some dharmic questions

[ravi chandrasekhara]

Dear All,

I have some questions that have been on my mind for
some time.

1. There are pictures of dieties on calenders,
wrappers, old panchangas, etc. This leads to a lot of
paper accumulation.  I was told by a temple
representative at the Sri Venkateswara Temple in
Pittsburgh a few years ago said in India the proper
way to dispose pictures in those forms is to throw it
in a holy river.  I would like to know what is the
proper way to dispose of these items(i.e. , is it a
transgression to throw in the garbage), esp in the
USA.

2. We wear a lot of silk items: ties, shirts, dhotis,
saris, etc. This involves boiling of silkworms; is
this allowed per our shastras ? Are certain castes
allowed/forbidden to wear silk items ?

3.Are we allowed to wear leather items ?, it seems
almost ubiquitous (car seats, shoes, wallets). Here
most likely leather is obtained from cow slaughter;
supposedly in India it is obtained from naturally
dying cows. My next question is if leather is ok, does
it depend on how it is obtained ?

4. Many vegetarians justify egg consumption since it
doesnt involve killing life, as these are
unfertilized.  What do our shastras state ? I remember
reading in a book that Gandhiji stated that these
types of eggs are ok to eat. Is there a caste
restriction on who can consume eggs ?  My
understanding id that eggs are tamasic.

Pranam,
Ravi Chandrasekhara


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