dharma sandEhaM, Is God a vegetarian :-)
I have a question. Many religious leaders and priests advise people to partake only #sAttvika# food, mainly vegetarian with even some vegetables excluded. Even when we offer food to the God as #naivEdyaM#, only such food is prepared. But when we look at God, say His #daSaavatAra#, I think only vAmana and paraSurAma are pure vegetarians. The rest of them are meat eaters, is it not? So is God a vegetarian, selective vegetarian, eggarian, vegan or a non-vegetarian with all types of non-vegetarian food or selective non-vegetarian without beef? This is a genuine question, no blasphemy involved. I expect answers from one and all. For the record, I was brought up as a vegetarian and am continuing the same practice still, which while it is okay at home, is a bit awkward in a party atmosphere.
Regards! - mOhana
smahalakshmi
Tue, 2011-08-23 00:53
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JKM sir, I'm also born and brought up as a vegetarian like u, but some times eat egg also. I didn't know that except Vamana and parasurama, all others avatars are non-vegetarian. Is it so? Rama and Krishna also non-vegetarians? It's a news to me.
Mahalakshmi
nithyaashok
Tue, 2011-08-23 01:24
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Same pinch Maha. Iam also brought up as a vegetrarian but will take egg. The topic is interesting and now only i knew that God may be a non-vegetarian.
Suguna Murugesan
Tue, 2011-08-23 01:35
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very interesting topic but i have no idea about this!-suguna murugesan
Dr.Rekha Shetty
Tue, 2011-08-23 03:32
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idon't know about them but i feel whether it is veg or non veg it is created by him and with some purpose .as long as possible one should enjoy whatever food he likes(eats) and try not to waste the prestigious food (if we see the malnourished children(particularly from Africa) we will understand the value of food ).we should respect it
subashini
Tue, 2011-08-23 06:14
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usually, we don't think or ask about God 's eating habit."AAdhimoolam saidhu konda kaariyamellam num needhi moolam aagadhu" was a old tamil film song.I was also bought up as a vegetarian and still we continue the habit as possible as we can.(no eggs, even cakes with egg)
Lata
Tue, 2011-08-23 14:02
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If I talk about this topic, I'm afraid I'm not going to stop.
Ever since my childhood days, I've seen my grandparents and parents make a separate payment to a different type of a priest in our Kuladeivam temple (family deity/temple) so non-veg food offering could be arranged for a god/goddess located in one portion of the temple. My grandma will prepare other things from scratch at the temple (including the maavilakku/pongal and rice dishes). Abishekam things and puja items would be brought from home for the main deity and would be delivered to the temple priest. The other priest will take care of the non-veg offering to one particular goddess. I'm not sure what the name of the goddess is, but this practice of our ancestors had given me an idea/belief that there are both vegetarian and non-vegetarian Gods and Goddesses.
Let me also add that I'm not sure whether this is right or wrong but this is the belief that I got from my grandparents, who still follow this practice to this day. My grandparents/parents and in-laws were and still are complete vegetarians. My grandparents and mom don't eat cakes and pastries since those items might contain eggs. But, my parents didn't object to us eating cakes at birthday parties and functions. And that is how I was exposed to eggs. I will classify my family as being ovo-lacto vegetarian. 
You're right about feeling awkward in this country when eating out. What a pain it is! :0
It is not enough to say "vegetarian". You need to say; "No meat" everytime you order something, and then check back when you pick your order up.
ammuchandhini
Tue, 2011-08-23 19:42
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Though my ancestors were pure vegetarian(from Gujarat)...just a 100 yrs ago when we settled here in various parts of T.N...some of us have become non-vegetarians too...but i think it is all man-made concepts...this God is vegetarian...that God likes Non-vegetarian offerings....even during vinayaga chathurthi first day we offer sundal, second day kozhukattais and third day it is non-veg ...it seems as nei-vedhiyam and then only we carry d pillayar to leave it in river....(its been a practice in our religion...but as i don't know much about it i don't keep n-v during pillayaar chathurthi...)....
dibbutn
Tue, 2011-08-23 22:31
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I was brought up as a nonvegetarian and when I was in class 6 I completely stopped eating nonveg including eggs. My Dad was a vegetarian but used to eat eggs. My sisters and mom are nonvegetarian. In my family, they do offer nonveg food during ear piercing ceremony and few other occasions. I am married into a brahmin family and even though they are supposed to be vegetarians, I see many of them consume nonveg here in their family. I feel that as much as it is difficult to say by looking at a person whether he is vegetarian or nonvegetarian, it is as difficult for ME to speak about this, because i do not have much knowledge on this subject. But personally, I prefer being a vegetarian only for the simple reason that I hate torture to animals. I once saw a small lamb being sacrificed when i was a 12 year old girl . That day i swore that I will not touch meat and have stuck to my words till now.
ashanagendra
Tue, 2011-08-23 23:15
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Yes maha,Sri Rama is a non-vegetarian as read by me in Sundarakandam.only after ravan abducted Sita he left nonveg.even i wanted to know about that.
ashanagendra
Tue, 2011-08-23 23:17
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When Hanuman sees Sita he says that Rama is very depressed without you he left meat and he is on fruits.
dibbutn
Tue, 2011-08-23 23:20
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Nice to know such information Asha. Thanks for that.
vijaysowmya
Tue, 2011-08-23 23:50
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Very interesting and never ending topic-debate.. I am not very sure about God being Veg or Non veg.....I have seen people offering non.veg food items to God/Goddess especially in villages...that too after sacrificing them in front of the temple. I used to think it, as a matter of family belief or custom. When we visit the same temple we offer only pongal etc etc..but I hated the sight of animal sacrifice...even now when the govt has banned the sacrifices it still continues in some parts...I am brought up as a vegetarian and still a vegetarian. I never criticise a person for being a non veg but have faced criticism for being a veg....but such things never affect me and I stick to my principles....I feel this has to do with one's belief, traditions and customs.
smahalakshmi
Wed, 2011-08-24 03:21
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Thanks Asha for the information about Sri Rama.
Mahalakshmi
jkmrao
Wed, 2011-08-24 06:48
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SrIpAdarAya, annamAchArya and vyAsarAya actually form the original and earliest karNATaka music trinity. Many of you might have heard the annamAchArya song "entamAtramuna evvaru dalachina anta mAtramE nIvu" meaning "You're limited by how people imagine you are". This song rendered by MS may be heard at http://annamacharya-lyrics.blogspot.com/2006/11/65entha-matramuna-evvaru-talachina.html . I think if we think he is a vegetarian, he is so and if we think he is a non-vegetarian he is so. If we think he does not eat anything, he does not. That is why I always feel that it is not God who crated man, but it is the human being who created God. I particularly like this song because in it annamAchArya says that if we are mean minded, he is small to us and if we are broad mined, he is big, noble and grand.
Regards! - mOhana
jkmrao
Wed, 2011-08-24 06:51
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Replace the smiley by b-lo-gsp-ot.com without the hyphens. May be latAji will correct it to give the proper link. The video was from one of her live performances.
Regards! - mOhana
jkmrao
Wed, 2011-08-24 07:05
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I want to narrate another experience of mine with respect to the dietary habits. It was Dec 1982 or so. It was our first visit to India after arrival to the US. We visited the elder sister of my wife at Gobi and were returning from Erode to Madurai by bus. The bus experienced some mechanical problems on the way. It was stopped by a small village. A spare bus has to come from Erode. The day was Christmas day. From the window of the bus we can have a look at a butcher's shop. He was hanging all the meat. A man came and ordered meat, probably for the Christmas feast. A goat, tied to a nearby post was selected and before our very eyes, it was killed and the inside was exhibited to one and all and fresh meat was sold in a matter of minutes. Our older son, who was seven at that time, witnessed all this and almost threw up. The spare bus arrived and we reached Madurai at last to visit another sister of hers. Vishnu developed fever overnight and was unwell for quite sometime. In fact, this episode altered him so much that for a long time, for more than ten years, he never even touched tomatoes as it was red! He travels widely all over the world and still is a vegetarian. Only recently he started taking eggs. It is not that difficult to be a vegetarian in the US or England. But it is very difficult to be so in the continental Europe. His stay in Paris for two years, in that sense, was an achievement indeed!
Regards! - mOhana
smahalakshmi
Thu, 2011-08-25 02:15
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Your Son is really great.
Mahalakshmi
Ganga Lakshmina...
Thu, 2011-08-25 19:15
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God created things. He took avatars to teach people. His avatars were from a small fish to a brahmin boy to a righteous King . We didnot know what kind of food people had in those days. Long time back people of all kinds consumed non vegetarian food. Infact lot of animal sacrifices were done and this is what led to the rise of Buddhism and Jainism which practised goodness to animals. When Gurus like Adi Shankara, Madhvacharya and Ramanuja came they gave revival to Hinduism by adding Satvitk practices to the religion. Hinduism started to flourish under them. It led to kindness to animals .
I am a vegetarian. I studied all the above when I did my Navarathri Kolu last year for my topic Adi Shankar which I did send it to I Kolam. I am not an authority but would love to learn more on things like this.