RC NY 1976-07-11 Animal Killers Will Never Understand God
ANNOUNCER: Next is a conversation,
with His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda,
recorded on July 11th, 1976, in New York.
PRABHUPĀDA: What is that question?
Just try to understand.
DEVOTEE: Why is meat-eating sin? HARI−ŚAURI: [Indistinct]
He can understand meat- eating is sin, but well…
When we are doing our ordinary work and normal functions,
aren’t we killing so many other things, so is that sin or not?
Yes.
That is also sin.
That is stated in the Bhagavad- gītā, that whatever you eat:
bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpā ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt [Bg. 3.13]
Anyone is cooking something, meat or vegetables,
for his own eating, he is eating only sin.
It is not that the vegetarians are not sinful and the meat-eaters are sinful.
Everyone is sinful if it is not cooked for Kṛṣṇa.
It is not that we are propagating that you become vegetarian.
We are propagating that you become Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
That is our propaganda.
But because we are trying to become Kṛṣṇa conscious,
we offer something to Kṛṣṇa.
patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati [Bg. 9.26]
So not patraṁ puṣpam,
whatever within this group [is] available: fruits, flowers, grains, milk.
So we offer to Kṛṣṇa.
Yajña.
yajñārthāt karmaṇo ’nyatra loko ’yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ [Bg. 3.9]
If you do not perform yajña, then you will be bound up by the resultant action.
So this is yajña, to offer to Kṛṣṇa.
Yajña means to satisfy Viṣṇu.
Viṣṇu-ārādhyate.
Yajña means satisfy Kṛṣṇa.
But if you don’t [take] Kṛṣṇa’s prasādam, then you are sinful.
Not that if you become vegetarian, then you are not sinful.
Not that.
Because you have to eat something.
jīvo jīvasya jīvanam [SB 1.13.47]
Either you eat vegetable or meat, you have to eat something.
So somebody prefers eating animals, and somebody prefers eating vegetables,
but all of them have got life.
Therefore, you cannot kill any life.
So if you eat for yourself, then you are simply eating sin.
bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpā ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt [Bg. 3.13]
But if you take Kṛṣṇa prasādam, then if there is any sin, it goes to Kṛṣṇa.
You take pure prasādam.
And Kṛṣṇa is apāpa-vidham.
So our duty is to worship Kṛṣṇa and offer Him so many nice things:
fruits, flowers, grains, milk, milk preparation.
We are doing that.
You are taking prasādam.
So that is our business.
- Is it clear; your answer? INDIAN MAN (1): Yes.
We are interested in eating Kṛṣṇa prasādam.
If Kṛṣṇa says “Give Me meat,” we shall give Him.
But He does not say.
He says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati.
Meat-eating is sinful; that’s a fact, amedha, tāmasika,
but if you remain in the darkness of ignorance,
you cannot improve your spiritual life.
Tāmasika.
It is described in the Bhagavad- gītā, rājasika, tāmasika, sāttvika.
Therefore, we should eat sāttvika, and that is also after offering to Kṛṣṇa.
Then we are free from all sinful reactions.
And if you want to implicate yourself in sinful activities,
then you can eat whatever you like.
But either you eat meat or vegetables, if it is eaten for my satisfaction of the tongue,
you become implicated in sinful activities, and you have to suffer the reaction.
The animal you are killing, he’ll kill also you next life.
Then you become bind up… bound up.
INDIAN MAN (2): I have one question.
Though there is mention, in earlier times, we see also [they] used to eat meat.
When?
- Aśvamedha-yajña, all these things, and before that… - That is now prohibited.
Aśvamedhaṁ gavālambhaṁ sannyāsaṁ pala-paitṛkam
devareṇa sutotpattiṁ kalau pañca vivarjayet [Cc. Ādi 17.164].
If you refer to śāstra, the śāstra says in Kali-yuga these should be avoided.
- Srila Prabhupada, I believe that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme… - At that time,
when there was aśvamedha-yajña, gomedha-yajña, that was not for eating.
That was to prove the strength of Vedic mantra,
how the animal was put in the fire and again gave him a new life.
So where is that Vedic chanter, Vedic brāhmaṇa, yajñika brāhmaṇa?
There is no such things, powerful brāhmaṇa.
Therefore it is to be avoided.
And that was not for eating purpose.
To put one old animal in the fire and again he comes back with new life.
That was the purpose.
This question was raised by Chand Kazi to Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu challenged him that,
“What is this your religion, you are killing your father and mother?”
So, he referred to this, that in:
“Formerly they were sacrificing cows in Your śāstra.”
Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained that sacrifice was not meant for eating.
That was meant for renovating new life; that is not for eating.
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