04. Karma-Free Food

Become a spiritual vegetarian

Preparing karma-free vegetarian food is a devotional focal point in bhakti-yoga. In the Bhagavad-gita Krishna explains, “If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water, I will accept it.” By preparing pure, natural vegetarian food and then offering it to God in a spirit of devotion, we turn a daily chore into an enjoyable, enlightening experience.

‘Offered’ food, called prasadam, is considered to be ‘the mercy of the Lord’ that nourishes the body and transforms the consciousness. Just as an antiseptic vaccine can protect us against an epidemic, eating prasadam protects us from the illusion and influence of the material world. It also vanquishes past sinful reactions and immunises one from future material contamination.

Indeed, from the day Srila Prabhupada incorporated ISKCON, prasadam has been a prominent feature. At the first ISKCON temple, established in a New York storefront, Srila Prabhupada would shop daily for vegetables, personally prepare various dishes, lovingly offer them to the Lord, and then serve the prasadam to his hippie guests. Srila Prabhupada personally trained his disciples in the authentic and traditional art of cooking. He taught them everything from strict rules of cleanliness, to the appropriate use of various ingredients. He repeatedly requested that this art of cooking be preserved and developed in the ISKCON society. Thus, he boldly declared that we could “eat our way back to Krishna!”

In the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna specifies the types of offerings He accepts: a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or water. In essence, this permits only vegetarian food. Vedic culture teaches that all life is sacred and to kill innocent animals unnecessarily is a gross violation of God’s laws.

Vegetarianism is also an essential step towards a better society, and people who take the time to consider its advantages will be in the company of Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci, Mahatma Gandhi and Albert Einstein. Vegetarianism makes sense on many levels: health, economics, ethics and religion. It’s a natural, healthy and nonviolent way of life that gives rise to self-discipline and compassion.

REFERENCE: Please refer to the ‘Practical Guides’ section for more details on offering food to Krishna.