Do any devotees have any evidence from Srila Prabhupada or sastra against devotees eating mushrooms? I have long heard that it is not allowed, but after researching into the issue and seeing the example of some of the senior members of Iskcon who do occasionally eat them for their high nutritional and medicinal value, I am not convinced and believe it is an Iskcon myth. First I would like devotees to looks at Srila Prabhupadas letter to Harer Nama dasa in Los Angeles, December 1, 1968 (vanisource.org/wiki/Letter_to_Harer_Nama_--_Los_Angeles_1_December,_1968) in which Prabhupada says Mushrooms are generally not offered, but there is no prohibition, there is no harm in them. Then there is another letter from Srila Prabhupada to Himavati devi dasi in Delhi, November 17, 1971 (vanisource.org/wiki/Letter_to_Himavati_--_Delhi_17_November,_1971). Because mushrooms grow in a filthy place, they are not usually offered to Krishna. This word usually does indicate, like the letter from 1968, that sometimes they can be, although it is not something that is done regularly. Another consideration is that while some mushrooms may grow in a filthy place, not all mushrooms are like that. Many varieties grow in cow stool, which we know from Vedic literatures to be pure. I also personally see mushrooms occasionally sprout in the soil of the Tulasi plants we have at the temple here in San Diego, which is certainly not a dirty place. I have also read through the whole section of Hari Bhakti Vilasa which discusses what the rules and regulations for offering bhoga to Krishna are, and I did not see a single mention of mushrooms being prohibited, although meat, fish, eggs, garlic, onions, and even vegetables such as eggplant and radishes are all mentioned extensively as being inappropriate for offering to the deities (eggplant is mentioned, though, in Caitanya-Caritamrta as being a vegetable that Lord Caitanya likes to eat). If mushrooms were prohibited for devotees to consume, Hari Bhakti Vilasa surely would have mentioned it. It is not that mushrooms were unheard of at the time; Srimad-Bhagavatam mentions mushrooms a few times in its verses. The final argument I hear is that mushrooms are in the mode of ignorance, but if we look at the criteria Krishna gives in Bhagavad-Gita for foods in the mode of ignorance we can see that this is not the case. Krishna says, Food prepared more than three hours before being eaten, food that is tasteless, decomposed and putrid, and food consisting of remnants and untouchable things is dear to those in the mode of darkness (BG 17.10). Mushrooms are certainly not tasteless, decomposed, or putrid. They are also not remnants. In the purport Srila Prabhupada mentions liquor and meat as examples of untouchable things, but from Srila Prabhupadas letter quoted above from 1968 we can see that mushrooms are not in that category of being untouchable. So, to conclude that mushrooms are in the mode of ignorance and therefore not permitted for devotees is not backed up by sastra. Does anyone have an evidence which would contradict this? My conclusion would be that mushrooms are okay to consume occasionally, but perhaps to play it safe they should not be offered to temple deities, just as food with yeast or things like tofu and soy sauce are consumed by devotees but not offered to temple deities.
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 01:16:02 +0000
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