Hindus are very specific in worship. They will ensure that everything is done properly and in accordance with scriptures. They are also very specific about auspicious timing of worship. They will visit as many temples as possibly can during their lifespan. They will read numerous scriptures. They will listen to number of kathas and will not miss a single chance of getting blessing from saints and sages from all walk of life. And yet most Hindus seem confused about worship and tend to crosscheck on every festivals from priest and saints to calendars and layman. They do not have full confidence on themselves. If one understand the scriptures thoroughly then one will not get confused.
Let us look at the very popular verse (shloka) from Geeta:
“Patram paushpam falam toyam yo me bhaktya prayachchhati | Tadaham bhaktyu pahrutamashãnami prayatãtmanah ||” (Geeta 9:26)
(Whoever offers to Me with love a leaf, a flower, a fruit or even water, I accept in person before that disinterested devotee of sinless mind, and delightfully partake of that article offered by him with love.)
Lord Krishna said, O Arjuna, all I need is patram (leaves), pushpam (flowers), falam (fruits) and toyam (water) and nothing more.
So we all are very happy to offer patram (tulsi, durva, billi), pushpam (flowers), falam (seasonal fruits) and toyam (water) in worship. And we believe that we have worshiped the Lord exactly how He wants us to do. Our understanding up to here is quite simple as we have understood the verse according to our perception. We will be proud to tell others that we read Geeta regularly and that we know and understand Geeta thoroughly.
However Geeta is not just one verse. Geeta is a collection of 700 verses of which 500 verses are said to have been told by Krishna. All those verses said by Krishna are interconnected with each other. Therefore one will not get the proper message of Krishna just by reading a simple word to word translation of any verse from Geeta.
To understand the real meaning of the above verse, let us look at this verse:
“Ahamãtmã gudãkesha sarva-bhootã-shayasthitah |
Ahamãdischa maddhyam cha bhootãnãmanta eva cha ||
(Geeta 10:20)
(O Arjuna! I am the universal Self seated in the heart of all beings; so I alone am the beginning and middle and also the end of all beings.)
Everyone believe that God resided within oneself. Now if God resides within oneself and if He says that all I need is patram, pushpam, fal and toyam then the message is quite clear. God resides within our body, naturally whatever we eat we offer it to God. But He wants only patram, pushpam (vegetables), falam (fruits) and toyam (water). Now re-looking at the verse, it is very clearly said in Geeta that human body needs only vegetables, fruits and water and nothing else.
Today science has proved that Human body is not design for eating meat. Digestive system of human body and animals are different. Digestive system of all bodies created for vegetables meals are different to those created for meat eating bodies. There are more literature available on benefits of vegetable eating.
Everyday number of people (not just Hindus) from all over world are turning to vegetable meals for health reasons or being enlighten by various health benefits of vegetable diets.
Some members of our intellect society will certainly argue that if God resides in every living creatures then why animals eat meat? Answer is simple. Human beings are not animals and not all animals eat meat. secondly one need to read other verses of Geeta which are interconnected to this subject.
So , let us promise Lord that O Lord! as from this day I shall offer to you what you want and not what I want.
- Manhar Narsey
Relinquish your animal instinct and
turn to human being!
Go veggy and be healthy!
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