Why Vegetarianism?

I wrote couple of articles related to why Vegetarianism several years ago in response to some questions in alt.hindu. I am reproducing them without editing since it address some of the issue raised. Would respond to any questions on these articles leisurely when I find some time. PraNaams.
Hari OM!
Sadananda
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Here is Article I

Sub: Does Hinduism require one to be a vegetarian

Recently two questions were asked - Does Hinduism require one to believe in God? Does Hinduism require one to be a vegetarian? In a recent article, I have addressed the first question. Here I will provides some thoughts for the second question.

In relation to the first question, I have discussed what Hinduism stands for and who is truly a Hindu. In essence, Hinduism is Sanatana Dharma, and that Dharma is from time immemorial - it involves pursuit for Moksha. Therefore the one who is seeking for Moksha is a true Hindu, irrespective of the nationality, caste, creed or gender. With that catholic understanding, one can see that Hinduism becomes a way of life because the pursuit of the essential purpose of life is the goal of the Hindu life.

With that perspective, it is easier to analyze all other questions including whether Hinduism requires one to be a vegetarian. Since the purpose of life is securing liberation or Moksha, until we reach that we need to live. Only death is the death of the ego that happens in the spiritual awakening. Hence, keeping the body alive by nourishment is the our Dharma. That means one has to eat to live (not the other way - living for eating sake!)

Life lives on life. That is the law of nature. Whether I eat an animal or plant I am destroying a life. Among all life forms Man is different from the rest of the life kingdom. He has the capability to discriminate the right from wrong. That also gives him the freedom of choice. Plants have just body and perhaps a rudimentary mind. Animals have both body and mind to express feelings and suffering, but rudimentary intellect. Man has not only body, mind but also well developed intellect to discriminate, decide and to choose. He always has three choices - Karthum sakhyam, Akartum sakhyam and anyatha karthum sakhyam meaning he can choose to do, not to do and do it other way. For animals and plants there is no freedom of choice. They are instinctively driven. Cow does not sit down before meals, and inquire whether it should be a vegetarian or non-vegetarian. So is a tiger. For a Man the discriminative intellect is very evolved. Plants and animals do not commit sin in their actions because there is no will involved in their actions. For a human, the story is different. You may wonder why I brought sin in the argument. Let me explain.

Sin is nothing but agitations in the mind. It is these agitations that prevent me in my journey to Moksha. Mind has to be pure (meaning un-agitated) for me to see the truth as the truth. (Bible also says Blessed are those whose minds are pure). To define sin more scientifically - it is the divergence between the mind and intellect. Intellect knows right from wrong - but we feel like doing things even though we know they are wrong - that is, the intellect says something, but mind which should be subservient to intellect rebels and does whatever it feels like. This divergence is sin. After the action is performed - there is a guilt feeling, because intellect, although was overruled, does not keep quite, it keep prodding " I told you it is wrong. Why did you do it?" With peace of mind gone Man goes through a "Hell". Man is not punished for the sin, he is punished by the sin. - Think about it.

All yogas, if you analyze clearly, are bringing this integration between the body, mind and intellect. For a Yogi - What he thinks, what he speaks and what he does are in perfect harmony or alignment (Manasaa vacha karmana). In our case, we think something but have no guts to say what we think, our lips says something different from what are thinking - if you watch the lips and the actions that follow, they are again different! - There is no integration any where. We live a chaotic life. Besides deceiving others, most pathetic is we deceive ourselves, and the worst thing is we don't even realize that.

Now, when a tiger kills and eats, it does not commit a sin. Because its intellect is rudimentary, and it does not go through any analysis before it kills - should I kill or not to kill - Should I be a non-vegetarian or should I be vegetarian". When it is hungry, to fill the natures demand, it kills it pray and eats what it needs and leaves the rest when it is full. It is not greedy either. That is its Swadharma. It follows a beautiful ecological system.

It is only man who destroys the ecology by being greedy. "Should I be a vegetarian or non-vegetarian?" is asked only by a man. Why that question comes? Because man has discriminative intellect, and he does not want to hurt others to fill his belly. He learns what `hurt' means because he surely does not want others to hurt him. Plants are life forms too, should one hurt them?. You may ask. If one can live without hurting any life forms that is the best, but that is not possible. Life lives on life - that is the law of nature. My role as a human being with discriminative intellect is to do the least damage to the nature for keeping myself alive. At least, I am not consciously aware of suffering of the plants. That is why eating to live and not living to eat is the determining factor.

In Bhagawad Geeta, Krishna emphatically says that a Sadhaka (one who is in pursuit of Moksha) should have a compassion for all forms of life - Sarva Bhuuta HitErathAH. In the spiritual growth, one develops subtler and subtler intellect (Sukshma Bhuddhi in contrast to TeeKshna Buddhi, i.e. sharper intellect). That is, the mind is becoming quieter, calmer and self-contended. Your sensitivity to suffering of others also grows. Hence it is advisable to be a vegetarian.

Even the traditional non-vegetarians repel against eating dogs and cats or other human beings! Why? Meat is a meat after all! But with familiarity grows compassion.

There are many two legged animals in human form with rudimentary intellect. They behave like animals, as we heard a case recently in Michigan of man-eating humans keeping them in the refrigerator. But in the evolutionary ladder one develops subtler and subtler intellect, then it is advisable to be a vegetarian - only taking from nature what it needs to keep the body going. One should not hurt any life forms to satisfy the craving of ones tongue.

Should Hindu be a vegetarian? Since such a question already arose in your mind, you have a degree of sensitivity not to hurt other living forms to satisfy your belly. Then you may be better off not eating meat and you will be at peace with yourself. Since you are sensitive to this the intellect directing you one way and your mind wants some baser pleasure and directing you the other way. When you go against your own intellect you commit sin. That is against your SWADHARMA as Krishna puts it. Swadharma in a nut shell is what your intellect or conscious believes in.

Besides, now, even the traditional non-vegetarians are choosing vegetarianism not because of any compassion to other animals but they are recognizing that it is not good for their health.


I have already mentioned that Hinduism do not overemphasize the doos and don'ts, as commandments, but you determine your own doos and don'ts based on your intellectual values, culture, education and primary goal in life. You will find that following your Swadharma makes you comfortable with yourself. It is not others to judge, it is for you to judge. If you are agitated, that means you are loosing peace of mind for these and that is a sin! Imagine your self that chicken or cow that you are eating. Would you not advice the guy who is eating you to be a vegetarian instead and spare its life. Do not say you are not killing the animal yourself, and killing will go on whether you eat or not. If you don't eat, one animal is spared. This is the demand and supply. I may not be stealing my self, but if I buy the stolen property knowing that it was stolen, it is a crime! Is it not? Now there are imitation meats too - so why the crave for a dead meet. Why do you want your stomach to be a burial ground for a dead animal.

From Hinduism point, it does not really care. All it wants is for you to pursue the path towards the Sanatanadharma. So do what is needful to keep your mind calm and un-agitated. Purification of the mind is the means for attaining salvation, and that is the goal of human life. Since by willful actions we got ourselves into this mess of SamsAr, or suffering, it is by willful Sadhana (your efforts) only we can get out of it. Lord has given us the intelligence to accomplish this - Krishna declares - you are better off following your swadharma than paradharma. Swadharma (is not just what caste you belong or what religion you belong) in the final analysis it is what your intellect or conscious dictates. Because, after the action is performed, it is your mind that has to settle accounts with your intellect.

Do yourself a favor - eat only what you need, I do not think eating meat comes as your essential need. In fact it could even be harmful for your body if not to the mind.