Courtesy: http://www.agniveer.com/Section 1: No violence against animals—————————————— “Those who see all beings as souls do not feel infatuation or anguish at their sight, for they experience oneness with them”. O teeth! You eat rice, you eat barley, you gram and you eat sesame. These cereals are specifically meant for you. Do not kill those who are capable of being fathers and mothers. How could there be justification of cow and other animals being killed when killing is so clearly prohibited in the Vedas? “O human! animals are Aghnya – not to be killed. Protect the animals” Protect the animals. Protect the bipeds and quadrupeds! Pisacha — pisita [meat] +asa [eater]—the meat eater. Asutrpa — Asu [breath of life] + trpa [one who satisfies himself on]—one who takes others life for his meals. Garba da and Anda da – the foetus and egg eaters. Mans da – the meat eaters Meat eaters have always been looked down in Vedic literature. They have been known as Rakshasas, Pisacha and so on….All these words are synonyms of demons or devils that have been out-cast from the civilized human society. “May all bipeds and quadrupeds gain strength and nourishment” This mantra is recited by Hindus before every meal. How could the same philosophy which prays for well-being of every soul in every moment of life, approve of killing animals? Section 2: No violence in YajnaYajna never meant animal sacrifice in the sense popularly understood. Yajna in the Vedas meant a noble deed or the highest purifying action. —————————————– According to Yaaska Acharya, one of the synonyms of Yajna in Nirukta or the Vedic philology is Adhvara. Dhvara means an act with himsa or violence. And therefore a-dhvara means an act involving no himsa or no violence. There are a large number of such usage of Adhvara in the Vedas. In the post-Mahabharata period, misinterpretation of the Vedas and interpolations in other scriptures took place at various points intime. Acharya Shankar reestablished the Vedic values to an extent. In the more recent times, Swami Dayanand Saraswati – known as the grandfather of modern India – interpreted the Vedas as per thecorrect rules of the language and authentic evidences. His literature, which includes commentary on the Vedas, Satyarth Prakash loosely translated as Light of Truth, An Introduction to the Vedas and other texts led to widespread social reformation based on Vedic philosophy and dispelling of myths surrounding the Vedas. Let us discover what the Vedas have to say on Yajna. ————————————– O lord of effulgence! The non-violent Yajna, you prescribe from all sides, is beneficial for all, touches divine proportions and is accepted by noble souls. The Rigveda describes Yajna as Adhvara or non violent throughout. Same is the case with all the other Vedas. How can it be then concluded that the Vedas permit violence or slaughter of animals? The biggest accusation of cattle and cow slaughter comes in the context of the Yajnas that derived their names from different cattle like the Ashwamedh Yajna, the Gomedha Yajna and the Nar-medh Yajna. Even by the wildest stretch of the imagination the word Medha would not mean slaughter in this context. It’s interesting to note what Yajurveda says about a horse Do not slaughter this one hoofed animal that neighs and who goes with a speed faster than most of the animals. Aswamedha does not mean horse sacrifice at Yajna. Instead the Yajurveda clearly mentions that a horse ought not to be slaughtered. In Shathapatha, Ashwa is a word for the nation or empire The word medha does not mean slaughter. It denotes an act done in accordance to the intellect Alternatively it could mean consolidation, as evident from the root meaning of medha i.e. medhru san-ga-me Raashtram vaa ashwamedhah Swami Dayananda Saraswati wrote in his Light of Truth: A Yajna dedicated to the glory, wellbeing and prosperity of the Rashtra the nation or empire is known as the Ashwamedh yajna. “To keep the food pure or to keep the senses under control, or to make the food pure or to make a good use of the rays of Sun or keep the earth free from impurities[clean] is called Gomedha Yajna”. “The word Gau also means the Earth and the yajna dedicated to keep the Earth the environment clean is called Gomedha Yajna” “The cremation of the body of a dead person in accordance with the principles laid down in the Vedas is called Naramedha Yajna”. Section 3: No beef in VedasNot only the Vedas are against animal slaughter but also vehemently oppose and prohibit cow slaughter.Yajurveda forbids killing of cows, for they provide energizing food for human beings ——————————— Do not kill cows and bulls who always deserve to be protected. —————————————- In Rigveda cow slaughter has been declared a heinous crime equivalent to human murder and it has been said that those who commits this crime should be punished. The Aghnya cows – which are not to be killed under any circumstances– may keep themselves healthy by use of pure water and green grass, so that we may be endowed with virtues, knowledge and wealth. ————————————— These three names of cow signify that the animal ought not to be put to tortures. These words appear frequently throughout the Vedas in context of the cow. ——————————————– Aghnyeyam saa vardhataam mahate soubhagaaya Rigveda 1.164.27 Suprapaanam Bhavatvaghnyaayaah Yah paurusheyena kravishaa samankte yo ashwena pashunaa yaatudhaanah Yo aghnyaayaa bharati ksheeramagne teshaam sheershaani harasaapi vrishcha Those who feed on human, horse or animal flesh and those who destroy milk-giving Aghnya cows should be severely punished. Vimucchyadhvamaghnyaa devayaanaa aganma Maa gaamanaagaamaditim vadhishta Antakaaya goghaatam Yadi no gaam hansi yadyashwam yadi poorusham If someone destroys our cows, horses or people, kill him with a bullet of lead. Vatsam jaatamivaaghnyaa Dhenu sadanam rayeenaam The entire 28th Sukta or Hymn of 6th Mandal of Rigveda sings the glory of cow. Bhooyobhooyo rayimidasya vardhayannabhinne Na taa nashanti na dabhaati taskaro naasaamamitro vyathiraa dadharshati Na taa arvaa renukakaato ashnute na samskritramupa yanti taa abhi Gaavo bhago gaava indro me achhaan Yooyam gaavo medayathaa Maa vah stena eeshata maaghanshasah 1. Everyone should ensure that cows are free from miseries and kept healthy. 6. If cows keep healthy and happy, men and women shall also keep disease free and prosperous 7. May the cow eat green grass and pure water. May they not be killed and bring prosperity to us. ———————————————- What more proofs does one need to understand the high esteem in whichnot only the cow but each living being is held in the Vedas. The learned audience can decide for themselves from these evidences that the Vedas are completely against any inhuman practice… to top it all the Beef and Cow slaughter. There is no Beef in Vedas. |