A friend told me she does not understand why there are animals in this world are designed to eat meat ?
This means animals have to kill each others ?
Why not this world only have vegetarian animals exist ?
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I hope I am not coming in between.
The question under discusion is :
1) Why there are animals in this world are designed to eat meat ?
2) Animals have to kill each others ?
3) Why not this world only have vegetarian animals exist ?
1) Brahma has created all sorts of Yonies total 84 Lac yonies. They are from unicellular to multicellular giants. Living in various environments Land, Air, Water. Lord Brahma has shown his skill in creating a Yoni with a specific purpose and with specific character, so that the variety becomes a "Bhul Bhullaiya". So also Lord Brahma added a variety of diets in various Yonies and designed specific physical body parts so as to suit the environment they live in. So he had to create animals eating each other. Lord Brahma had created this all "Srushti" with whatever Material he had reced from Lord Krsna. Probably he had in mind or had been warned by Lord Krsna that he has to play within what raw material He had given to Brahma. And to balance the Panch Tatvas, he had to design a system that will BALANCE the Physical matter in this universe. Suppose he had created all vegetarian yonies, the population of animals would have increased so much so that all vegetation plant kingdom would have been eaten up by now. And you can think without trees what would have happened - we can feel the pressure of cutting trees currently. There would thus have been an imbalance. So he might have envisaged a system of eating the weaker. Survival of the fittest is the rule that prevails in this physical Bhautik world.
2) Yes the animals have to kill each other because of keeping the balance of Bio-mass on this uiverse. Not only animals but even some plant species also kills animals, insects etc. Still in African jungles there are areas which no human being has been able to visit till now.
3) This answer also lies in the answer of 1st question given above.
The devotee has asked only about animals. Nowhere he or she has named man. You feel in human beings there is only one yoni. No sir, in human beings there are 4 Lac different varieties, classified in Shrimad Bhagwatam, details if you insist I can provide you. Some of the yonies of human beings are nearer to animals, living in deep jungles, they still eat other human beings and are called nar bhakshies, some feed on dead bodies of human beings, Some are so fast hunters they catch fish in water by their bare hands, eat raw meat, animals etc. they are called Pishachas. You have not seen a Nar Bhakshi. Their body parts, anatomy must be very different than ours. Intelligent Manav Yonies are there who know about Aadhyatma. These human beings have been given this special skill. You will find in animal or plant kingdom also there are so many wonderful kills offered to specific yonies. Laajwanti Plant leaves contracts when you touch them, Tenderils of "bel" grows in such a manner to entwine the host tree. To site an example : Dogs - smell, Bats - Radar system, Jugnoo - Light power house, Flemingoes - Flying 3 to 4 thousand miles at a single stretch, Owl - Visibility in the night Ultra Red vision, Snake - seeing with his ears. and so on
Energy can neither be destroyed nor created. It always changes from one form to other. After all bodies are simply the containers constructed by these Panch Tatvas, forming and tranforming to other forms of energies once their purpose to offer shelter to "SOUL" is served, and it has left the container.
I dnt know why Shirdi saibaba distributed meat-neither am I going to speculate on the reasons or his personality.same thing abt ramayana and mahabharat stuff. all I know is the vani of Srila Prabhupada and Guru Maharaj who represent the word of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. and according to them meat eating is sinful. Plz note I am talking only about human beings and not animals.
Once you are given a human birth you are liable to laws of karma whether you are born in India or in the north pole.Only difference is the level of knowledge between the two people.A person who is well versed in vedic knowledge eating meat will incur greater sin than a person in alaska for whom meat is the only food available.In a lecture a senior disciple gave a good example to illustrate this point :if a small boy commits some crime or breaks some rules of law he will not be punished like an adult since he does not have the understanding of an adult.He may be scolded or given a mild punishment.But if an adult who is well aware of the law violates it-there is no concession.
Only animals can eat meat for survival without incurring sin.
I know I am totally off the topic but i thought it necessary to mention these points and now i withdraw from this discussion
Once again I am open for corrections by devotees following the teachings of Srila Prabhupada.Plz forgive my offences
YS
Also a very humble request-kindly make sure that ur answers are clear,not confusing and complete( not open to interpretations).This being an open forum and we have lot of readers who are very new to Krishna Consciousness (this may be the first exposure to KC for some) and vague answers may mislead them.No offence intended here-plz forgive if I have offended you
Haribol
YS
Secondly my mind is still not able to understand this how meat-eating is not a sin? Can you please quote some verses from the scriptures(except Manu smriti) or devotees to make my mind understand this concept? :)
Thanks in advance.
Hare Krishna
I too had these doubts earlier :) I am still a neophyte but my understanding is as follows:
Krishna has created this material world in order to fulfill our desires ( desires of all souls who chose to enjoy separately from Him).Every soul gets a body according to its desires.So if someone has a desire to eat non-vegetarian food without restrictions Krishna fulfills his desire by giving him the body of a carnivorous animal designed to eat meat. This is of course a very simplistic explanation -the laws of karma to decide the next body are beyond my comprehension and I dnt try to analyse either coz ultimately our aim is to go back to Krishna & not to be born again :)
Also note animals do not have karma- laws of Karma are applicable only to human beings.Only humans have the intelligence to understand the rules set down by Krishna and act accordingly.So the earnest request by all our Acharyas to use our intelligence and choose the path to go back to Godhead - to Krishna in Goloka Vrindavan
As far as concept of vegetarian animals or vegetarianism is concerned- vegetarianism also involves killing of plants which are also living beings. and as such is sinful and incurs karma unless it is offered to Krishna.Once food is offered to Krishna it becomes purified and incurs no karma. Also Krishna has mentioned what is offerable to Him and what is not ( Meat cannot be offered).
I may have deviated from the topic with this lengthy answer but hopefully your query is answered
Hari Haribol
YS
dipti
I don't understand how you were able to conclude that 'its not a sin to kill an animal' and 'it doesn't matter one is non-vegetarian or vegetarian'. Probably you have not tried to understand the actual Vaishnava philosphy.There is sin in even killing plants.
In Srimad Bhavad Gita Lord Krishna has said "The devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because they eat food which is offered first for sacrifice. Others, who prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin".
There is a saying in Hindi 'jaisa ann vaisa man' . In simple terms if we eat 'non-vegetarian' food then feeling of compassion is killed. One who does not consider in taking life of others for the sake of his/her taste buds cannot understand Krishna and remain always entangled in His Maya.
Prabhupada nicely explained that even Pigeons and Monkeys are vegetarian but they cannot understand Krishna because in only human life we are at the stage to understand God. so it does not matter for animals if they are veg or non- veg.
As far as i understand there is no valid reason to be non-vegetarian. The vegetarian diet is as nutritious as non-veg. No offences meant to you but i would like to know other valid reasons from you as you have mentioned in your reply.
I am a neophyte so i request senior devotees to correct me if i am wrong anywhere.