[Posted
January 12, 2008]
PR Newswire Jan 10, 2008
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Ahimsa means not arresting the progressive life of any living entity. One should not think that since the spirit spark is never killed even after the killing of the body, there is no harm in killing animals for sense gratification. People are now addicted to eating animals, in spite of having an ample supply of grains, fruits and milk. There is no necessity for animal killing. This injunction is for everyone. When there is no other alternative, one may kill an animal, but it should be offered in sacrifice. At any rate, when there is an ample food supply for humanity, persons who are desiring to make advancement in spiritual realization should not commit violence to animals. Real ahimsa means not checking anyone's progressive life. The animals are also making progress in their evolutionary life by transmigrating from one category of animal life to another. If a particular animal is killed, then his progress is checked. If an animal is staying in a particular body for so many days or so many years and is untimely killed, then he has to come back again in that form of life to complete the remaining days in order to be promoted to another species of life. So their progress should not checked simply to satisfy one's palate. This is called ahimsa.
This is wrong. Killing of any body, because na hanyate hanyamane sharire [Bhagavad-gita 2.20]. So one can put this argument, that the soul is everlasting, so what if the body is killed? But that's all right, body is killed, but you cannot kill the body to hamper its progress. One living entity is destined to live in a certain body. If you destroy that body, then he has to wait for the next body. That means you are interfering with his progress. Therefore you are sinful. Just like I am living in this apartment. If somebody by force drives me away, it is criminal. If I go to the police, that "I was living in this apartment and this man by force has driven me," is it not criminal? So I am not lost because I am driven out of this body. But you will be liable for criminal punishment because you have forced me to leave this body. Ramakrishna Mission says that what is the point if a man or animal is killed? The soul is immortal, so what is this? What is that? The rascals, they do not know. The real philosophy is here. The soul is destined to live in a certain body for a certain period. If you immaturely stop it, then you become responsible. Exactly like that. I am living in my apartment. If you by force drive me away, you are criminal. They do not know all these things. Imperfect knowledge.
Sometimes we are enthusiastic in commemorating the relics of Buddha but we do not care to learn the teachings Buddha. The teachings of Buddha centered round the principle of "Ahinsa", "Hinsa" means not to allow another person in prosecuting his rightful occupation. When an animal is killed it is called "Hinsa" because the animal is hampered in the process of its delineating the proper terms of his life. And because it is checked in the progress of its rightful occupation, the men also conspire to kill the animal, are liable to be punished by the law of nature. It is just similar to the laws of the land. If a man is killed by conspiracy the whole set of conspirators are punished by the law. "Hinsa" or violence on any living being is as much punishable as that of killing a human being. That is the law of inviolable nature. The punishment so awarded is for checking the rightful progress of one's duration of life, otherwise the soul being indestructible, nobody can annihilate the spirit soul—that is the instruction of Bhagwat Gita.
The highest form of "Hinsa" is to keep in darkness the human being in his developed consciousness of life. The human form of life is the highest stage of developed consciousness and it is attended after full many years of gradual differentiation of transmigration of the soul. The human being therefore should not be hampered in his rightful progress of spiritual realization. This path of spiritual realization is open to all human being irrespective of caste creed colour and nationality. Nobody is banned from it except the one who willfully gets away from this rightful path and commits a spiritual suicide.