Why Vegetarianism

For Health, Ecology, Morality

Apr 23, 2021

Nowadays you find that more and more people all over the world are turning towards vegetarianism but this is because western science has suddenly discovered the important fact that vegetarianism is more conducive to a healthy life than non-vegetarianism. Even though we in Bharat always knew this, yet this was given secondary importance. We are the only country in the whole world in which a huge portion of the population happily gave up eating meat solely for the sake of ethics and morality for they felt strongly that the taking of another life for the sake of catering to their palate, was totally contrary to their religious beliefs! The idea of vegetarianism is one of the greatest gifts given by the Hindus to the world. Bharat has the highest percentage of vegetarians in the world with 30% of the people being pure vegetarian.

During the Vedic times eating meat was tolerated if the animal was sacrificed to the gods first. As time passed an increasing pressure was kept on “ahimsa” or non-violence and very soon vegetarianism became established as it respected this principle of non-violence. Meat was considered to be impure as it was soiled by the act of slaughter.

However, our religion never laid down commandments that were mandatory to all. It gave us the freedom to choose what we put into this body which is the only vehicle we have to take us to higher states of consciousness. Hence Brahmins who were the priests and the law givers, as well as all religious leaders were encouraged to become pure vegetarians. This was absolutely necessary in order to maintain a high level of purity and spiritual consciousness to fulfil their responsibilities and to awaken the higher areas of their awareness. In fact if we want to practice any type of yogasanas or meditation, it is mandatory to be vegetarian.

Whereas the Kshatriyas who were the fighters and the soldiers were allowed to eat meat since they had to keep alive their aggressive, rajasic temperaments in order to perform their work.

The history of our religion shows that one of the first tenets given to the Hindu is “ahimsa” or the law of non-injury both physically and mentally. This is the very first of our obligations to God as given in the Vedas.

The question which was asked is “Do human beings have more right over this planet than other animals?”

According to the Sanatana Dharma, “Every creature has a natural right to live its life to the fullest”. When we kill and eat another creature, we are denying it this God-given privilege. This is really the greatest of all the reasons why the Hindus chose vegetarianism as a way of life.

“Ahimsa” or non-violence is one of the basic decrees of the Sanatana Dharma. This is equally applicable to animals as it is to humans. Advocates of meat eating will always ask, “If non-violence is one of the arguments against eating meat, then we should not even eat plants since they are also living organisms”.

Now we must understand that complete non-violence is impossible to practice in this world. Can we live without breathing? In the simple process of ordinary breathing, we kill thousands of bacteria that have life.

Killing of an animal or a bird for the sake of catering to the palate and the plucking of a vegetable from the garden do not involve the same level of violence. The pain and agony felt by the animal is not felt by the plants for they don’t have the four senses responsible for feeling the pain.

The Law of Karma is one of the foundation stones of Hinduism. This is totally a scientific law which corresponds to Newton’s 3rd Law of Motion – “Every action will have its own equal and opposite reaction!” “Karma” means action so all our actions will be followed by an equal and opposite reaction! Thus, everything we do will have some “karmic” consequences. If we inflict pain on any creature, this natural law will see to it that we will suffer this pain in some way or other at some future date. All our actions including our choice of food will have karmic consequences. You might exclaim that you did not directly kill the animal but the fact is that you have participated in an indirect way towards the killing of the animal. By involving oneself in the cycle of inflicting injury, pain and death, even indirectly by eating animals, one must expect to experience in equal measure the suffering one has caused. If we did not demand to eat the meat of the animal, the butcher would not have killed it so you will definitely have some of the backlash of the law of karma!

This is what our scriptures say. “The purchaser of flesh performs himsa (violence) by his wealth; he who eats flesh does so by enjoying its taste; the killer does himsa by actually tying and killing the animal. Thus, there are three forms of killing: he who cuts off the limbs of the animal, and he who purchases, sells or cooks the meat and he who eats it – all of these are to be considered meat-eaters and will be affected by the law of karma.

It is scientifically proved that our bodies are the product of what we eat. The Vedas, Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita tell us, “You are what you eat”. Our scriptures go even further and declare that it is the food that we eat that determines our temperaments. Food is the source of our body’s chemistry and what we eat affects not only the health of our bodies but also our consciousness and emotions. If we want to live in higher states of consciousness, in peace and love for all creatures then we should avoid eating meat, fish and fowl. By eating their flesh, we actually ingest their gross chemistries and introduce into our minds the jealousy, anxiety, suspicion and terrible fear of death which are locked into their flesh. Because of this, vegetarians can experience higher states of consciousness than meat eaters.

In the animal world we see that those animals that are vegetarian, like the cow, horse, elephant, lamb etc. all have peaceful temperaments and are loved by all and can be easily domesticated. They can be said to be the friends of humans. Whereas the meat-eating tiger, lion, wolves etc. have fierce natures and are feared by humans.

Dieticians also say that vegetarians live healthier lives and are less susceptible to all the major diseases that afflict humanity. Their immune system is stronger, bodies purer and skin more beautiful.

The scriptures further state that the food we eat determines the temperament we possess. Food is divided into three categories corresponding to the gunas. These “gunas” are the basic subtle forces found in the whole of nature. They are called sattva, rajas and tamas. The combination/permutation of these three are what makes the particular characteristics of everything in nature and in the human being. Science acknowledges these three as existing in the world as “kinesis, inertia and harmony”. These can be called “the principle of activity, the principle of lethargy and the principle of harmony”.

Naturally these gunas are also to be found in the food we eat. Sattvic foods produce calmness and serenity of mind, rajasic foods are energising and tamasic foods make us dull. What we eat affects our emotions and consciousness.

Another fact that has been recently discovered is that animals are the source of all our viruses. We have entered into their domain in various ways. By cutting down forests and making inroads into their land, we are coming more and more into contact with wild animals who have been driven out of their own habitats. This is a major reason for many of the viruses that have so far affected the world. The Covid-19 is no exception. Scientists are now prophesying that the world will be afflicted with some sort of pandemic every three years!

There is no doubt that our planet is suffering. Many of the world’s massive ecological problems like global warming, loss of rain forests, and extinction of species have been traced to the single fact of meat in the human diet. Ancient rain forests have been destroyed to create pasture land for livestock, this in turn leads to the loss of topsoil which increases water impurities. There is large-scale air pollution and global warming leading to melting of the glaciers and many other things that affect us even though we don’t realise it. All these have been traced to the single fact of meat in the human diet.

Raising livestock is a very inefficient way of generating food. Far more of our resources must be used to produce meat than to produce grains, fruits and vegetables. The short-term gain ignores the long-term irreplaceable harm done to the earth’s ecosystem.

Flatulence from cows, pigs, goats and sheep are major contributors to global warming. These animals produce methane gas which is thirty times more potent in trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. On top of this, raising livestock takes up twenty times as much land as growing vegetables.

Ayurveda, the Hindu science of health has always declared that food is the very basis of our health. “Let food be your medicine and medicine your food”. They advised a sattvic vegetarian diet to be the best for promoting good health.

At last, in the last century, medical science has started to veer towards this point of view. Medical studies prove that a vegetarian diet is easier to digest, provides a wider range of nutrients and imposes fewer burdens on the digestive system and impurities in the body. Vegetarians are less prone to all the major diseases (provided they eat vegetables that are organically grown and not tampered with chemically). Their immune system is stronger and bodies purer and more able to combat external viruses.

Vegetarianism has always been advised from the earliest Vedic texts. Hindu scriptures unambiguously support the meatless way of life. They have long supported the spiritual benefits of a vegetarian diet even though it has never been an absolute dictate for all people. This was observed by the ancient traveller Megasthenes and also by Fa-hsien, a Chinese Buddhist monk who, in the 5th century, travelled to Bharat in order to obtain authentic copies of the scriptures.

All the Puranas condemn non-vegetarianism.

The Mahabharata says, “The foolish person who eats the flesh of animals must be considered the vilest of human beings”. – Mahabharata, Anu. 115

One of the names of a cow is aghnya (“not to be killed”). Surely, one who kills a cow or a bull commits a heinous crime. – Mahabharata, Shantiparva 262.47

“Ahimsa is the best tapas. Ahimsa is the greatest gift. Ahimsa is the highest self-control. Ahimsa is the highest sacrifice. Ahimsa is the highest power. Ahimsa is the highest friend. Ahimsa is the highest truth. Ahimsa is the highest teaching”. – Mahabharata 18.116.37-41

In the Bhagavad Purana, Maharaja Parikshit, is quoted as saying that “only the animal-killer cannot relish the message of the Absolute Truth”.

Manusmriti declares, “One should refrain from eating all kinds of meat for it involves killing which leads to karmic bondage”.

It also says, “Having well considered the origin of flesh and the cruelty of fettering and slaying corporeal beings, let one entirely abstain from eating flesh”.

The Yajur Veda calls for kindliness toward all creatures living on the earth, air and water.

The Tirukural says, “When a person realises that meat is the butchered flesh of another creature, he will abstain from eating it”.

“How can he practice true compassion, who eats the flesh of an animal to fatten his own flesh?” – Tirukural 251

“Those noble souls who practice meditation and other yogic activities, who are ever careful about all beings, who protect all animals, are the only ones who can seriously take up spiritual practices”. – Atharva Veda 19.48.5

On the highest level the Bhagavad Gita proclaims, “He who sees the Lord in everything, ever the same in all that is – immortal in the field of mortality – he indeed, is the true seer. And when a man sees god in all that is, he hurts himself by hurting others. Such a one indeed attains the highest state”.

Thus, we see that from ages past the Sanatana Dharma, in advising vegetarianism, has taken into consideration all aspects of human life – health, ecology, morality. The tremendous benefits of vegetarianism in all these aspects had been foreseen by the seers of our culture long before the western world was even aware of such things.

Unfortunately, today, Hindus have come under the sway of the western way of life and many have strayed away from our ancient habits and degraded themselves by adopting the habits of a culture which is far inferior to ours. It is the duty of all Hindu parents to see that the new generation is brought up with belief in these cornerstones of the Sanatana Dharma which today have been proved to have a scientific basis.

There is no decision that we can make as individuals or as a race that can have such a dramatic impact on the improvement of our planetary system as the decision not to eat meat!!