Shakahar Hai Santulit Ahar

Here's a comprehensive summary of the Jain text "Shakahar hai Santulit Ahar" by Nemichandra Jain, based on the provided pages:

The book "Shakahar hai Santulit Ahar" (Vegetarianism is a Balanced Diet) by Dr. Nemichand Jain, asserts that vegetarianism is an established lifestyle that naturally fosters human qualities like non-violence, brotherhood, trust, and friendship. It emphasizes that vegetarianism does not involve the killing of any living beings or cruel practices, unlike meat-eating, which is built on bloodshed.

The text argues that the world now recognizes the necessity of oxygen-rich, healthy air and pure water. It criticizes the meat industry as a vicious cycle: raising animals requires feeding them plants (thus hindering oxygen production), and the disposal of slaughterhouse waste (blood, flesh, marrow) pollutes drinking water, leading to water scarcity and efforts to clean rivers.

The author contends that meat consumption is inherently linked to violence. Those who have studied the mentality of slaughterhouses conclude that meat-eating makes humans barbaric, bloodthirsty, and cruel, inevitably leading to war, bloodshed, conflict, and destruction. The text posits that nature has inherently made humans vegetarian and designed their bodies accordingly, highlighting a deep connection between vegetarianism and humanity.

The book then presents several positive facts about vegetarianism:

• Spiritual and Moral Benefits: Vegetarianism is a sattvic (pure) diet that cultivates non-violence, brotherhood, trust, and friendship.
• Physiological Differences: Nature has designed meat-eaters and vegetarians differently. Meat-eaters have sharp teeth, long claws/nails, jaws that move only up and down, swallow food, have rough tongues, drink water with their tongues, and possess shorter intestines and larger livers/kidneys, with hydrochloric acid in their saliva. Vegetarians, conversely, have non-pointed teeth and nails, jaws that move in all directions, chew their food, have smooth tongues, drink water with their lips, have longer intestines, smaller livers/kidneys, and alkaline saliva.
• Economic and Environmental Suitability: Vegetarianism is economically cheaper and environmentally friendly.
• Protein Content: Vegetarian diets contain adequate protein. The text dismisses the idea that more protein is always better, explaining that excess protein strains the kidneys and that the body cannot store it, framing high-protein claims as a mere marketing tactic.
• Amino Acid Balance: A balanced diet is incomparable. Amino acids in vegetarian food are complemented by combining different items. For example, wheat lacks lysine, and pulses lack methionine, but their combination compensates for these deficiencies (e.g., dal-roti).
• Vitamin B: The claim that vegetarianism lacks Vitamin B is misleading. The vegetarian body produces it internally, evidenced by the rarity of Vitamin B deficiency diseases among vegetarians.
• Carbohydrates and Digestion: Carbohydrates in vegetarian diets aid intestinal health, prevent constipation, and protect against severe stomach ailments.
• Vitamin C: Vegetarianism contains Vitamin C, which is absent in meat.
• Iron Content: Certain vegetarian foods are rich in iron. Jaggery and fenugreek have significantly higher iron content than any meat.
• Vitamin A: Leafy vegetables are the richest sources of Vitamin A, with specific examples like cabbage, kale, and coriander providing high International Units (IU). Excessive Vitamin A can be toxic.
• Vitamin E: Sprouted wheat and soybeans are excellent sources of Vitamin E, with sprouted wheat being considered the best source.
• Caloric Content: Meat is not considered a good source of calories compared to grains like wheat, rice, and soybeans.

The book strongly links meat consumption to environmental degradation. It cites that meat production leads to land erosion, desertification, deforestation, global warming, water pollution, and pesticide spread. The "Save Earth Foundation" publication "Our Food Our Earth" states that meat consumption is turning forests into deserts, causing water to seep deeper into the ground, depleting topsoil, and polluting air, land, and sea with chemicals, thus reducing human life quality and pushing future generations towards death.

Water Scarcity and Meat Consumption: The text highlights that meat consumption is a major cause of water scarcity. It states that producing one pound of meat consumes 2,500 gallons of water, enough for a family's monthly water needs. A comparison is drawn between a meat-eater's daily food requiring 4,000 gallons of water and a pure vegetarian's daily food needing only 300 gallons. Furthermore, producing 100 pounds of wheat requires the same amount of water as producing just one pound of meat.

Scientific Lifestyle of Vegetarianism: The second part of the text, attributed to Muni Navinchandra Vijay, delves into the Jain perspective on diet. It states that diet is the basis of life for all beings, with variations in how different organisms obtain it. In Jain philosophy, "aahar sangya" (the drive for food) is inherent in every living being.

The text classifies food into categories:

• Brahma: Ann (food grains), water, and fruits are considered Brahma (divine or ultimate) and are synonymous with vegetarianism, described as man's best and natural diet, representing a scientific lifestyle.
• Meat-eating: The opposite of vegetarianism, meat-eating is deemed an unscientific and unnatural human lifestyle. It's considered the greatest sin due to the inherent violence involved.
• Indian Culture and Vegetarianism: Indian culture, with its principle of "Atmavata sarvabhuteshu" (treat all beings as oneself), has never accepted meat-eating. This philosophy leads to non-violence and vegetarianism, and meat-eating has been viewed as a deviation from culture and a sin. Meat-eaters are often associated with animals and demons.
• Diet and Personality: The text asserts that one becomes what they eat. Diet significantly impacts an individual's personality, behavior, and conduct. Tamasic (ignorant or dark) diets lead to tamasic personalities, and sattvic diets lead to sattvic personalities. Cultures, religions, and societies that have adopted vegetarianism are more tolerant, peaceful, and sattvic, while areas with higher meat consumption experience more violence and cruelty. Meat-eaters lose their sensitivity and become less compassionate.

The text further elaborates on the psychological impact of meat consumption, stating that the anger and ferocity of a slaughtered animal can be transferred to the consumer. A meat-eater's personality may exhibit brutality and devilishness. This is presented as a scientific reason for the widespread disorder, violence, terrorism, and intolerance in the modern world.

Solution to Modern Problems: The author suggests that vegetarianism holds the solution to the disorder, lack of peace, balance, compassion, and tolerance in the world. The lost qualities can be regained through vegetarianism. The corruptions arising from meat-eating can be rectified, and if vegetarianism becomes a way of life, humanity will be adorned with inner and outer splendor.

The book includes verses from Upadhyay Shri Pushkar Muni, urging people to abandon material attachments, remember their duties, and utilize their human life (which is difficult to attain) for spiritual gain, as time waits for no one. The verses emphasize the transient nature of worldly possessions and the importance of seeking spiritual guidance for salvation.