The Daily Kill

NOTE: These figures are for the month of July, 2009 - in USA. Divide these figures by 31 for the average daily kill:

Beef cows: 2.92 million ÷ 31 = 94,000
Veal calves: 79,900 ÷ 31 = more than 2,577
Porkers: 9.15 million ÷ 31 = 295,000
Lambs & goats: 207,400 ÷ 31 = 6,690

Not counting the number of chickens, turkeys and other birds — which far exceeds the number of cows, pigs and sheep... and forget about the seafood tally...

All of this has nothing to do with religion. And a great many people who don't particularly care to let religion influence their everyday lives, especially their food choices, realize this and are not at all bothered by their consciences as their teeth tear into flesh. For the many people who do believe religion does still matter - whether "Christian", "Jew", "Hindu" or "Muslim" or other, most of them apparently do not let any Holy Book get in their way. How many Christians, for instance, are deterred by the commandment "Thou shalt not kill"? And India, bastion of "Hinduism", land of the sacred cow, is forecasting a rise of 5% in beef and buffalo meat production in 2010 with the world's largest bovine herd [1], and it is currently ranked as the world's No. 3 beef exporter [2]. No scripture actually endorses meat eating without any restriction, but when it comes to rules, it seems that more "believers" believe themselves to be the exception to the rule than subject to it.

In the following purport, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, explains that meat eating is condemned because it implicates the meat eater in the karmic reactions for killing of animals, hindering his spiritual progression. For this reason meat eating is restricted. However, human society has abandoned all restrictions on eating of meat.

Modern civilization is centered around animal-killing. Karmis [persons whose aim in life is material success] are advertising that without eating meat, their vitamin value or vitality will be reduced; so to keep oneself fit to work hard, one must eat meat, and to digest meat, one must drink liquor, and to keep the balance of drinking wine and eating meat, one must have sufficient sexual intercourse to keep fit to work very hard like an ass.

There are two ways of animal-killing. One way is in the name of religious sacrifices. All the religions of the world—except the Buddhists—have a program for killing animals in places of worship. According to Vedic civilization, the animal-eaters are recommended to sacrifice a goat in the temple of Kali under certain restrictive rules and regulations and eat the flesh. Similarly, they are recommended to drink wine by worshiping the goddess Chandika. The purpose is restriction. People have given up all this restriction. Now they are regularly opening wine distilleries and slaughterhouses and indulging in drinking alcohol and eating flesh. A Vaishnava acharya like Narada Muni knows very well that persons engaged in such animal-killing in the name of religion are certainly becoming involved in the cycle of birth and death, forgetting the real aim of life: to go home, back to Godhead.

Thus the great sage Narada, while instructing Srimad-Bhagavatam to Vyasa Muni, condemned the karma-kanda (fruitive) activities mentioned in the Vedas. Narada told Vyasa:

"The people in general are naturally inclined to enjoy, and you have encouraged them in that way in the name of religion. This is verily condemned and is quite unreasonable. Because they are guided under your instructions, they will accept such activities in the name of religion and will hardly care for prohibitions." (SB 1.5.15)

Srila Narada Muni chastised Vyasadeva for compiling so many Vedic supplementary scriptures, which are all intended for guiding the people in general. Narada Muni condemned these scriptures because they do not mention direct devotional service. Under Narada's instructions, direct worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, was set forth by Vyasadeva. The conclusion is that neither the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu, nor His devotee ever sanctions animal-killing in the name of religion.

Indeed, Krishna incarnated Himself as Lord Buddha to put an end to animal-killing in the name of religion. Animal sacrifice under the name of religion is conducted by the influence of tamo-guna (the mode of ignorance), as indicated in the Eighteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita (18.31-32):

"That understanding which cannot distinguish between the religious way of life and the irreligious, between action that should be done and action that should not be done—that imperfect understanding, O son of Pritha, is in the mode of passion. That understanding which considers irreligion to be religion and religion to be irreligion, under the spell of illusion and darkness, and strives always in the wrong direction, O Partha, is in the mode of ignorance."

Those who are involved in the mode of ignorance manufacture religious systems for killing animals. Actually dharma is transcendental. As Lord Sri Krishna teaches, we must give up all other systems of religion and simply surrender unto Him (sarva-dharman parityajya [Bg. 18.66]). Thus the Lord and His devotees and representatives teach the transcendental dharma, which does not allow animal-killing at all. At the present moment it is the greatest misfortune that in India many so-called missionary workers are spreading irreligion in the name of religion. They claim an ordinary human being to be God and recommend meat-eating for everyone, including so-called sannyasis [renunciates].

An Act of Sacrifice

While it is true that the ancient Vedas recount ritual animal sacrifices, they were especially performed by devas and kings and conducted by brahmanas for the purpose of pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Narayana. Moreover, sacrifices such as the Ashvamedha-yajñ or horse sacrifice and the Gomedha-yajñ or sacrifice of a bull did not actually kill the animals. The animals that were sacrificed were reincarnated on the spot - this was proof that the sacrifice was a success. These sacrifices were rarely performed, not commonplace - in part, because only the wealthiest of kings could afford to buy the costly ingredients and play host to the guests of honor who were invited to attend. They belonged to a period in time that has long since passed. The Vedic texts have actually prohibited animal sacrifices in Kali-yuga, the present age.

The Srimad-Bhagavatam tells the story of how once Lord Indra disrupted the performance of King Prithu's horse sacrifice. Indra, King of heaven, was famously known to have performed 100 horse sacrifices. So when King Prithu set out to also perform 100 horse sacrifices, Indra became envious and stole the last horse. His Divine Grace A.B. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains:

Lord Brahma thought that instead of allowing Indra to further introduce such irreligious systems, it would be better to stop the sacrifice. A similar stance was taken by Lord Buddha when people were overly engrossed in the animal sacrifices recommended by Vedic instructions. Lord Buddha had to introduce the religion of nonviolence by contradicting the Vedic sacrificial instructions. Actually, in the sacrifices the slaughtered animals were given a new life, but people without such powers were taking advantage of such Vedic rituals and unnecessarily killing poor animals. Therefore Lord Buddha had to deny the authority of the Vedas for the time being. One should not perform sacrifices that will induce reversed orders. It is better to stop such sacrifices.

As we have repeatedly explained, due to a lack of qualified brahminical priests in Kali-yuga, it is not possible to perform the ritualistic ceremonies recommended in the Vedas. Consequently the shastras instruct us to perform the sankirtan-yajña. By the sankirtan sacrifice, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His form of Lord Chaitanya, will be satisfied and worshiped. The entire purpose of performing sacrifices is to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu. Lord Vishnu, or Lord Krishna, is present in His form of Lord Chaitanya; therefore people who are intelligent should try to satisfy Him by performing sankirtan-yajña. This is the easiest way to satisfy Lord Vishnu in this age. people should take advantage of the injunctions in different shastras concerning sacrifices in this age and not create unnecessary disturbances during the sinful age of Kali. In Kali-yuga men all over the world are very expert in opening slaughterhouses for killing animals, which they eat. If the old ritualistic ceremonies were observed, people would be encouraged to kill more and more animals. In Calcutta there are many butcher shops which keep a deity of the goddess Kali, and animal-eaters think it proper to purchase animal flesh from such shops in hope that they are eating the remnants of food offered to goddess Kali. They do not know that goddess Kali never accepts nonvegetarian food because she is the chaste wife of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is also a great Vaishnava and never eats nonvegetarian food, and the goddess Kali accepts the remnants of food left by Lord Shiva. Therefore there is no possibility of her eating flesh or fish. Such offerings are accepted by the associates of goddess Kali known as bhutas, pishachas and rakshasas, and those who take the prasada [remnants] of goddess Kali in the shape of flesh or fish are not actually taking the prasada left by goddess Kali, but the food left by the bhutas and pishachas.

The animal sacrifices performed around the world, in the name of religion — whether Hindu or non-Hindu — are performed in the mode of ignorance. Srila Prabhupada points to the overall message of the Vedic literature: "to know the Supreme Lord, the individual soul, the cosmic situation and the relation between all these items" and stresses the importance, necessity of receiving this knowledge through persons who have realized the transcendental purports in disciplic succession. Otherwise the Vedic texts are bewildering and subject to speculative interpretation and misuse to support materialistic and irreligious activities, effectively turning the population away from spiritual realization to gross debasement.

Lord Buddha, a powerful incarnation of the Personality of Godhead, appeared in the province of Gaya (Bihar) as the son of Añjana, and he preached his own conception of nonviolence and deprecated even the animal sacrifices sanctioned in the Vedas. At the time when Lord Buddha appeared, the people in general were atheistic and preferred animal flesh to anything else. On the plea of Vedic sacrifice, every place was practically turned into a slaughterhouse, and animal-killing was indulged in unrestrictedly. Lord Buddha preached nonviolence, taking pity on the poor animals. He preached that he did not believe in the tenets of the Vedas and stressed the adverse psychological effects incurred by animal-killing. Less intelligent men of the age of Kali, who had no faith in God, followed his principle, and for the time being they were trained in moral discipline and nonviolence, the preliminary steps for proceeding further on the path of God realization. He deluded the atheists because such atheists who followed his principles did not believe in God, but they kept their absolute faith in Lord Buddha, who himself was the incarnation of God. Thus the faithless people were made to believe in God in the form of Lord Buddha. That was the mercy of Lord Buddha: he made the faithless faithful to him.

Killing of animals before the advent of Lord Buddha was the most prominent feature of the society. People claimed that these were Vedic sacrifices. When the Vedas are not accepted through the authoritative disciplic succession, the casual readers of the Vedas are misled by the flowery language of that system of knowledge. In the Bhagavad-gita a comment has been made on such foolish scholars (avipashchitah). The foolish scholars of Vedic literature who do not care to receive the transcendental message through the transcendental realized sources of disciplic succession are sure to be bewildered. To them, the ritualistic ceremonies are considered to be all in all. They have no depth of knowledge. According to the Bhagavad-gita (15.15), vedaish cha sarvair aham eva vedyah: the whole system of the Vedas is to lead one gradually to the path of the Supreme Lord. The whole theme of Vedic literature is to know the Supreme Lord, the individual soul, the cosmic situation and the relation between all these items. When the relation is known, the relative function begins, and as a result of such a function the ultimate goal of life or going back to Godhead takes place in the easiest manner. Unfortunately, unauthorized scholars of the Vedas become captivated by the purificatory ceremonies only, and natural progress is thereby checked.

To such bewildered persons of atheistic propensity, Lord Buddha is the emblem of theism. He therefore first of all wanted to check the habit of animal-killing. The animal-killers are dangerous elements on the path going back to Godhead. There are two types of animal-killers. The soul is also sometimes called the "animal" or the living being. Therefore, both the slaughterer of animals and those who have lost their identity of soul are animal-killers.

Maharaja Parikshit said that only the animal-killer cannot relish the transcendental message of the Supreme Lord. Therefore if people are to be educated to the path of Godhead, they must be taught first and foremost to stop the process of animal-killing as above mentioned. It is nonsensical to say that animal-killing has nothing to do with spiritual realization. By this dangerous theory many so-called sannyasis have sprung up by the grace of Kali-yuga who preach animal-killing under the garb of the Vedas. The subject matter has already been discussed in the conversation between Lord Chaitanya and Maulana Chand Kazi Shaheb. The animal sacrifice as stated in the Vedas is different from the unrestricted animal-killing in the slaughterhouse. Because the asuras [demoniac] or the so-called scholars of Vedic literatures put forward the evidence of animal-killing in theVedas, Lord Buddha superficially denied the authority of the Vedas. This rejection of the Vedas by Lord Buddha was adopted in order to save people from the vice of animal-killing as well as to save the poor animals from the slaughtering process of their big brothers who clamor for universal brotherhood, peace, justice and equity. There is no justice when there is animal-killing. Lord Buddha wanted to stop it completely, and therefore his cult of ahimsa was propagated not only in India but also outside the country.

Technically Lord Buddha's philosophy is called atheistic because there is no acceptance of the Supreme Lord and because that system of philosophy denied the authority of the Vedas. But that is an act of camouflage by the Lord. Lord Buddha is the incarnation of Godhead. As such, he is the original propounder of Vedic knowledge. He therefore cannot reject Vedic philosophy. But he rejected it outwardly because the sura-dvisha, or the demons who are always envious of the devotees of Godhead, try to support cow-killing or animal-killing from the pages of the Vedas...

Srila Prabhupada explained that of course, in spite of scriptural injunctions against meat eating, there are always going to be people who are bent on eating meat, so for them, the Vedas offer a concession, that on a dark moon night, at midnight, they can bring a dark goat to the temple of Kali, and in the darkness slaughter the animal as an offering to the Goddess, but immediately prior to slitting the animal's throat, they must whisper into its ear: "Now I am killing you, but in my next life, you will kill me." The idea is to restrict, to induce the person to give pause and reflect, "If I have to go through so much trouble, and if it means that in my next life I will be killed, then forget it." It doesn't exactly translate to "Bon appetite". And not exactly a cause for international celebration in the news headlines.