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food and offerings

LilyPhoenix

Member
I want to ask a question about food and Hinduism
a few years ago i posted about being vegetarian but because of my financial situation i couldnt not afford food without having egg in it
What i didnt know then was that onions , leeks and garlic arent allowed as well
i have been going back and forward over my faith never deciding what am doing now i have decided
My husband is an atheist and not a vegetarian he says that we should be allowed to eat what ever we want to eat but because of our budget we cant afford food thats without onions and leeks ( and sometimes Garlic )
everything in our freezer has onions apart from chips or mixed veg
my husband dont understand why there is rules for this av tired to tell him that Krishna cant eat or have it offered to him ( because of sex drive benefits in onions and Garlic )
he says that religions shouldn't have stupid rules about food ( my husband has no understanding of faith at all )

i have looked for other food to have but am not finding anything that is so cheep and in our area
my husband also said that id need to start cooking everything from scratch and we dont have time to do that
So am unsure what to do really i have in the past been wanting to go vegan but he says we cant afford that either and id have to cook it all from scratch
I know that i cant make an offering to Krishna with the food that am eating
dont want to eat without making an offering to Krishna

Am in Scotland if that is any help
 
I want to ask a question about food and Hinduism
a few years ago i posted about being vegetarian but because of my financial situation i couldnt not afford food without having egg in it
What i didnt know then was that onions , leeks and garlic arent allowed as well
i have been going back and forward over my faith never deciding what am doing now i have decided
My husband is an atheist and not a vegetarian he says that we should be allowed to eat what ever we want to eat but because of our budget we cant afford food thats without onions and leeks ( and sometimes Garlic )
everything in our freezer has onions apart from chips or mixed veg
my husband dont understand why there is rules for this av tired to tell him that Krishna cant eat or have it offered to him ( because of sex drive benefits in onions and Garlic )
he says that religions shouldn't have stupid rules about food ( my husband has no understanding of faith at all )

i have looked for other food to have but am not finding anything that is so cheep and in our area
my husband also said that id need to start cooking everything from scratch and we dont have time to do that
So am unsure what to do really i have in the past been wanting to go vegan but he says we cant afford that either and id have to cook it all from scratch
I know that i cant make an offering to Krishna with the food that am eating
dont want to eat without making an offering to Krishna

Am in Scotland if that is any help
I like this topic. I am in America and it is hard to be completely vegetarian here also. I visit a temple every Sunday and devotees there are mostly strictly
vegetarian. I know the Acharya/Spiritual Master the devotees follow in USA most times is Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad. Srila Prabhupada quoted that
if we bring Krishna/Vishnu a leaf, a flower, some water, or a fruit he will accept it. When I go to temple sometimes I feel like I'm not quite as good as other
devotees because they are total vegetarians. It isn't stupid to have regulative principles for ones spiritual life. We should not think bad of ourselves if we can't
meet every obligation though because the Supreme Being sees us. If in our heart the intention is there is what counts. Sooner or later Krishna/Vishnu will come
into our lives to help us with the principles like eating only vegan. The Temple I visit has a big Garden. That's something that is not too expensive that can
help with food. You can plant your own garden maybe. It is work to keep up with it but then you can have whatever will grow in your area. My aunt does a
garden and I would like to also. Good hopes towards your efforts.
 

Fireside_Hindu

Jai Lakshmi Maa
I think you can only do what you are capable of doing. God will understand. Dietary restrictions may have some benefit but if you can't do it, God doesn't wan to living on the streets just because you technically can't have eggs. You have many lifetimes to "get it right". Even if you didn't, if you do the best you can within your means, there is only love waiting for you.
 

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
Am in Scotland if that is any help
I think Prana and FSH have answered your question. What is important to the Lord is the devotion, the rest all that he needs will be taken care by Mother Rukmini. Anything offered to Lord is 'prasada', here in India just a few grains of sugar-coated gram. There are Hindus who partake non-vegetarian food, and the Lord will make arrangements for you in time when you will be able to enjoy the type of food that you want to. Do not torture yourself and find happiness in Lord Krishna. He understands all. We do not call him 'antaryami' for nothing.
 

LilyPhoenix

Member
Thank you so much for answering
i also want to ask how many time a day do hindu pray and is there any washing ritual ?
Thank you
 

Kirran

Premium Member
On the food issue, this varies widely in different Hindu traditions. But remember, the vegetarianism is for ethical reasons, but the abstaining from leeks, garlic, onions, chives etc is (in most traditions, at least) for reasons of your personal mental state. Same goes for abstaining from processed food. There isn't a moral injunction to not eat these things in the same way as there is for meat (in my own view) but it is only for your own good. If you can't abstain for whatever reason, that is OK.

In offering food, this seems to vary as regards what is acceptable. In southern traditions, onion, garlic and so forth are offered, but not in northern traditions, as very general rules of thumb.

Krishna will always listen to you offering up your devotion, there is no necessity to do so at certain times. But to do a home puja would be of benefit. Although I must say I am not familiar with ISKCON's way of doing these things.

There is a ISKCON temple where you live?
 
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LilyPhoenix

Member
there is a group near to where i stay unsure if it a ISKCON temple but am going there on Sunday
first time there ... really looking forward to it
...i heard there is going to be music and that there then a meal my husband is coming with me to the ISKCON Place he says he will come in with me for the first time am there but ill be going in on my own after ( my husband is an atheist he will never change from that also because of my mental health i cant travel on my own )
The ISKCON community/ temple is 50 miles away from me

thank you for replying
 

Fireside_Hindu

Jai Lakshmi Maa
The number of prayers varies from person to person. The most I have heard of is 3 times a day, before each meal. However, I'm a "bad" Hindu and do puja and offerings once a day, in the morning. It's customary to bathe and change in to clean clothes before puja. I'm a nighttime shower person, so I wash the night before, usually. Before Puja starts you can wash your hands and then take a few sips of water to cleanse the pallet. This symbolically and sometimes physically cleans the mouth so that whatever you say aloud is ritually clean.
 
Thank you so much for answering
i also want to ask how many time a day do hindu pray and is there any washing ritual ?
Thank you
I visit often to an ISKCON temple in The US. I was told by Devotees there they have no hard and fast rules to prayer except once you take initiation and
get a spiritual master or guru. Then you will pray as often as they suggest to.

Devotees I know do rounds of Japa which is prayers on a set of beads. There are 108 beads on a strand. Holding each bead between your thumb and tip of the middle finger you chant the Hare Krsna Maha Mantra. Most people are familiar with the Mantra; Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

One time through all of the 108 beads is considered one round. Devotees try to say 16 rounds without fail each day. You do not need beads to say the mantra in prayer or say prayers. You might still want to count how many you say though or not, that's up to you.
 

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
The most I have heard of is 3 times a day, before each meal.
At meal-time it is just thanks - "Thank Lord for providing me the grub to eat - may it nourish me mentally and physically" or sort of. Puja, in our region, twice a day - Morning, evening. Worldly pursuits and spirituality go together in Hinduism. There is no need to over-do any. One should not abandon the worldly duties.
 
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SomeRandom

Still learning to be wise
Staff member
Premium Member
The number of prayers varies from person to person. The most I have heard of is 3 times a day, before each meal. However, I'm a "bad" Hindu and do puja and offerings once a day, in the morning. It's customary to bathe and change in to clean clothes before puja. I'm a nighttime shower person, so I wash the night before, usually. Before Puja starts you can wash your hands and then take a few sips of water to cleanse the pallet. This symbolically and sometimes physically cleans the mouth so that whatever you say aloud is ritually clean.

If that makes one a "bad" Hindu then my mother is guilty as well. She usually prays once a day early in the morning (like 5 am!!) and does mantras throughout the day. But that's just what our family does I suppose. I'm even worse than that! I'm rather flippant about it.
 

SomeRandom

Still learning to be wise
Staff member
Premium Member
I want to ask a question about food and Hinduism
a few years ago i posted about being vegetarian but because of my financial situation i couldnt not afford food without having egg in it
What i didnt know then was that onions , leeks and garlic arent allowed as well
i have been going back and forward over my faith never deciding what am doing now i have decided
My husband is an atheist and not a vegetarian he says that we should be allowed to eat what ever we want to eat but because of our budget we cant afford food thats without onions and leeks ( and sometimes Garlic )
everything in our freezer has onions apart from chips or mixed veg
my husband dont understand why there is rules for this av tired to tell him that Krishna cant eat or have it offered to him ( because of sex drive benefits in onions and Garlic )
he says that religions shouldn't have stupid rules about food ( my husband has no understanding of faith at all )

i have looked for other food to have but am not finding anything that is so cheep and in our area
my husband also said that id need to start cooking everything from scratch and we dont have time to do that
So am unsure what to do really i have in the past been wanting to go vegan but he says we cant afford that either and id have to cook it all from scratch
I know that i cant make an offering to Krishna with the food that am eating
dont want to eat without making an offering to Krishna

Am in Scotland if that is any help
What offering one makes usually depends on the specific tradition you ascribe to or born into. For example,my family is both Fijian and Southern Indian, so it's not uncommon for my family to offer Kava as Prasad, which is a root drink which affects the drinker like a weak anesthetic would. In other words it's akin to a weak type of drug. But it just seems to be accepted as a traditional religious rite.
I'm not terribly familiar with the ISKCON rules though.
 

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
If that makes one a "bad" Hindu then my mother is guilty as well. She usually prays once a day early in the morning (like 5 am!!) and does mantras throughout the day. But that's just what our family does I suppose. I'm even worse than that! I'm rather flippant about it.
Mothers are never bad. See, she gets up at 5 am, finishes her puja, and then is ready for house work. What more should she do? Rather than the number of pujas, it is what we do other than that which matters. As an atheist Hindu, I never do pujas, except when required to accompany the family, and then I do it willingly.

What is tradition is correct, continue it, unless there is a big reason to abandon it.
 
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SomeRandom

Still learning to be wise
Staff member
Premium Member
Mothers are never bad. See, she gets up at 5 am, finishes her puja, and then is ready for house work. What more should she do? Rather than the number of pujas, it is what we do other than that which matters. As an atheist Hindu, I never do pujas, except when required to accompany the family, and then I do it willingly.

What is tradition is correct, continue it, unless there is a big reason to abandon it.
My post was tongue in cheek uncle-ji. Lord knows I could never get up that freaking early. Did a 5am start at work once, had to have a day off to recover! :p
 

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
Went to the temple this evening with wife - Shravan Monday. The temple has been renovated and there is a new Shiva lingam.
 
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