Close encounter

Close encounter

November 2022

CLOSE ENCOUNTER

By Pradip Krishnan 

Shankar Narayanji speaks to Pradeep Krishnan explaining how satvik veganism  can pave the way for a more compassionate and better world, 

An article I read about two years ago in  an English daily about Sthithaprajna,  a man-made forest retreat, and the  satvik vegan movement, both founded by Shri  Shankar Narayan in Byndoor, Karnataka,  prompted me to visit and experience the  unique place. However, the sudden spread  of the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the trip.  Finally, on June 26 this year, on a cool day,  amidst drizzles, my wife Sreelakshmi and I  visit the sanctuary.  

Holding an umbrella, Shankar Narayanji,  in a spotless white shirt and dhoti, smilingly  welcomed us to his abode. He looked like  a Gandhian of yesteryear, often seen in  history books. As the pathway had become  unmotorable due to recent heavy rains, we got  down from the car and crossed a narrow stream  on foot to enter the three-acre man-made forest.  The incessant drizzles, the chilly weather, the  tall trees all around, the chirping of birds, the  rattling of insects, and the little forest flowers  of yellow, blue, and white, at once thrilled us. 

Soon we were ushered into the simple tile roofed cottage, Dhyana, with a 1000-square foot hall, with three-foot-high raised cement  platforms on all four walls to be used as cots  to sleep, in which mats and pillows were kept.  Next to the hall is the kitchen (where guests are  allowed to cook vegan food) and a washroom.  After resting for a while, Shankar Narayanji  took us around the forest he had meticulously  cultivated by sowing the seeds of 2000 plants  and trees, of which many are fruit-bearing.  He said that wild animals such as deer, nilgai,  boar, porcupine, peacocks, bonnet macaques,  

Indian giant squirrels, grey langurs, mongoose,  owls, and rabbits are regular visitors to this  jungle. While roaming around the woods, we  could see hornbills waiting for their prey,  rubbing their yellow beaks in the trees, a  couple of Malabar giant squirrels enjoying a  ripe jackfruit, and a barrel of monkeys jumping  from tree to tree. In a couple of rainwater  retention ponds, little birds were bathing and  drinking water.  

Every year, during August, Shankar Narayanji,  addressed as ‘Forest Father,’ organises the  Satvik Vegan Festival, with participants from  all over the globe listening to talks, enjoying  music, tasting vegan dishes, and taking forest  walks and village visits. The event aims to take  the vegan message to political, religious, and  business leaders, the media, and the public. 

When asked about the difference between  veganism and satvik veganism, Shankar  Narayanji explains, “While in veganism,  the practice of non-violence is restricted to  animals, in satvik veganism, the practice of  ahimsa extends even to plants and humans. We  also strive to practise truthfulness, simplicity,  polite behaviour, etc. 

In a message, Prime Minister Sri Narendra  Modi wrote, “Ahinsa parmo dharma (non violence is the highest moral virtue) and  Atmavat sarva-bhutesu (one should feel the  happiness and distress of others as his own) are  the golden concepts of our ancestral culture.  Mahatmaji followed it throughout his life and  Mahavir made it mandatory for modern man  to follow a satvik lifestyle. Veganism is the  way to wellness and honour the holy soul. To  honour the right to live for every creature on  earth is the ethical responsibility of mankind.” 

About the uniqueness of the vegan forest,  Shankar Narayanji says, “Generally, the  forest grows on its own. But here, it is grown  by human efforts. When human efforts are  involved, people may use animal manure,  chemical fertilisers, and animals in various  forms. Here, no animal manure or animals are  used. And when humans make efforts, they  carry expectations.  Here, everything was done without any  expectations, and hence no human emotions  are involved.” 

After wandering around the vibrant and lively  campus free of pollution for about an hour,  Shankar Narayanji offered us a sumptuous  lunch of rice, dal, fruits, payasam (pudding),  and coconut buttermilk. “People can come and  stay here but with an appointment. There are  no servants and no fixed facilities. 

It’s a compromise between forest life and  civilised life. There are no fixed charges,  though a voluntary contribution is accepted,”  said the 56-year-old. 

Later in the evening, sitting on the open  veranda, looking at two beautiful peacocks  dancing in the rain, Shankar Narayanji talked  to us about his life, his mission, and the satvik  vegan movement that he had initiated. 

What was the turning point in your life? In 1989, reading Mahatma Gandhi’s  autobiography, The Story of My Experiments  with Truth, like him, I too stopped drinking  milk, and that was the beginning of my vegan  journey. Then in 2006, when I attended a lecture  by Dada J P Vaswani, who said, “To win the  competition, withdraw from the competition,’  it was a big influence on my spiritual journey.  Later, inspired by the visits to Sabarmati  Ashram, Ahmedabad, and Sadhana Forest,  Auroville, I quit my job and started growing  the forest in 2009 by planting different types  of trees, which have now become large trees. 

What prompted you to become a vegan? What  are its advantages? 

Being a lacto-vegetarian by birth, I stopped  drinking milk in 1989. But, while working  abroad as an accountant, through the internet,  when I came to know of The Vegan Society of  England, it prompted me to become vegan.  Later, I started the Indian Vegan Society in  2004 (renamed Satvik Vegan Society). As a  vegan diet is original and natural, it is the one  meant for man to thrive. As it is suitable for all  humans, anyone who follows a vegan diet will  not only have better health but will also help  to prevent or minimise cruelty to animals and  contribute to the preservation and prosperity  of the environment. I would say that to realise  the full potential of being a human, it is  necessary for one to become vegan. 

By eating only healthy vegan food, one does not  interfere in the lives of animals and thus avoids  cruelty to them. By not cutting forests to produce  crops that are fed to animals that are being factory  farmed, we helps the environment and become  healthy ourselves. 

Along with the practice of veganism, you  also stress the importance of satya, asteya,  Brahmacharya, aparigraha, etc.  

Ancient Indian values evolved to bring the best  out of man and society. Though the practice  of each one of these values gives immense  benefits to the practitioner, they need to be  practised together. All these five values are  listed under ‘yama,’ meant for the benefit of  others, in the tradition of Ashtanga Yoga. If  ahimsa is to abstain from hurting or harming  others, so are other values like satya (truth),  asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (non cheating), and aparigraha (non-accumulation  of wealth or simple living). When we don’t  practise any of these values, it affects others. A  person who sees God in others or who believes  that the same God who created him also  created others—making, in a sense, all living  beings our brothers and sisters— will have to  include all these values in his life. 

Do you think that only a vegan diet is suitable  for human anatomy?  

A healthy vegan diet gives an optimum output  from the human body. The whole body is made  for the consumption of plant foods. Though the  human body likes to have healthy plant food,  it has adapted to survive in adverse conditions  by eating animals or unhealthy plant foods,  although with a lot of diseases and difficulties.  

It is often argued that when a vegan diet fails  due to poor supplementation, it may result in  serious physical and cognitive impairment.  

First of all, understand that no one has a perfect  life. Vegans, vegetarians, and non-vegetarians  will all experience difficulties and deficiencies.  And food is not the only problem plaguing  humans. We have all the artificialities and  unnatural activities in life resulting in endless  suffering and diseases; no solution seems to be  perfect. Claiming to be a vegan and imitating  all the activities that non-vegans indulge in  is not the solution. However, a healthy vegan  diet with a natural, simple, satvik lifestyle and  living in harmony with nature without greed  will not have any shortcomings.  

What is your answer to the argument by non vegetarians that sustainable, ecological, and  harmonious animal production is really a  solution to the world food problem?  

Such contentions come from people who are  selfish and refuse to ponder issues from a  holistic point of view. There can’t be sustainable,  ecological, and harmonious animal production  as long as animals don’t grow on their own,  and we need to feed animals to grow. Despite  having enough plant food to feed three times  the current human population, we have a food  problem. This is because we feed the food,  which we can eat directly, to animals to produce  animal food. Therefore, animal production is  not only unethical but also unsustainable, as  we use several units of plant food to produce  one unit of animal food.  

How can the practice of satvik veganism help  to establish equilibrium on earth? 

By eating only healthy vegan food, one does  not interfere in the lives of animals and thus  avoids cruelty to them. By not cutting forests to  produce crops that are fed to animals that are  being farm produced we helps the environment  and become healthy ourselves. Satvik vegans  give importance to values, leading a simple  life, using polite language, and avoiding  skirmishes, thus helping to maintain peace  and social harmony.  

What is the role of diet in human behaviour?  Does behaviour or character have any influence  on diet?  
 

What is your answer to the argument by non vegetarians that sustainable, ecological, and  harmonious animal production is really a  solution to the world food problem?  

Such contentions come from people who are  selfish and refuse to ponder issues from a  holistic point of view. There can’t be sustainable,  ecological, and harmonious animal production  as long as animals don’t grow on their own,  and we need to feed animals to grow. Despite  having enough plant food to feed three times  the current human population, we have a food  problem. This is because we feed the food,  which we can eat directly, to animals to produce  animal food. Therefore, animal production is  not only unethical but also unsustainable, as  we use several units of plant food to produce  one unit of animal food.  

How can the practice of satvik veganism help  to establish equilibrium on earth? 

By eating only healthy vegan food, one does  not interfere in the lives of animals and thus  avoids cruelty to them. By not cutting forests to  produce crops that are fed to animals that are  being farm produced we helps the environment  and become healthy ourselves. Satvik vegans  give importance to values, leading a simple  life, using polite language, and avoiding  skirmishes, thus helping to maintain peace  and social harmony.  

What is the role of diet in human behaviour?  Does behaviour or character have any influence  on diet?  

There is a saying: “We are what we eat.” As our  body is made up of what we eat, vegan foods  ensure calm and soft behaviour. When one  eats the meat of animals bred in a horrendous  environment where they are killed brutally,  one unknowingly injects into the body all  the sufferings of the beasts. This suffering is  reflected in one’s acts and deeds, creating a  vicious circle of miseries. All the agonies of  modern life have a direct link to our deeds  to animals, especially for food. While satvik  vegan food creates a cycle of happiness, animal  food creates a cycle of agonies.  

Eating is the beginning. If we bring our  children up on healthy plant food and with  a satvik lifestyle, without competing with  others, coupled with polite and non-aggressive  behaviour and language, people can live a  happy and peaceful life even in these strife ridden times. 

Your message to the readers? 

My message is to go slow, think, assess every  action you do (whether it is eating, speaking,  or doing anything else), take the required  corrective action, and be strong individuals  without imitating others blindly. When we  have strong individuals who do only good, we  will have a good home, village, town, country,  and world. 

When we have sensible and selfless people  who see holistically and want the good of every  being on earth as our leaders, whether they be  religious, spiritual, or political, we can guide  the world towards a better order. 

Pradeep Krishnan is a student of consciousness, based in Kerala. A  seeker by nature, he is deeply attracted to the teachings of Sri Ramana  /Maharshi and Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj..