Challenged about vegetarianism.

Replies

subhasis roy April 1, 2017 at 7:06pm

Hare Krishna Prabhuji pamho,

We get information from the Padma Purana that the 8.4 million species of life are divided into six groups, namely acquatics, trees, insects, birds, animals and humans. There are nine hundred thousand (0.9 million) types of acquatics, two million (20 lakh) types of trees, 1.1 million types of insects, a million types of birds, three million types of animal bodies and four hundred thousand types of human bodies. These aggregate to 8.4 million.

This whole material universe was manifested by The Lord just to satisfy our desire - to enjoy independently of Him. Now why these various types of species were created - it's only to satisfy the desires of the living entities. Say for example if someone is too much attached to eat meat - this human body is not the best machine to fulfil that wish, therefore in order to fulfill that living entities desire he will be given may be a tiger's body in his next birth - that body is totally dedicated for meat eating - this is just a gross example - that is the law of nature. The scripture SB says -

ahastani sahastanam

apadani catus-padam

phalguni tatra mahatam

jivo jivasya jivanam

“Those who are devoid of hands are prey for those who have hands; those devoid of legs are prey for the four-legged. The weak are the subsistence of the strong, and the general rule holds that one living being is food for another.” (Bhag. 1.13.47)

If it is wrong for us to eat animals because they are conscious living entities, why is it OK for the wolf? - because animals don't have an advance level of consciousness to enquire about self realisation - they can act according to their basic instincts without incurring any sinful reaction. But since human being's consciousness are much more advanced than that of animal's - they should make the human birth succesfull by endeavouring for self realisation. Athato brhamo jignasa - because you have got this human form of body -now enquire about the Brhman. We can not engage in self realisation practices and at the same time involve in sinful activities (meat eating, gambling,illicit sex & intoxication)- they are opposed to each other. Spiritual self realization practices are meant to free us from the cycle of birth and death and get engaged in the eternal service of The Lord - whereas the sinful activities will bound us to the reactions of our own karma - forcing us to repeated birth and death.

-thanks

yas
- Doran Hunter > subhasis roy April 2, 2017 at 11:12am
  
  So would you say then that it's the rabbit's karma to be eaten by the wolf? And does the wolf do wrong by eating the rabbit? If it is wrong for us to eat animals, why is it wrong for the wolf? If it is wrong for us because the animal is a conscious living entity, why did Krishna give conscious living entities to other living entities as food?
  - subhasis roy > Doran Hunter April 2, 2017 at 12:06pm
    
    So would you say then that it's the rabbit's karma to be eaten by the wolf? - yes
    
    And does the wolf do wrong by eating the rabbit? - no
    
    If it is wrong for us to eat animals, why is it wrong for the wolf? - wolf don't have any other alternative, it can't survive without eating other animal. But we as human's are given the power to discriminate and have the option to survive by hurting other as minimal as possible - plant's are living entities as well , but they feel pain very little because of having a very primitive level of consciousness
    
    If it is wrong for us because the animal is a conscious living entity, why did Krishna give conscious living entities to other living entities as food?
    
    - just to fulfil the desire of a living entity to enjoy other living entities meat as food. Because if we have any desire , Lord will fulfil it provided we deserve that. If we just introspect within the deep of our mind - we sometime realize how dirty and violent desires are stored there, the animal propensity comes out in suitable circumstances. He created this material world so that we can try to fulfil our dirtiest and most violent selfish desires and try dominate other living entities. Krishna wants us to realise voluntarily that how dangerous our desires could be and to understand that this material world is a very very dangerous place. Once we realise that , we will try to find out a permanent solution of this problem - to look out for a place place which is devoid of violence and selfishness - devoid of any kind of anxiety - a place where no one dominates others - that's Vaikuntha - our real home. Krishna wants us to return back there as early as possible by practising the same mood here in this earth in this very life- by not acting selfishly , by not being a cause of violence, by not giving any anxiety to any other living entity. If we practice properly , we will be given entry there , else if we fail because of our other types of desire - we will come back here or any other earthly planet to fulfil that desire.
    
    -thanks
    
    yas
    - Doran Hunter > subhasis roy April 19, 2017 at 12:41am
      
      So some creatures are allowed to be meat eaters and others to be eaten out of a desire on the part of both?
    - subhasis roy > subhasis roy April 2, 2017 at 2:55pm
      
      also from Krishna's view point, the eating of one living being of another is not of any significance, because Krishna sees us as spirit soul - without birth and death - eternal , full of knowledge and full of bliss - as His own part and parcel. All these affairs of bodily destruction (like change of garments) and misery is an illusion which does not at all effect the soul. Though under the spell of Lord's illusory energy the soul think of him as a body and gets effected by pleasure and sorrow - and other ghastly incidents - but in reality the soul is beyond these things - we treat ourselves as body that's why we get worried - for Krishna - we remain His dearest childrens just currently passing a dream like situation and He makes arrangement for us to wake up from the spell of illusion and return back to the reality.
3ruf705dlznca April 1, 2017 at 11:51am

There is the rule in the universe, that the body of one living being is a food for another.

Anyway, one who desire to cultivate mood of goodness, should never eat food which is in a mood of ignorance or passion, because of the influence on ones mind and behaviour.

.

SB 7.15.5 — When one gets the opportunity of a suitable auspicious time and place, one should, with love, offer food prepared with ghee to the Deity of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and then offer the prasāda to a suitable person — a Vaiṣṇava or brāhmaṇa. This will be the cause of everlasting prosperity.

SB 7.15.6 — One should offer prasāda to the demigods, the saintly persons, one’s forefathers, the people in general, one’s family members, one’s relatives and one’s friends, seeing them all as devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

SB 7.15.7 — A person fully aware of religious principles should never offer anything like meat, eggs or fish in the śrāddha ceremony, and even if one is a kṣatriya, he himself should not eat such things. When suitable food prepared with ghee is offered to saintly persons, the function is pleasing to the forefathers and the Supreme Lord, who are never pleased when animals are killed in the name of sacrifice.

SB 7.15.8 — Persons who want to advance in superior religion are advised to give up all envy of other living entities, whether in relationship to the body, words or mind. There is no religion superior to this.

SB 7.15.9 — Because of an awakening of spiritual knowledge, those who are intelligent in regard to sacrifice, who are actually aware of religious principles and who are free from material desires, control the self in the fire of spiritual knowledge, or knowledge of the Absolute Truth. They may give up the process of ritualistic ceremonies.

SB 7.15.10 — Upon seeing the person engaged in performing the sacrifice, animals meant to be sacrificed are extremely afraid, thinking, “This merciless performer of sacrifices, being ignorant of the purpose of sacrifice and being most satisfied by killing others, will surely kill us.”

SB 7.15.11 — Therefore, day by day, one who is actually aware of religious principles and is not heinously envious of poor animals should happily perform daily sacrifices and those for certain occasions with whatever food is available easily by the grace of the Lord.
- Doran Hunter > 3ruf705dlznca April 2, 2017 at 11:09am
  
  Thank you for the great quotes.

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