Hindu Vegetarianism is a Vaisnava Concoction

???
As far as I know neither Ramanuja, Mahva or Shankara translated anything. At least not into english.

 

Actually though, some of the 'Vaishnava concoctions' I've tasted have been equisite - delicious. Even some I've prepared myself at times.

Back in the 80's, ISKCON had a big temple in Worcestershire, England, at an old stately home called Croombe Court. Devotees from there used to do Kirtan and distribute Prasadam (food offered to Krishna) in the streets of Worcester.
One time, I was visiting there with some friends when we came across a bizarre scene. A Kirtan party were giving out food, and just as we arrived, a shaven headed youth, with union-jack tee shirt, and an air of a right-wing racist street thug, was just tasting some.
He spat it out straight away in a kind of showy and exageratted way.

"What the f**k is that f******g s**t! F*****g s**t! That s**t is f*****g disgusting! F*****g Paki crap!

He continued to spit and rant for a minute or two, then went away, presumably having had his fun. As he walked away he shouted out 'Paki loving poofters!'

I share this anecdote just to show what people trying in any way to spread knowledge of Krishna on the streets of the UK are up against. And that was 20 years ago. The situation now would be even worse.

 

A lot of time, people think they are insulting someone, but it just sounds comic. Like a kid calling another kid a weeny, like it is the most dire insult that can be spoken.

 

"Satsa Sanghu Vidhiyatham, Bhagavatha bhaktha vridhiyatham, rakshastitihi " , Have good company around you, if you are the devotee of God, he will always protect you.

So they don't really face anything really, if they want to spread the prasadham, they will, if some one else out of his/her own ignorance acts like how you described BBB, then it is his loss. They won't fear him, if there has to be an emotion directed toward him , it would be "pity" towards him.

 

since Ramanuja, Adi Shankaracharya and Madvacharya were all mentioned in the same sentence, there are long debates if ramanuja and madvacharya deserve to be in the same disciplic line as some vaisnavas do and some vaisnavas do and others don't include sankara as a member of their group

 

No doubt protection is there. But that's not really what I was trying to highlight. I was meaning more that given such ignorance, and the closed and hateful mentality of some people it isn't easy to tell them about Krishna.
Myself, I feel little emotion towards such people. They are really quite robotic. 'They know not what they do'.

 

On the face of it, you couldn't get much further apart than Mahdva and Shankara.

 

"There is a story attached to the composition of the present Hymn. Acharya Shankara, it is said, was walking along a street in Varanasi, one day, accompanied by his disciples. He heard the sound of grammatical rules being recited by an old scholar. Taking pity on the scholar, he went up to him and advised him not to waste his time on grammar at his age but to turn his mind to God in worship and adoration. The Hymn to Govinda was composed on this occasion. Besides the refrain of the song beginning with the words "Bhaja Govindam" , Shankara is stated to have sung twelve verses, hence the hymn bears the title "Dvadasamanjarika-Stotra" (A hymn which is a bunch of twelve verse-blossoms)."

TEXT 1

bhajagovindam bhajagovindam
govindam bhajamuudhamate
sampraapte sannihite kaale
nahi nahi rakshati dukrijnkarane

Worship Govinda, Worship Govinda, Worship Govinda. Oh fool! Rules of Grammar will not save you at the time of your death.

TEXT 2

mudha jahiihi dhanaagamatrishhnaam
kuru sadbuddhim manasi vitrishhnaam
yallabhase nijakarmopaattam
vittam tena vinodaya chittam

Oh fool! Give up your thrist to amass wealth, devote your mind to thoughts to the Real. Be content with what comes through actions already performed in the past.

TEXT 3

naariistanabhara naabhiidesham
drishhtvaa maagaamohaavesham
etanmaamsaavasaadi vikaaram
manasi vichintaya vaaram vaaram

Do not get drowned in delusion by going wild with passions and lust by seeing a woman's navel and chest. Bodies are flesh, fat and blood. Do not fail to remember this again and again in your mind.

TEXT 4

naliniidalagata jalamatitaralam
tadvajjiivitamatishayachapalam
viddhi vyaadhyabhimaanagrastam
lokam shokahatam cha samastam

Uncertain is the life of man as rain drops on a lotus leaf. Know that the whole world remains a prey to disease, ego and grief.

TEXT 5

yaavadvittopaarjana saktah
staavannija parivaaro raktah
pashchaajjiivati jarjara dehe
vaartaam koapi na prichchhati gehe

So long as a man is fit and able to support his family, see the affection all those around him show. But no one at home cares to even have a word with him when his body totters due to old age.

TEXT 6

yaavatpavano nivasati dehe
taavatprichchhati kushalam gehe
gatavati vaayau dehaapaaye
bhaaryaa bibhyati tasminkaaye

When one is alive, his family members enquire kindly about his welfare. But when the soul departs from the body, even his wife runs away in fear of the corpse.

TEXT 7

baalastaavatkriidaasaktah
tarunastaavattaruniisaktah
vriddhastaavachchintaasaktah
pare brahmani koapi na saktah

Childhood is lost in play. Youth is lost by attachment to woman. Old age passes away by thinking over many past things. Alas! hardly is there anyone who yearns to be lost in Parabrahman.

TEXT 8

kaate kaantaa kaste putrah
samsaaro.ayamatiiva vichitrah
kasya tvam kah kuta aayaatah
tattvam chintaya tadiha bhraatah

Who is your wife? Who is your son? Strange is this samsara. Of whom are you? Where have you come from? Brother, ponder over these truths.

TEXT 9

satsangatve nissngatvam
nissangatve nirmohatvam
nirmohatve nishchalatattvam
nishcalatattve jiivanmuktih

From Satsanga comes non-attachment, from non-attachment comes freedom from delusion, which leads to self-settledness. From self-settledness comes Jivan Mukti.

TEXT 10

vayasigate kah kaamavikaarah
shushhke niire kah kaasaarah
kshiinevitte kah parivaarah
gyaate tattve kah samsaarah

What good is lust when youth has fled? What use is a lake which has no water? Where are the relatives when wealth is gone? Where is samsara when the Truth is known?

TEXT 11

maa kuru dhana jana yauvana garvam
harati nimeshhaatkaalah sarvam
maayaamayamidamakhilaM hitvaa
brahmapadaM tvaM pravisha viditvaa

Do not boast of wealth, friends, and youth. Each one of these are destroyed within a minute. Free yourself from the illusion of the world of Maya and attain the timeless Truth.

TEXT 12

dinayaaminyau saayam praatah
shishiravasantau punaraayaatah
kaalah kriidati gachchhatyaayuh
tadapi na mujncatyaashaavaayuh

Daylight and darkness, dusk and dawn, winter and springtime come and go. Time plays and life ebbs away. But the storm of desire never leaves.

 

ah finally one valid post from miss molly here, thank you molly... Actually I listen to this everyday (bagah Govindam), I have the cassette at my home and cd for my car from M.S. Subbalaksmi, she is so good!

 

because vaishnavas eat only Krishna-prasadam. And he accepts only devotion. And meat cannot be offred to Him. Say, Krishna likes cows, and you offer Him killed cow? In India for this you'ld go to prison...