Friday 13 October 2017

Saturday, October 7th, 2017

Brampton, Ontario

Verse 3:14

At the home of Yogender, I chose to speak from the Bhagavad-gita, 3:14, to a study group who are enthusiastic to learn of the book’s unbounded wisdom.

The verse reads, “All living beings subsist on food grains which are produced from rain.  Rains are produced by performance of yajna (sacrifice) and yajna is born of prescribed duties.”

I also read a portion of the purport by our guru, Prabhupada, wherein he explains, “Food grains or vegetables are factually eatables.  The human being eats different kinds of grains, vegetables, fruits, etc. and the animals eat the refuse of the food grains and vegetables, grass, plants, etc.  Human beings who are accustomed to eating meat and flesh must also depend on the production of vegetation in order to eat the animals. Therefore, ultimately, we have to depend on the production of the field and not the production of big factories.”

Such logic of dependence, delivered by Krishna in the verse and by His devotee in the purport, would lead anyone to believe that the human diet naturally is herbivore-based.

Most of the listeners at Yogender’s are already committed vegetarians based on tradition and/or choice,  but hearing this extra piece of information offers an additional reinforcement, a stamp of approval toward the case of a plant-based planet.

We had a delicious meal including flavourful veggie burgers.  After the program, I took a solo walk through the various loops and trails at Sugar Maple Park where the colourful fall giants, the trees express, by their very prowess, that plants and trees are our best physical friends in so many ways.

Now I’m off to India, via Air Canada, to Mumbai, Indore, and Ujjain.

May the Source be with you!

5 km

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