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RE: use of silk etc.,

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Anand K Karalapakkam • July 29, 1998 


Sri:
Srimate Sri Lakshmi Nrusimha ParaBrahmane Namaha

Dear  devotees,
namo NArAyanA. Kindly accept adiyen's pranAmams.

Parthasarati Dileepan wrote:

> Further, our own 
> Sri Ramanuja says that animal sacrifice as in Agnishomiya 
> is good for the animal.  Ref: Sri Rmaanuja Githa Bhashya 
> Chapter 2, Verse 31.

Sri Mani  wrote : 

And while Ramanuja did say this, one should ponder whether
the acharya himself ever sacrificed an animal, or after doing
so, ate its remains.  I seriously doubt it.  Ramanuja's 
adherence to the validity of animal sacrifice is not so much
a commandment that we perform the same, but belief in the
validity of the Vedic method for some purpose.  Anything that
can be achieved by animal sacrifice can be achieved by non-
violent worship.  Further, the very thought of harming even
a plant, even out of "AcArya-kainkarya" (service to one's guru)
would cause the venerable Kuratt-Alvan to faint.  It is said
that Alvan would faint at seeing someone cut down a banana
tree for its leaves, in utter sympathy for the plant.

Sri  Dileepan wrote : 
> Then, we have the examples of Guhan and Dharmavyadhar.
> Dharmavyadhar says,
> 
> "The one who consumes meat after 
> offering it to Devas and Pithrus will 
> not incur any sin."

We have to make a serious distinction between "no sin" and
the "right thing to do".  There is a difference. There are many
things that are not sinful -- selfless action of any sort does
not incur sin.  One can kill an innocent someone without any 
self-interest; this may not be sinful, but it certainly isn't
the right thing to do.  The Gita and the Bharata can be easily
misunderstood to mean that cold-blooded, calculated murder
is OK, but a crime of passion is not, because the former is
selfless but the latter is not! This could not be further from
the truth.
at lesser cost by peaceful means.

Sri Dileepan wrote : 
> Please permit me to present another angle.  Those who offer
> meat to the Lord and then consume it as "prasadham" is a lot
> better off than those who live as strict vegetarians without
> ever touching even eggs, but have no time for perumaaL.  

Sri Mani wrote : 

What about those who engage in "bhUta-kainkarya", and avoid meat,
without thinking about God too much, but those who slaughter animals
mercilessly, and offer a little bit to God to appease their
conscience? I would rather spend time with the former, as they
are selflessly worshipping some mode of God in truth.

We can talk all we want about lions, but I refuse to believe
that it is the natural state of some human beings to consume
meat, and that it therefore should be tolerated.  There is much
evidence in sAstra against such a position.

Adiyen :  

 The jIvAtmA  which resided  inside the body of  the animal  that  is   used  in  the  "ya~jnA"  ,  attains svargam . Aswamedha yAgA  ( horse sacrifice ) etc   have  been  done  so  many  times  by  great  Kings  in the past .    Infact ,  during srAddham ( davasam)  one should offer  Deer's  meat  etc &  the BrAhmanAs should eat them .  From vAlmIkI   RAmAyanA  one can  infer  that some great  personalities  ate  meat .

 But , all  these  things  are no more valid  for kali yugA . Usage of  meat  in  any  Bhagavad kainkaryam  is  not  permitted  in Kali yugA  due  to the kali yuga dharmA .  Killing of  animals  for  Bhagavad  kainkaryam  has  to be understood in an integrated  way   & not just the  performance of this act .  In kali yugA  there  is  99.9 % ( some  one may be still qualified  as good as a rishi  of the past )   of   misusing  this   animal sacrifice . So , in smruthi ,  they banned it . 

In general ,  the  performer  of  the yAgA  ( esp. when using  animals etc ) has  to  be  highly  pure in body & mind   .  So ,  they  were  fit  enough  to do that  & simultaneously  brought  elevation to the jIvAtmA  that  was   occupying  animal body .  One can understand the  kali yugA standards  very well  by themselves . There  is  no  need  to say that  one  shouldn't  eat meat / use it for  Bhagavad kainkaryam . 
 
adiyen
anantha padmanAbha dAsan