If I stop meat eating, will my past sins of eating meat be forgiven?
A male devotee (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Hi sir, i am non vegetarian but now i have decided to be pure vegetarian! but i have read that it is prohibited to eat onion and garlic also, but it is almost impossible for me to avoid eating this so is it ok? and if i stop eating non veg what about my previous sin of eating non veg? will i be forgiven for that? and what about the devotees who live in such places where there is no other option for non veg, aren’t they supposed as devotees? It would be better if you don’t display my name! HARE KRISHNA.”
REPLY:
By stopping meat eating, you can stop further addition of karma.
The previous karmas added will be still in your karma account.
However, by stopping meat eating, you can reduce the severity of your past karma.
(If a meat eater worships Krishna, Is it sinful? READ HERE!)
However, there is a definite way to clear our past karma. Without just stopping meat eating, if you involve seriously in Krishna Consciousness by (i) chanting Hare Krishna, (ii) serving other vaishnavas including diksha or siksha guru, (iii) honouring only prasadam, (iv) following ekadasi fasts sincerely and (v) following 4 regulative principles, you can get relief from your past karma of meat eating.
Among them, if you accept a guru and follow his instructions and rules seriously including chanting Hare Krishna, your guru will mercifully accept all your past karma and takes the responsibility of taking you back to Krishna’s abode.
So, unless you involve in serious practice of Krishna Consciousness, you can not clear the past karma of meat eating and other sinful acts.
So, just stopping non veg may avoid adding further karma of eating non veg.
But, to clear past karma, Krishna Consciousness is the only way. No doubt in it.
(If we offer meat to a demigod, does it go to Krishna? READ HERE!)
Next, about onion and garlic.
Actually, taking onion and garlic is not directly sinful. But, these vegetables are representatives of thamo and rajo guna.
So, when you eat them, they silently induce your senses and induce you to commit offences. So, you will add more karma.
For example, if a person is eating satvic foods, he will be able to control his senses even when he is teased by a person seriously. His sense inducements will be under control.
But, if a person takes thamo and rajo guna foods like meat, onion, garlic etc, his senses will induce him to fight back and even to kill if he is teased by the opponent. So, he adds karma of killing.
Brahmanas usually do not take meat. That is why, usually, the brahmanas, if they are sincerely following brahmana rules, do not come forward to create problems.
(Can a Serious devotee Girl long for a casual devotee boy eating meat? READ HERE!)
It is rare to see a brahmana to physically fight with anyone though they are ill treated seriously. They just pray to God and leave the spot. Thus, they avoid serious karma and the person who ill treated that brahmana adds severe karma.
So, eating garlic and onion is not a crime and we do not add serious karma just by taking onion and garlic But, it leads to crimes in our life.
Moreover, thamo and rajo guna foods can not be offered to Lord. So, we can not see onion prasadam, garlic prasadam, etc. So, we are advised to avoid onion and garlic. No other reason.
So, it is easy to avoid onion and garlic. Instead, add more coconut, asafoetida and ghee in meals that will make the food delicious and pleasant smelling. It can be offered to Lord too and we can honour as prasadam.
Try and do that.
(Alternative foods for Onion and Garlic to maintain the health of heart! READ HERE!)