insecticide?

From the Bhakti List Archives

• September 22, 1998


My usual solution is to take the insect out alive by hand (if that is
possible) and
throw it out. It is possible that the insect is able to live on other
leaves, which are
in plenty outside. (Or it might die due to other reasons.).

Certain organic insecticides do not kill the insects. They may make them
sterile.

If you find a mouse, what do you do? Your dilemna does not have an easy
solution. There might be a standard answer according to our scriptures.
But it may not be easy for everyone to accept.

K.Srinivasan

> -------------- MESSAGE bhakti.v003.n098.4 ---------------
>
> From: Mani Varadarajan
> Date: 21 Sep 1998 17:45:19 -0000
>
> I have a moral dilemma for which I would like advice.
> I recently noticed small, 1" worms on one of my tulasi plants.
> The worms were eating many of the leaves of the tulasi plant,
> and in consequence, the plant was not up to its usual
> glory.  I became concerned about the long-term state of the
> plant, so I bought some organic insecticide and sprayed
> the tulasi.
>
> Should I have done this? Would it be more correct for me
> to have let the worms have the great benefit of eating
> tulasi daily as their only food? Should I not have killed
> these insects just to preserve part of the tulasi plant?
> Is it now wrong to offer tulasi leaves which now exist
> purely because of my killing?
>
> Mani
>