Thoughts on Vegetarianism by Swami Maheshwarananda

Yogis are vegetarian for several reasons. Apart from the health aspect, the main reason lies in the fact that all living beings are God’s children, this includes animals. God is the creator of us all. God’s light dwells in animals as well as in humans.

Visva Prani Meri Atma Hai
All livings beings are my Self

All beings want to be happy and avoid suffering. Animals experience fear and pain just as humans experience fear and pain. Animals also fear death, just as humans fear death. Yoga rejects the killing and eating of animals, for there is the inherent awareness that all livings beings are united in the one consciousness.
There is a proverb that says, “you are what you eat”. Two factors, society and nutrition, principally determine the type of qualities that a human develops. An improper diet not only causes us physical illness, but also confuses the mind. It destroys the Pranic energy and produces aggression, depression and fear. We cling to life with every fibre of our being and consider freedom and happiness the ultimate goal of existence. Every animal and every living being also wants to be free and happy.

All creatures, such as birds, dogs, cats, horses and cows, intuitively feel the impending danger of a natural disaster. In the same way, animals are instinctively aware of their own death in advance. In the days before cattle are brought to the slaughterhouse, they are fearful and restless. The fear of death floods their entire body and their endocrine glands secrete vast quantities of fight and flight hormones. These hormones lodge in the tissues of the animal. We cannot see these subtle substances stored in the flesh of a dead body, but inevitably we ingest the animal’s fear of death whenever we consume its flesh.

In addition to this, we also take in the animal’s Prana, that is, the animal’s qualities and the nature of its consciousness. This greatly impedes our spiritual development. The aggression and fear of the animal’s consciousness deeply penetrates our subconscious mind and rises again into consciousness at the hour of our own death. Also, in meditation and in prayer this fear arises whenever we try to withdraw deeply into ourselves. It is due to this unaccountable fear that many people have an aversion or fear of meditation and religion.
However, at some time we must go through this unconscious fear. Either we purify ourselves consciously through meditation, prayer and good deeds, or we go through the fear again at the hour of death. But at that time we can do nothing about it. Our destiny is fulfilled according to the law of Karma. This can be compared to the predicament a mountain climber faces when his rope breaks. At this moment his own will has no power, no influence on the consequence. He falls whether he wants to or not.

In contrast to animals, we humans have free will to choose our path through Buddhi (intellect) and Viveka (discrimination). This is why we should give proper attention to correct eating, and keep good company. These influence our mood and the nature of our inner qualities far more than we are able to imagine. How we think and act are in direct relation to the quality of the food we eat and the company we keep. This also impacts our Karma.
We love and spoil our domestic pets such as cats, dogs, guinea pigs, hamsters etc. But at the same time we eat roast chicken, fillets of fish, beef and pork cutlets. Many people don’t even consider the fact that these living beings are tortured and sacrificed simply to satisfy the pleasure of their palate. A God-Realised person says “When you are not able to give life, you also have no right to take it away”.

Meat is dead food. Eating something dead also produces death within. Vegetarian food however, provides us with vitality, health and spiritual development. That is why from the viewpoint of health, as well as spiritually and ethically, consuming meat is the worst possible way of eating. Anyone can understand this just by taking the time to think a little more deeply and relate to the feelings of other living beings.
As humans our Dharma* is to help, to protect and to support, not to exploit and destroy. The highest principle for a human is summarized in just one sentence:

AHIMSA PARAMO DHARMA
Non-violence is the Supreme duty.

There is no greater sin than to kill or injure. If we have no sympathy for the pain than an animal suffers when it is slaughtered, or close our eyes to its suffering, then it is no wonder that we as humans must suffer terrible wars, environmental destruction, many diseases and natural disasters.

* Dharma - 1. right action, duty, morality, virtue, righteousness; 2. religion, religious duty; 3. particular nature or character