharajah for bringing to our attention that just to satisfy our uncontrolled tongue, how we are violently killing
View Commentthe animals and justifying it with dietary requirements.
Vegetarian diet also leads to good health
View CommentRadhanath Swami Maharaj ki jai!
View Commentwonderful insights by Radhanath Swmai
View Commentwonderful insights by Radhanath Swami
View Comment