BEING VEGETARIAN – Philosphy behind

BEING VEGETARIAN – Philosphy behind

Vegetarian, the belief in and practice of eating exclusively vegetable foods and abstaining from any form of animal food. Food plays a major role and forms the essence in the practice of Religion in India.

During the ancient Aryan Vedic period meat was consumed after animal sacrifice to the Gods. This slowly changed with the rise of Jainism and Buddhisim, since their founders advocated the principle of ahimsa or ”non-violence”. The Brahman priests, who used to exploit the people and advocated animal sacrifices as offerings in the name of religion, also began to preach Vegeterianism since it gained much popularity in India. They began to embrace Vegeterianism by following a vegetarian diet themselves. However due to this constant exploitation of the people, these Brahmin priests soon began losing their status and respect in the society, which once placed them in the highest strata.

Factors involved in Vegetarianism in India today are : (1) Religious or ethical beliefs; and (b) Income considerations or poverty

Rural Indian food in India is often vegetarian. Food items like roots, cereals, pulses, wheat, rice, form the main portion of the diets. Many Indians, being farmers, find it cost-economical to stick to a vegeterian diet.

Indian Scriptures Against Killing and Meat-Eating.

Hindu scripture speaks in favour of vegetarianism. The roots of vegeteriansim in India are found in the Vedas, Upanishads, Dharma Shastras, Yoga Sutras and most sacred texts of Hindus.

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 brings flesh or sends for it, he who cuts off the limbs of an animal, and he who purchases, sells or cooks flesh and eats it -all of these are to be considered meat-eaters.

~Mahabharata,

He who desires to augment his own flesh by eating the flesh of other creatures lives in misery in whatever species he may take his birth.

~Mahabharata,

Those who are ignorant of real dharma and, though wicked and haughty, account themselves virtuous, kill animals without any feeling of remorse or fear of punishment. Further, in their next lives, such sinful persons will be eaten by the same creatures they have killed in this world.

~ Shrimad Bhagavatam

One should never do that to another which one regards as injurious to one’s own self. This, in brief, is the rule of dharma. Yielding to desire and acting differently, one becomes guilty of adharma.

~Mahabharata

Those high souled persons who desire beauty, faultlessness of limbs, long life, mental & physical strength and memory should abstain from any acts of injury.

~Mahabharata

By: Dr. Ripudaman Singh

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