Vegetarian Vs Non Vegetarian food

Question : Guruji, why we should not eat meat ?

My answers are given below.

a). Very simple reason. It is cruelty and violence. Animals have as much right to live as you and I have. We are causing pain, suffering, torture and death to them in the process. b). Vegetarian diet is earth friendly. You can study any literature available today to understand how much damage non vegetarian food is causing to earth. To grow cattle you need green fields. Green fields requires destruction of forest and so on. c). Just look at human body. Is it designed for non vegetarian diet ? Has nature provided us capability for non vegetarian diet ? Is our teeth structure designed for non vegetarian food ( like tiger etc). Is our saliva designed for non vegetarian food ? Our intestine is 40 ft long. Similar to all herbivorous animals. When you eat non veg food, the long pipeline makes sure that the food rots before it is completely digested.

Question : where is the scriptural evidence that brahmins should not eat non-vegetarian food ?

a). Ahimsa paramo dharmaha - Non violence is great dharma. b). Indian scriptures are designed for more evolved people. Indian scriptures stress on giving you the awareness and truth. Decision making is left to you. Our put faith on individuals ability to take right decision given correct information. It is up to you to take decision. c). Law of Karma - Whatever you do unto others will comeback to you. In sanskrit meat means Mamsam. It means that mam saha khadayati iti mamsam. If I kill somebody,some animal, i am entering into a contract to offer my meat ( my flesh) to that animal in return sometime in future. This is law of fairness in the universe. Law of karma.So if someone wants to enter into this contract with animal being killed, it is fair. It is their choice. d). Samam sarva bhuteshu tisthantam parameshwaram - Bhagavadgita. God is present in equal quantity in all beings. Be it is elephant, ant or you or me. The presence of God is same. Whether it is saint or sinner. Divinity inside is same. It is called Atman. Only expression of divinity varies from the person/animal because of the nature of vehicle. It is like a clean glass allows more light where as stone allows no light. In a saint more divine light comes out because his mind is transparent.

Question : What is the purpose of human life ?

Only in human life we get the greatest opportunity to evolve into Divine beings. Human life is like a junction. By good karma we can evolve into higher level beings and by bad karma we can fall down into lower level beings. Choice is ours. Higher level beings are deva, rishi, siddha purusha. Lower level beings are asura, rakshasa. You can even become enlightened - mukta and get free from karmic bondage. Then he raises above all devatas. The choice of evolution is yours. f). Many people in the west - traditionally meat eaters have become 'Vegans" - Vegetarians to stop cruelty to animals and for health reason.

Question: Where is the scriptural evidence that brahmins should not eat non-vegetarian food ?

This question is coming from wrong understanding of brahmin. Scriptures donot say person born in brahmin family is brahmin. With that logic son of a doctor should be doctor, son of a judge should be judge and so on. - As per Bhagavadgita Chaturvarnyam maya srasthyam guna karma vibhagashaha. To be a brahmin there should be Guna - Nature. - Guna of a brahmin is shama, dama .. patience, compassion etc. He should be of satva guna - wisdom. Karma of brahmin he should be knowledgeable of vedas and should be dedicating life to teaching. Others cannot qualifty to be brahmin. - Brahmin by profession has to have knowledge of Vedas. - A person can be bourn in lower caste family but if he is brahmajnani - he is real Brahman. Others are brahmin by profession. For example Kanakadasa - saint of Karnataka was born in shepherd family. Still he is Brahaman - because of realization. Only Brahmajnani qualifies to be called Brahman in real sense. - A real Brahman is a Universal being. He is full of wisdom, compassion and love. His presence is a blessing. He brings peace everywhere. How can he eat meat which involves harming animals. - Sarvabhuta hite rataha - Brahan is one who is involved in helping every being. - How can he cause harm ? - No doubt being born in a brahmin family gives certain advantages of knowledge. It is like a person born in richmans family has certain advantage of money. But that advantage has to beconverted to actuality. Potential has to become real. Guna has to be translated into realization. Realization has to be translated into Karma - Action beneficial to all living beings. - Incase someone has desire for eating meat, it should be done in dharmic way. He has to capture the animal and kill himself. He has to offer the meat to God as offering. Then he has to consume the meat. The process of killing gives him real exposure to type of difficulties/pains the animal is going through. - Todays mechanised/commercialized meat making factories are adharmic. They hide the brutality which goes against animals from the consumer. The pain and suffering is masked. Animals are made to undergo deep suffering. This karma will affect consumer and all the people involved/not involved. - When an animal is being killed chemicals are produced in the body which are related to fear, tension. As modern science has discovered emotions have molecular basis - you can read popular author "molecules of emotion". Consumption of these chemicals leads to general turmoil/tension in personality. Understanding scriptural truth requires fine intelligence, compassion and love. This is missed out by such a person. - There is a general misunderstanding that vedic rituals encourage slaughter. For example Ashwamedha - Killing of horse. No doubt there were meat eaters in vedic period. But ashwamedha - refers to Ashwa - Mind/ego - strong and running like horse to be sacrificied in the altar of yagna - service is called Ashwamedha. Many of the notations/terminologies in vedic literature are symbolic. If we dont understand the symbolism there is a danger of doing wrong.