[September 29, 2015] Dr. Nikhil asked: My student asked that the non-vegetarian food is natural system and how can it be a sin?
Swami Replied: To kill an innocent animal like deer for food, you are not a tiger or a lion staying in the natural forest following the natural set-up. At least, the tiger or lion is excused because it will never eat vegetarian food. You are a human being granted with sharp intelligence that does sharp analysis and you have the option of vegetarian food. You also eat the vegetarian food. If you kill an innocent animal like goat for your food, even though you have the option of the alternative vegetarian food, your attitude is proceeding in such a direction so that you will harm any innocent human being also for your enjoyment even though you have the alternative option for such enjoyment. This is more than sadism because a sadist enjoys by harming another person and he has no alternative person there for such enjoyment. If you analyze this subject through your sharp intelligence, you will find that the vegetarian food is far better than non-vegetarian food as per the medical science. The proteins extracted by you from the plants in your vegetarian food are primary and are very good for health. The proteins taken by the animals from plants are re-synthesized in the body of the animal and such proteins are secondary only. The secondary proteins are not good for health. Therefore, as a student of science, you should act in every step after doing scientific analysis only. Apart from this, consider the path of sympathy, kindness and human compassion on seeing the agony of the bird or animal just after cutting it. If you do not give any consideration to these values and be cruel only, neither you are fit to study the science nor fit to study the arts having human values. God came in human forms like Buddha and Mahaveera on this single programme only and preached the non-violence. Even though you do not participate in the killing of animal or bird, you become the due partner of the sin since the butcher is killing animals and birds to supply the mutton based on the demand of purchasers like you only. The scripture says that the non-violence is the highest justice (Ahimsaa paramo dharmah...). Even the plants have life but their mind is very primitive and hence the pain is very negligible compared to the birds, animals and human beings. Even in the case of plants, they are cut only after death, which ripens on losing the chlorophyll. Parvati was called as Aparna because she did not even pluck the green leaves for her food during her penance. The sin is not in the non-vegetarian food, which is as good as vegetarian food, if you analyze the constituents like the common carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals etc. The sin lies only in the pain experienced by the animal or the bird in its death. Think a while that you are in its position and then discuss the subject. There is no sin in eating a naturally dead animal and a sect of Hindus called as Kapalikas do this and are not found fault for this. The word ‘Maamsa’ or mutton is derived like this “As this fellow (sa) kills me (Maam) now, I will kill him in the next birth”. Based on this, you become the innocent goat and the innocent goat becomes the butcher in the next birth so that the pain is practically experienced by you.
At the lotus feet of Shri Datta Swami
-Prasad
