Food Production, not 'Ahimsa'
BY: DUSYANTA DASA
Jan 25, 2012 — WALES, UK (SUN) — Dear Hamsavatar Prabhu, please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. After reading your article in the Sampradaya Sun, "Understanding the Topmost Yoga Requires Prerequisites", I wanted and needed to reply to it. I thought that the subject of ahimsa connected to milk production and veganism could be addressed.
Some of the points you made I just don't agree with concerning the nature of Bhaktivedanta Manor Goshalla. I served there for over 10 years in an altogether different circumstance, producing milk in humble conditions. And one of the issues that occurred to me in that time whilst actually milking the Cows and protecting them was there was no such thing as non-violence in milk production. Even to the point of food production, vegetables, flowers and fruit and all the other vegan and vegetarian types of food. Obviously meat production is violent, not just because the animal is slaughtered but also because of the surrounding circumstances of Agriculture.
Why would anyone want to broadcast that there is ahimsa in the food they eat? Is it a proud declaration that they are better people than all the rest that eat meat or are vegetarian, but consume dairy products that are connected and related to cow slaughter, or even indirectly connected? Who actually cares if you are vegan or not, apart from you? This is the reason that subjectively an individual declares themselves vegan and an ardent follower of ahimsa products, or so they think.
Through my experience as an agriculturalist from birth, so to speak, and farming all my life, before becoming a devotee and also during my time as a devotee in ISKCON, it has become apparent that ahimsa is not applicable to any style of food consumption. Calling yourself a vegan or a vegetarian does not equate to non-violence and anyone who thinks it does is deluded.
To back up my conclusive statements on this subject I need to show some evidence of shastric statements that illustrate this point. In my article, "Why Cow Protection Does Not Mean Ahimsa Milk", which was a reply to the launch of a project at Bhaktivedanta Manor called Ahimsa Milk, I showed that all agricultural produce, including vegan food and veganism itself, was not ahimsa. So to those ends I would like to direct you to the Srimad Bhagavatam purported by Srila Prabhupada, Canto 3, Chapter 29, Text 15, the chapter entitled "Explanation of Devotional Service" as spoken by Lord Kapila the Supreme Personality of Godhead to His mother, Srimati Devahuti:
"A devotee must execute his prescribed duties, which are glorious, without material profit. Without excessive violence, one should regularly perform ones devotional activities." (SB 3.29.15)
Before addressing Srila Prabhupada's purport, who explains in meticulous detail the nature of minimum violence rather than non-violence, it is plainly clear from the text that we will encounter the explanation of "without excessive violence", natihimsrena, not ahimsa.
The concept of ahimsa is euphemistically bandied about alot in ISKCON, but used in inappropriate ways because it has become a subjective way of putting others down. We produce "ahimsa" milk apparently, we are vegans because its "ahimsa" apparently, and so the same scenario is played out by individuals who think that's what they are and who their identity is.
Veganism by definition is a process where no animal products are consumed, but in today's capitalistic process of food production, no one is exempt from these products, especially supermarkets and commercially produced foods. Even to the point of organic food producers, who may even use animal products more copiously than regular producers because "animal " products are "organic". And the death knell in veganism is the inability to illustrate a practical example of food production for the planet, whereas Cow Protection with all its biomass by-products easily illustrates the alternative to animal slaughter and more, much more.
But back to Srila Prabhupada's clear explanation of devotional service. With Srila Prabhupada's authority and instructions we have a clear, conclusive basis to understand the nature of violence in food production, period. In His last three paragraphs on this illuminating text, Srila Prabhupada defines violence in food:
Question: "You ask us not to eat meat, but you are eating vegetables. Do you think that is not violent?"
Srila Prabhupada: The answer is that eating vegetables is violence, and vegetarians are also committing violence against other living entities because vegetables also have life. Non-devotees are killing cows, goats and so many other animals for eating purposes, and a devotee, who is vegetarian, is also killing."
Srila Prabhupada goes on to explain the significance of offering foodstuffs from the vegetable kingdom to Krsna with devotion, who then eats it. What is so significant about offering devotional foodstuffs is that it defines a devotee's intake of foodstuffs. Devotees only accept foodstuffs that are offerable to Lord Krsna, as directed by Srila Prabhupada. That's why we don't eat vegetables like onions, shallots and garlic. In other words, a Vaisnava devotee only eats what Lord Krsna desires, not what we desire. If Lord Krsna wanted animals offered to Him, then that is what we would do! We don't choose to be vegans because that's what we want to eat -- then prasadam becomes just another subtle extension of sense gratification, and that is not the right mood of eating. The yoga is lost and unconnected. The principle of eating for a Vaisnava is based upon the act of offering foodstuffs that Lord Krsna requires, as directed by Srila Prabhupada.
Srila Prabhupada then clearly explains that we have to commit violence -- that is a natural law -- but that we should not commit violence extravagantly, but only as much as ordered by the Lord. He gives the example of Arjuna on the Battle of Kurukshetra, engaged in the art of killing, engaged by the Lord Himself.
In the same way, if we commit violence as it is necessary, by the order of the Lord, that is called natihimsa. Again Srila Prabhupada reiterates that we cannot avoid violence, for we are put into conditional life in which we have to commit violence, but we should not commit more violence than is necessary or ordered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
To me, that's massively clear and important as devotees practicing agriculture and gardening. Srila Prabhupada defines a devotee as a vegetarian, not a vegan, which is also important to us all as devotees who are trying to avoid violence and be ahimsa devotees. Clearly this can't and won't happen whilst we are in this body in this material world, but we can minimise the violence we commit, and this is what Srila Prabhupada is instructing us to do when it comes to food and producing food.
So when it comes to cows producing milk, the understanding is that the cows don't commit violence, although they can't avoid killing insects and other living entities just by being in conditional life, but the human influence is that violence is committed by protecting the cows. Just by killing a carrot and feeding it to a cow producing milk introduces violence to the whole process. Feeding the cows grains, using straw as bedding, feeding the cows with vegetables, using medicines, building go-shallas, all the surrounding human activities bring in violence to some degree. It's unavoidable, because Srila Prabhupada says, "we have to commit violence" and that's all there is to it.
Devotees need to come to grips with this part of our philosophy and understand that we cannot escape violence even by practicing veganism, this is just a pipe dream. And ahimsa milk production is just a fanciful, speculative, branded name meant to satisfy the wet liberal appetite of politically correct do-gooders.
ISKCON, devotees and the world all commit violence, that's a fact -- all we can do is minimise that violence, and let's do that! And why don't we do that? Why don't we grow all our own food, why don't we produce minimum-violence milk for us all, why don't we become self-sufficient, why don't we just stop talking this theoretical non-violence talk and walk the walk?
The reason that this "non-violence" subject in dairy produce reoccurs perennially in ISKCON is because we don't read Srila Prabhupada's Books to understand these practical subjects. But another reason is because we have not followed Srila Prabhupada's instructions, the subjective practical understanding of a devotee who operates in the ISKCON Temple situation, and just through this level of experience has not come to grips with the serious absence of ISKCON food production.
If we as ISKCON have not naturally taken to food production within our own standards of minimum-violence, non-exploitation, organic fertilisation and all the concomitant factors of the process of food production, then we only have two alternatives in front of us, if we don't want to starve to death. The first is the plain obvious one: practice what you preach. How hard is it to buy land, lots of land, and put seeds in the ground and grow food?????? It takes weeks and months, not 35 years!
The second is that we buy food with capitalistic values attached. So the scenario is played out daily by thousands of devotees around the world of cooking in ghee, using dairy products to offer to Krsna and Srila Prabhupada, that are connected to that industry, and buying foods (vegetables, fruit, grains, beans, etc., etc.) that have been grown using the by-products of that industry (being a vegan does not exempt you from that), that use 3rd world labour to harvest products, then they are flown, using huge carbon footprints, halfway around the world for the western market so you can have melons or pineapples 365 days a year.
The vegetables that we buy in supermarkets are treated as badly as cows are treated in "vegetable lives" terms. The vegetables and fruit have pesticides sprayed all over them, then they are fed artificial fertilisers making them grow artificially, then some more spraying of herbicides and fungicides before being harvested by a huge petrol driven machine which pollutes the environment, taken to a factory and warehouse where they are then packed in plastic, sprayed with some preservatives and hauled to the supermarket. Then they are piled on top of themselves under horrible florescent tube lighting and then finally go through a beeping checkout to be taken home for human consumption.
Isn't it better just to grow your own vegetables and pick them yourself, and walk with them to your kitchen and lovingly cook them for an offering to Krsna? You can achieve the whole package, from earth to offering, in less than one hour and the benefit of eating fresh vegetables far outweighs the supermarket capitalistic scenario. And how on earth do I know this really complicated formula? I am just a stupid farmer, not like all those GBC/ISKCON Brahmanas… Because like a child, I see this happening every day, because I eat every day. How long does it take to figure this out, that being a vegan/vegetarian in the capitalistic violence-based food producing society is of no advantage to eating meat that is produced in exactly the same way. Sure, an animal is killed by eating meat but vegetables are also killed by eating vegetables and being a vegan is exactly the same. Srila Prabhupada says, "The answer is that eating vegetables is violence.... And a devotee, who is a vegetarian (vegan) is also killing....".
So we have to get off our vegan high horses, all of us, all vegetarians and vegans, we are all killing. Our only way around is to grow our own produce according to our very own high standards that Srila Prabhupada outlines, by offering our foodstuffs to Lord Krsna.
Otherwise you are a vegan not taking any dairy produce, but buying all your own bhoga, big deal, so what and who cares!!!!!!! Show us something meaningful, something that you have endeavoured for, something you are proud of that you have worked hard and planned for over the last year. We can all be vegans and just buy some food with money. My ten year old boy does that… just give him some money and off he goes to the local community shop and hands it over for some sultanas. Yep, he can do that.
As far as I can see, ISKCON is about 35 years behind in food production, and its getting longer each day. If we are all upset about diksa gurus falling down, why are we all not upset with not growing our own food? We worship Guru daily and we all eat daily, there's no difference, well a bit. How long do we have to go on supporting the animal slaughter industry, how long being part of capitalism, how long depending on all these externals, how long buying chemical vegetables, how long does it take?
Wake up, ISKCON devotees and show the alternative, don't just be a shop window vegan. We need to be a worldwide food producer, and today is not too late. Get out into your garden, a window box or allotment and grow minimum-violence vegetables without all the animal products. There are so many alternatives to blood, bones and hooves, so many alternatives to chemical pesticides and herbicides, why keep on supporting the origins of animal slaughter? You can make the difference, not by being a vegan, but by growing your own.
There is so much to discover about the vegetable world, like companion planting, tricking bugs away from vegetables, growing your own fertiliser food, saving your own seeds for next year, exchanging tips with devotee friends and bartering vegetables for other products. There is a whole world waiting out there for you to engage in. I know many devotees do this already and its a wonderful way to associate, and the beginnings of real community.
Hare Krsna.
your servant,
Dusyanta dasa
