Is eating meat rarely in compelling situations also offensive?
A devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“I am a non- vegetarian but not like that of others who regularly keep on eating such kinds of meals. When there is parcel or someone cooks for us , I eat meat. I can live being a vegetarian , previously I was a pure Vegetarian. About egg, I consume it ; not on daily basis. So, I wanted to ask that I consume non-vegetarian food only less times in my life. Mostly I prefer to eat veg food. I want to connect towards our eternal holy god Krishna. Now what all can I do?”
REPLY:
I AM SORRY.
Eating meat rarely in compelling situations is also offensive!
There is no relaxation in the recommendation to quit meat eating for the devotees who like to advance in devotional life.
(10 SCIENTIFIC REASONS TO AVOID MEAT EATING AS A REGULATIVE PRINCIPLE! READ HERE!)
If you worship Krishna with no idea of getting purified and going back to Krishna, you can eat meat. No one is going to remind you with the rules of Pure devotion.
But, Srila Prabhupada, His Krishna conscious movement and also Our site promote Pure devotion without compromises in the regulative principles.
I think ours is the only ‘popular’ media that even object taking more quantity of anukalpa prasadam on ekadasis and cooking hundreds of varieties of tasty anukalpa prasadam that resembles regular prasadam in taste.
See, ekadasi fasting is to sacrifice our attachment to the tasty foods atleast for two days a month. But, I have seen in some ISKCON temples that they cook variety of anukalpa prasadam with side dish. Only the grains and seasoning are absent. All other factors exist in that prasadam. I have even seen the devotees take unlimited quantity of anukalpa prasadam.
See, I am not narrow minded, but, I am worried about the purpose of the fasts. The fasting is meant to clean our soul and at the same time, clean our digestive systems also.
Instead of loading the stomach with plenty of tasty anukalpa prasadam, I am forced to think that even normal prasadam can be taken.
In my honest view, On ekadasis, we can take water, some fruits and milk. If anyone takes tablets or has some recommendations from the doctors not to fast, they can take small quantity of anukalpa prasadam.
Or, if you are in need to take anukalpa prasadam on ekadasi because you are doing tough jobs, take that in small quantities, say one third of the regular intake and fil the stomach with water for getting some energy.
(I too have posted some tasty Anukalpa prasadam in THIS POST. You can prepare ANY ONE (Not many) and take in small quantities on ekadasis.)
Loading stomachful of anukalpa prasadam gives regular load for the digestive systems and hence physical purification of body does not happen.
I do not bother whether others take my views or not. Honest and unbiased views will be found valuable one day and many takers will be there in future. One should blow the conch. I am doing it in our media. Truth will stand in future.
Ok, let me come to your problem again.
If you like to go back to Krishna, you should be a vegetarian. Not just being a vegetarian, but, having a karma free food by offering the cooked food to Krishna and honoring the prasadam given back by Krishna.
Taking the poison even a drop is dangerous. Adding just a drop of curd with a bucket of milk changes the nature of milk with fermentation. The entire milk becomes curd.
Similarly, as explained in many of my posts, the gunas make a person and a devotee should develop the domination of satva guna (mode of goodness) and try to situate himself in satva guna all the time.
(What are the dangers of the three Gunas? How Satva Guna too has risks? READ HERE!)
If he allows some domination of rajo guna (mode of passion) and/ or thamo guna (mode of ignorance), he becomes aggressive in making offenses and/or lazy and foolish.
So, a devotee who likes to advance in devotion to Krishna should avoid everything that enhances thamo and rajo gunas.
So, what we eat is important as the food controls our gunas.
Eating meat contaminates us in two ways:
(1) Meat is a thamo and rajo guna food. It definitely contaminates our consciousness and we will face many hurdles and inducements while following devotion. So, we can’t advance in devotion fast.
(2) Meat involves killing of animals, birds and insects WILLINGLY. These living beings are more advanced in status than the plants. So, killing the animals add karma that have to be faced in subsequent births.
(THREE GUNAS (MODES) AND CAUSES FROM BHAGAVAD GITA! READ HERE!)
Though Vegetable eating also involves the killing of the plants, Krishna has recommended that only the vegetarian foods are meant for humans. Krishna Himself is vegetarian.
Krishna asks only the leaves, water, flower, etc. He did not advise us to offer meat to Him to show our love.
For a devotee, we follow what KRISHNA ADVISED.
So, we should eat only the vegetables.
Since the vegetables are recommended by Krishna Himself as the allotted food for us, killing them is not sinful.
However, we may add karma through the persons who cooked the food. So, to avoid such karma transfer, we offer food to Krishna and then honour the same as prasadam.
When such a lovely procedure of giving to Krishna with love and then honouring the remnants, why should we touch the food that is not even touched by Krishna?
(OFFERING FOOD TO KRISHNA- COMPLETE & PROPER PROCEDURE! READ HERE!)
You need not sacrifice food for Krishna is you are unable to do so. Atleast sacrifice the meat products as a show of love for Krishna.
Always keep some ready made vegetarian foods with you in your room or house. It may even be some dry fruits like dates, cherry, dry grapes etc.
Whenever you do not get a vegetarian food, take those fruits after offering to Krishna.
Why should to use the meat coming through parcel or served in any function?
Proudly tell your relatives that YOU ARE A VEGETARIAN. They will give you something else for you.
BEING AND DECLARING YOURSELF AS A VEGETARIAN IS INDEED A PROUD DECLARATION, NOT INFERIOR.
Keep this in mind.
If something is NOT FAVOURABLE for devotional way of life, we should throw it out. We should not live on excuses.
So, say no excuses, please. Quit the meat products totally. Be a proud vegetarian as Prasadam.
Also reduce milk though you do not become a vegan. Taking more than two cups of milk (total of about 300 ml) is also not good for health and consciousness because it takes long time to get digested.
Vegetarian food offered to Krishna is the best and only food for the devotees who wish to advance in devotion.
If you feel alright to take many more births, take meat. No issues.
Hope that you wont like to take many more births by eating meat rarely in compelling situations also.
(10 FOODS KRISHNA DEVOTEES SHOULD EAT AND AVOID! READ HERE!)