By Muralidhara-priya Das
Should we be using silk? If we want to practice compassion and non-violence toward all living entities, then we should think twice about what we are putting on our bodies. Originally in Vedic times they used what was called Wild Silk.
Wild silks are produced by caterpillars other than the mulberry silkworm and can be artificially cultivated. The worms are allowed to naturally leave the cocoon. A variety of wild silks have been known and used in China, South Asia, and Europe since early times, but the scale of production was always far smaller than that of cultivated silks. They differ from the domesticated varieties in color and texture, mainly because before the cocoons are gathered in the wild usually the emerging moth has damaged them, so the silk thread that makes up the cocoon has been torn into shorter lengths.
Commercially reared silkworm pupae are killed by dipping them in boiling water before the adult moths emerge, or by piercing them with a needle, allowing the whole cocoon to be unraveled as one continuous thread. This permits a much stronger cloth to be woven from the silk. Wild silks also tend to be more difficult to dye than silk from the cultivated silkworm.
Kusuma Rajaiah, an Indian man, has developed a new technique for producing silk that does not require killing silk worms in the process. Right now, producing a silk saree involves killing of at least 50 thousand silkworms. Rajaiah has won the patent for producing the “Ahimsa” silk. However, the production of the silk is more expensive. For example, a saree that costs 2400 rupees to produce using regular silk, will cost 4000 rupees when made with Ahimsa silk.
Rajaiah says: “My inspiration is Mahatma Gandhi. He gave a message to the Indian silk industry that if silk can be produced without killing silkworms, it would be better. He dreamt but that did not happen in his lifetime. I am the happiest person that at least I could do this little thing.”
Rajaiah says he started giving a serious thought to “Ahimsa” silk when in the 1990s. Janaki Venkatraman, wife of the former President, asked if she could get a silk saree that is made without killing silk worms. In Rajaiah’s new process he follows the old method, which allows the moth to escape from the cocoon by waiting for 7-10 days and then uses the shells to produce yarn.
So if you don’t know if your silk saree or dhoti are produced with “Ahimsa” silk or not, then it probably wasn’t, as over 99% of all silk bought is produced with the method of killing the worm by boiling or stabbing with a needle. Here are a couple of websites were you can purchase “Ahimsa” silk.
www. ahimsasilks. com
www. ahimsapeacesilk. com
Hare Krishna.Just like to draw your attention to Srila Prabhupadas Srimad Bhagavatam Canto3 Chapter29 Verse 15,dealing with Violence in food production.
Here we find the emphasis not on Ahimsa but natihimsrena,minimum violence.We have to commit violence,that is a natural law.We should not,however,commit violence extravagantly,but as much as ordered by the Lord.
Please read the whole purport by Srila Prabhupada,its very interesting.
Doesnt look like we can get away from violence somewhere in our lives.How far do we want to take it?Do we become Jains?Do we stop driving cars and riding bikes?Do we stop taking bath?Do we stop eatin and breathing?Who draws the line for us?
I agree with the sentiment being expressed about the silk worms but what about the earth worms and ploughing and cultivating the soil?
What about the house we live in?
We cant escape Violence.
The problem is not just the pain we inflict but the karma we recieve.
Can we live without inflicting pain and without recieving karma?Doesnt look like it!
Every activity in Kali Yuga is covered with a fault.
Surrender to Srila Prabhupada and Love the Lord.Krishna burns our sins for sure,and thats the blessing.Bhagavata Gita 18.66.
There are so many external concerns is it possible to cope and deal with them all?
Dear prabhu
Although the topic of “himsa” and “ahimsa” silk has been discussed countless times among devotees, I want to thank you for bringing up again. It is an interesting and important aspect of the way we view things and living entities in light of Scripture. And yet again we tend to carry on without paying too much attention to it, or placing more importance on the trend, the looks and the standard of dressing others follow.
Srila Prabhupada wore silk and so do most ISKCON leaders. Eating chocolate has created more waves then silk garment wearing. So where do we draw the line. After reading your posting I have decide to stop wearing the only silk kurta I own. Not that I never knew about what silk is made of. I just did not think about it. I recently watched a 4 part series from the BBC called “Wild China.” One of the series explored the silk making in China. It is amazing how many silk worms die for the sake of making silk.
So, pretty much all men and women who wear “himsa” silk should be aware of what it took to get this dhoti or that saree on their bodies. Just as we could discuss the fact that so many devotees wear leather. Now, that’s a much heavier topic since here deal with cows.
What about using silk for making deity dresses? do the silk worm die for a “good cause” ? Devotees may argue, “Wearing silk at a preaching engagement is more presentable and therefore used in Krsna’s service.” Similarly some will say, wearing leather shoes is better for Harinam and last longer. I recently gave a program in Beijing and made a strong point against wearing leather and walks right in, a devotee with a leather jacket on.
Where do we draw the line in regards to wearing silk? Or do we just carry on and brush the issue aside as irrelevant to our spiritual progress and virtuous human-ness?
your servant
Radhacaran das
This is a great idea.
However, don’t you think that stopping to wear leather should be the step one?
I find it appaling to see how many devotees wear leather without any regret, from the top management and sanyasis down to everyone else.
Most of that leather we wear on our feet is cow leather, and for your information, India is one of biggest exporter of cow leather in the world.
On the top of that, consider that hundreds and hudreds of cows from Vrindavan are taken to Delhi slaughter houses – for leather.
So think, you are wearing Krishna’s dead friends on your feet, and there are very good chances that it could be even Vrindavan cow that had pay with its life for it. It might be that very cow or calf you were playing with and feeding it bananas when you last time visited Braj.
What is an alternative?
There is plenty. It just takes a little effort, and you will easily find leather-free shoes.
Its great to practice ahimsa toward silk worms, but lets start with cows, shall we?
I personally feel that there are unavoidable violence’s that we must partake in, i.e. in farming or performing some service, etc, but there are obviously some violence which can be avoided, and which have practical alternatives. For example we have a choice to wear silk, or a choice to wear leather, there are other clothing and shoe options available. So when we have a choice and there is a non-violent alternative I feel that we should not use the same old excuse of yukta-vairāgya to participate in violent acts, but we should side on the wing of compassion and choose the non-violent alternative. Simply this, if there is a choice, use it.
We don’t have to kill trees or pollute with styrofoam for our programs, there are biodegradable plates made from sugar cane; we don’t have to were leather or silk. as there are many other great textiles; we don’t have to use things that were tested on animals or come from cows that were treated badly, as there are many labels explaining that something is animal friendly or we can have a coop with a local farm to receive fresh dairy that is from cows that are treated nicely; we don’t have to use chemical cleaners and destroy mother Bhumi, as there are earth friendly alternatives. We can recycle, we can use recycled products, save energy, etc… We could go on and on, the point is, if we have a choice, go compassionate. You will see your heart soften day by day, your japa and relationships will improve, and your vision of seeing Bhumidevi as our mother, and all living entities as parts and parcels of Krishna, will grow leaps and bounds.
Hare Krishna.
All mammals, including cows and humans are treated badly if they are milked to feed animals other than their own young. The only purpose of mammalian milk is to feed the young of that mammal.
The production of milk is a miraculous thing which I’ve experienced for years while I fed my own children. It surprises me that we can be so concerned about silk worms dying and about wearing leather (which can come from animals who die of natural causes) when the same people gorge themselves on goat’s milk, sheep’s milk and cow’s milk and other dairy products.
I feel that the idea of discussing how many devotees wear leather, is more about judging devotees – and harshly. We should be discussing the torture of our sister mammals by making them lactate well beyond the time their young are weaned.
Dear mother Lakshmi
The ‘idea of discussing how many devotees wear leather’ is not about judging devotees.
It is about raising awareness of what we are daily doing without even thinking about.
It is about compassion.
Then is up to devotees to make up their own minds.
There is plenty of alternative to leather shoes in most of western countries. When there is alternative, why then take part in cow slaughter?
It’s a rather simple point.
You are right, the leather CAN come from dead animals, but does it? Most likely not, we both know that.
I’m just surprised that as a general policy in ISKCON we don’t care.
We buy leather shoes, leather sofas, leather seat cars – and at the same time trying to practice path of ultimate compassion and love.
Doesn’t quite add up, does it?
One thing confuses me in your comment.
Are you saying that milking animals for human use is more cruel than killing them for leather?
I wish you only the best.
“we have the whole Universe and we must fit it into our words”. I am reminded of that quote very often because obviously my words did not communicate what I intended them to say.
To answer your question, I most certainly did not mean that milking animals is more cruel than killing them – for food or for clothing. Not at all. It’s just that any cruelty to living entities, even if it doesn’t result in their death, is an incremental step to making it easier for us to take the next step. It de-sensitises us to their rights to live in peace. And yes, I agree with you that most of the leather people wear doesn’t come from animals who died of natural causes. The leather one wears today may indeed come from the beautiful calf one was feeding yesterday.
Just as you are surprised that as a general policy in ISKCON we don’t care where our leather comes from, I am saddened that we also show total disregard to the suffering of animals because it suits us to drink their milk and milk-related products. Cows are not merely property to use for our own gratification. Once the cow has weaned her young, she should be allowed to rest until the birth of her next calf. Instead, we keep her artificially tied to machines to produce milk for humans, or we milk her manually. Cows that don’t produce high enough quality milk are killed. People will say that milking in and of itself isn’t painful. I disagree. Extracting milk using unnatural means is painful. Ask anyone involved in the dairy industry what happens to cows if that milking is done late – the poor animals are in great agony.
Violence is part of life but we can work to minimise it.
Hare Krsna
Dear mother Laksmi
Thank you for your clarification.
I fully agree with you – yes, there is a lot of violence attached to milk consumption today.
My point is that i believe that we as Vaishnavas need to learn how to think for ourselves and apply the principle of compassion in different life situations we find ourselves in. That might be silk or leather wearing, drinking of milk or anything else that is causing unnecessary harm and pain to other living beings. My emphasis here would be on the word UNNECESSARY. If we can avoid it, then why not? Just because Srila Prabhupada didn’t mention it anywhere? We really need to learn how to apply that compassion principle in our lives, according to time, place and circumstance.
ys kkd