I'm going to write my heart out. I hope the kind devotees will give me their honest opinions, suggestions and advices.
I have a huge passion for cooking and I do make delicious food. I've been a vegetarian since I was 16 years old, I'm 24 now. I've never cooked meat before.
Before I became a vegetarian, it was my mom who was doing all the cooking.
I do have a job but I'm thinking about enrolling into culinary school. Of course that means I will have to cook meat including beef(I'm not from India)
What are your thoughts and most importantly what does our scriptures say about this? Should I go ahead or will I end up collecting bad karma on a daily basis?
Replies
Hare Krishna Ashvini mata ji,
Laxmi ji is surely the one who blesses with wealth but she is not blessing any meat eater!!! Purity and perfection +Satva guna Sumpannah is Sri Laxmi is Pure and she resides in palces where there is purity and full of Satva guna. Laxmi takes you closer to Lord!.
Let me tell you how. Laxmi ji has a sister called Alaxmi. During churning of ocean Alaxmi is born along with Laxmi ji. Laxmi ji only goes to places where money is earned in legal ways without cruelity to humanity or any living organism.., without cunningness, without greediness.. Laxmi ji only goes to places where Her husband is respected and places where there is cleanliness, Absoulte no laziness!!!!! Laziness and sloth meaning tamasic guna and she is not there in those places!!! Alaxmi only gives pride and haugtiness.
Alaxmi is there in those place. She looks like Laxmi but she isn't Laxmi. She makes you go in bad ways and and makes you earn money in badways and do bad karma and Alaxmi is residing in prostitue houses, gamblings places, where there are lying and stealing where all black market trading that is is happening ..Alaxmi in turn makes you do bad activites more and more and earn money is bad ways and makes you do bad karma and makes you go away FROM LORD!!!
Pls. don't confuse between Laxmi and Alaxmi.
The Place where Laxmi ji resides is called " THE HEART OF LORD" It is vaikuntha. Any place where there is Lord is bhu vaikunth! . She is there!!!! She resides in places where Her husband is praised! she residing in places free of tamas.
In material world also we have black money and white money. White money is Laxmi the money earned thru fair means.
Alaxmi got married to Kali Purusha.
Lakshmi is goddess of beauty, prosperity, and good fortune.. while, Alakshmi is her polar opposite:- ugliness, poverty, misfortune. She is also called jyestha devi.
Black money though makes you rich but it is not earned in fair means so some day it is lost, and all that money is spent in some unfortunate ways.
I have seen some great people who are very rich ( who earned money unfairly and cruelly) they had tanneries and they were fithy rich people. Some of the family had no issues, some family members were mentally disabled. and some health issues which made them lose all the money they earned in some way or other lost in so much medical expenses.
The money earned in fair method is Shthir ( means it stays with you ) and if money is earned in illegal ways than it is Ashthir and will soon go away. in some way or another. thats for sure~
Even if you earn $10 also na earn it fairly and legally without harming any creature ( try not to) because every activity we do.. we surely do some harm to another creature knowingly and unknowingly.
Try NOT TO HARM other creature to your level best. Every activity we even SIMPLE BREATHING ALSO you are killing so many microbes. So just don't add more and more bad karma.
Esp. Cows most harmless creatures. Try hard to avoid it.
If unavoidable than say hey Krishna please save me! I am not able to do this task without harming this organism. Pls. save me! and completely surrender to HIM. But do not harm cows. Just don't!
Jai Srimannarayani!
Hare Krishna.
Hare Krsna
What do scriptures say about this?
The Manu Samhita tells us that all the persons/entities involved in killing/meat eating get reaction
Anumantaa vishasitaa nihantaa krayavikrayii. Samskartaa chopahartaa cha khaadakashchetighaatakaah (Manu Samhita 5.51)
Translation - He/She who permits the slaughter of an animal - Govt/Administrators/Ministers etc
She/He who cuts it up - Butchers / Slaughter house owners/workers
She/He who kills it - Butchers / Slaughter house owners/workers
She/He who buys or sells - Persons/companies/supply chains/ wareehouses that distribute /store/ order/ purchase/sell meat online or in shop
She/He who cooks it - Companies/ Hotels / Restaurants/ Perosns that cook/process meat in house/restaurants/ shops/stalls/ vehicles etc
She/He who serves it up - Servants, waiters, persons who serve/ deliver meat to consumers
and She/He who eats it - Persons who actually eat/drink/swallow meat
are all considered as the slayers of the animal
Will I end up collecting bad karma on a daily basis?
There is no doubt about it. Anyone involved directly/indirectly will accomulate bad karma and will receive reactions of the same.
What are your thoughts ?
I would try my best to avoid. First reason is that I do not want to cause any pain to innocent creatures. Secondly there are so many alternatives. Thirdly it will cause my own spiritual downfall, Fourthly I will get severe bad Karma, leading to my suffering. Fifthly it will lead to me being fearful/violent towards my near and dear ones. Sixthly it is not good for environment/society.
Should I go ahead ?
That is a personal decision to be made by individual. I know one devotee who was studying masters in medicine/surgery. He was asked to conduct abortion as part of curriculum. He plainly refused. Medical school said that they cannot grant him degree if he doesn't do it. He stood by his decision and let go of the piece of paper.
The world is racing towards darkness. We need people who not only know the difference between darkness and light, but choose to live in light and spread light. If we want to do the right thing Lord Sri Krsna is more than willing to help us. All the best.
Hare Krsna
Thank you for the response, I appreciate it.
However, can I ask you to be practical for a moment.
Most of the world's population are meat eaters.
The chefs and restaurants make a lot of money. Since we say Lakshmi Devi is the one who blesses with wealth, she's been blessing the meat eaters(I see vegetarian restaurants closing down yet a small burger stall flourishes).
India having the most number of vegetarians in the world, isn't even the 10 most healthiest countries in the world. The healthier countries all eat meat.
Karma...a lot of meat eaters seem rather happy and successful in their life and they've been eating meat their whole life. If meat eaters were collecting bad karma, that's most people on Earth on a daily basis.
Other religions permit meat eating. We can take one or two verses from their scriptures and say "well killing is forbidden so that means no meat eating" or "it says love all creatures that means no meat eating" but let's be real, there are no actual verses that says do no eat meat.
There are recipes using meat in the Ayurveda. Vyasa's mother, Satyavati, was a fisherwoman so there were already communities eating fish 5000 years ago. She got Vyasa as her son and became a queen, doesn't sound like bad karma to me.
And meat eating is not trait of vaishnava! it is a triat of animals and also army men ( Kshetriyas). Those people who are in army and doing strenous activity they were allowed to eat meat in olden days. That too only after offering to demigods. They were not eating meat on regular basis also. only one day in a week or one day a month they used to this ritual of eating meat.
Satyavati is low caste lady. But she had some great fortune in her previous life, that from her womb a great sage like Vyas ji was to be born. So lets not compare with such people.
Even in shastras there is reference to meat eating but it is limited to low class shudras and Kshetriyas. Low caste shudras because they were doing labor jobs. Their work needed them to be robust and strong. So they were permitted and Kshetriyas they used to eat meat to get strength as they were engaged in wars.
now we don't need so much protein food .. most of us are Software professionals or doctors or some desk job workers. Not much activity.. everything is working on power and there is no need to even get up and switch on the TV also. just an app and its on. so we don't require this much protein .. simply vegatarian protein is enough for our sustainence.
try to spread awareness among meat eaters. open Satvik chain of resturants all around the world. pls. add value to the community and teach them eating healthy doesn't require killing other beings!!!
Hare Krishna.
I learnt something from you, thank you.
I will definitely consider your advices and suggestions.
Hare Krsna
Since we say Lakshmi Devi is the one who blesses with wealth, she's been blessing the meat eaters
I have not come accress any scripture that says Lakshmi Devi blesses meat eaters. If you have across such a reference from any scripture please provide the same.
If it is just your observation, then I have nothing to say about it.
You asked a question, I have answered to the best of my abilities. The decision of what an individual does is upto Him/Her. If you are trying to justify meat eating , then my question is to whom ?
If the expectation is that some will support your justifications of meat eating or glorify meat eating based on health wealth etc, then such expectations will not be met in these forums.
1. Ideal human life is to understand scriptures and try our best to live life according to it.
2. Less than ideal life is to understand scriptures and accept that we are fallen and cannot live up to it
3. But when someone has chosen a life that is against scriptural injunctions and still want to justify it based on scriptures, that is demoniac mentality.
This is what lord Sri Krsna says in Bhagavad Gita
yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya
vartate kāma-kārataḥ
na sa siddhim avāpnoti
na sukhaṁ na parāṁ gatim
He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme destination. (BG 16.23)
If some thinks that happiness, wealth, health and religion can be attained by meat eating, I have nothing to say to them.
Can I ask you to be practical for a moment. But let's be real, there are no actual verses that says do no eat meat.
Feel free to make your practical decisions and get as real as you want. But there is no need/scope to justify/glorify sinful activities here.
Hare Krsna
Firstly, don't put words in my mouth. Second, don't make judgmental assumptions.
I was simply putting forth arguments with an open mind. You either have something useful/informative to say or if you can't handle discussions/differences in thoughts than stay away from anything called a FORUM.
To shut someone up with "evil","demonic", etc is nonsensical and childish.
(Prabupad quotes sciptures, uses metaphors, explains, keeps explaining as the questioner puts forth more questions and arguments. He never says "How dare you say that?!. You're demonic".
People like you are the reason why those who want to learn about religion just end up walking away)
Hare Krsna
If you can't handle discussions/differences in thoughts than stay away from anything called a FORUM.
I am capable of handling discussions/ differences as long as they are rooted in scriptures. As far as thoughts are concerned, each can have their own.
To shut someone up with "evil","demonic", etc is nonsensical and childish.
I am not shutting up anyone. Nor has anyone been called demoniac. It is the mentality of demoniac that has been highlighted and it is on the basis of scriptures. It is not my personal opinion nor is it an remark directed to any particular person.
Prabupad never says "How dare you say that?!. You're demonic".
Completely agree. Nor has this been said by me.
People like you are the reason why those who want to learn about religion just end up walking away
People who walk away from religion are doing so on their own will. Nobody can force a person to walk on path of religion. Nobbody can prevent a person who is firmly determined to walk on path of religion. All powerful Hiranyakashipu tried his best to prevent his young son from worshipping Lord Sri Vishnu, he failed. Lord Sri Krsna tried His best to convince Duryodhana and party to follow dharma and give the kingdom of Pandavas back to them. But lord Sri Krsna also failed. What was the result ? - Hiranyakashipu and Kauravas met death.
This is the conclusion of all scriptures - Those who are on path of adharma will eventually be destroyed. Always !
Cow killing is one of the most adharmic activity. Anyone involved in this will have to face its ghastly reactions. It is not a matter of discussion or debate. If someone needs help in understanding it on the basis of scriptures we can definitely help them in understanding the same.
Hare Krsna
Hare Krishna,
Better not to cook non veg food and collect bad karma. Pls. refrain.
You can do so much good and make so much with your cooking. Working woman here in USA I am seeing, they have no time for cooking. Esp. Indians and also many who turned to KC. They really need someone to cook vegetarian Indian meal on daily basis. Pls. give some ad's in the local area or use Sulekha.com for adversitizing that you are great cook ( vegetarian /vegan cook) so many out there are turning to veganism also All need you. You are going to make a huge business. If you can manage it well and do it. Btw where do you reside mata ji?
Do stick to Vegan and vegetarian foods you would have more options and also these days health conscious people turning to raw foods also. Do ceritification in raw foods and juice therapy.
https://www.purejoyplanet.com/level-1-raw-vegan-chef-certification-...
https://store.afpafitness.com/plant-based-nutrition-specialist-cert...
https://juiceguru.com/become-a-certified-juice-therapist/
Hare Krishna.
I'm from Malaysia.
Thank you for your advise and suggestions. I appreciate it