Beyond
Mere Vegetarianism: "A flower accepted for one’s
sense gratification is material, but when the same flower is offered to
the Supreme personality of Godhead by a devotee, it is spiritual. Food
taken and cooked for oneself is material, but food cooked for the Supreme
Lord is spiritual prasäda.
This is a question of realization. Actually, everything is given by the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore everything is spiritual,
but those who are not advanced in proper knowledge make distinctions because
of the interactions of the three modes of material nature. In this regard,
Çréla Jéva Gosvämé says that although
the sun is the only light, the sunshine, which is exhibited in seven colors,
and darkness, which is the absence of sunshine, are not different from
the sun, for without the existence of the sun such differentiations cannot
exist. There may be varied nomenclature because of different conditions,
but they are all the sun. The puräëas therefore say:
“Just as the illumination of a fire,
which is situated in one place, is spread all over, the energies of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Parabrahman, are spread all over this universe.”
(Viñëu Puräëa 1:22:53.) Materially, we can directly
perceive the sunshine spreading itself according to different names and
activities, but ultimately the sun is one. Similarly, sarvaà khalv
idaà brahma: everything is an expansion of the Supreme Brahman.
Therefore, the Supreme Lord is everything, and He is one without differentiation.
There is no existence separate from the Supreme Personality of Godhead."(A.C.Bhaktivedanta
Swami Prabhupada. SB 8.12.8. purport.)
