Harmful effects of Non-Veg diet

1. Introduction

        In reality, a non-vegetarian diet is just not the diet of human beings. God has not created non-vegetarian food for human beings. Modern dieticians do not state clearly which diet, vegetarian or non-vegetarian, is superior. Their grasp of the subject fails to transcend the knowledge of vitamins, calories and proteins. Alcohol cannot even be categorised as food. This article elaborates on the harmful effects of consuming non-vegetarian food, and the distress caused by negative energies through their medium. We would like to stress here that the modern science fails to give due consideration to the sattvikta (Sattva-predominance; purity) in the food, the way spiritual science does.

2. Reasons why people consume non-veg food

1. Some have non-veg food because they like it.

2. To satisfy their unfulfilled desires, sometimes negative energies influence an individual to consume non-veg food or Tama-predominant food. An increase in Tama component facilitates a negative energy in causing distress to an individual.

3. Harmful effects of non-veg diet

1. Non-vegetarian diet is unnatural. It creates obstacles in the digestive ability.

2. Non-vegetarian diet causes blockage in circulation and respiration. Non-vegetarians are likely to suffer from heart ailments, chest and stomach cancer or other diseases.

3. Non-vegetarian diet contains high proportion of proteins. They cause diseases.

4. Non-vegetarian diet increases the Tama component. Therefore, an individual becomes tamasik (Tama-predominant) or demoniacal in nature. Non-vegetarian diet is the diet of demons.

5. Non-vegetarian diet takes an individual away from God.

6. Regular non-vegetarians do not turn towards spiritual practice and even if they do, they cannot continue and persist with spiritual practice.

7. Non-vegetarian diet intensifies disorders related to sexual desire.

8. Non-vegetarian diet helps negative energies enter easily into the body and create their own centres.

   Beware ! If you destroy the peace of creatures living at the bottom of the earth, sea and air, then nature will deprive you of peace ! You want proteins, is it not ? Milk, butter, buttermilk, cream and ghee (Clarified butter) have plenty of proteins. Cereals have plenty of nutrients. Then, why kill animals ? Sage Manu says, ‘Animals eat the flesh of those who eat the flesh of animals !’ Beware ! If you destroy the peace of creatures living at the bottom of the earth, sea and air, then nature will deprive you of peace.’ – Gurudev Dr. Kateswamiji.

4. Non-veg diet increases the Tama component

in an individual, which causes obstacles in its spiritual progress

        Animals have a greater proportion of Tama component in their bodies. By consuming meat, this Tama component gets transferred to our body, resulting in our body attaining grossness. This causes obstacles in the spiritual progress and the individual gets trapped in the cycle of birth and death.

5. Why give up non-vegetarian diet ?

A. Non-vegetarian diet is unacceptable in Hinduism

• Hindus have been pure vegetarians since times immemorial.

• Hindu ideology believes that non-veg food is demoniacal and is the height of cruelty.

• A Hindu woman says, “My husband may eat non-veg food due to the influence of the western culture; but as his Hindu wife, I will never even touch meat. I will never cook meat at home”

• Hindus living along the coast eat fish; but they do not eat animal meat. They are very strict about this. However, Hindus living in urban areas eat meat due to the influence of the western culture.

• Consuming meat is a Tama predominant act; therefore, it is prohibitied by Hindu Dharma. Consuming such a Tama predominant diet displays Raja-Tama characteristics of the western culture.

B. Prohibition of non-vegetarian diet by ‘Manusmruti’

अ. योऽहिंसकानि भूतानि हिनस्त्यात्मसुखेच्छया ।

स जीवंश्च मृतश्चैव न क्वचित् सुखमेधते ।।

               – Manusmruti, Adhyaya 5, Shloka 45

Meaning : He who kills non-violent, helpless animals for his pleasure, neither becomes happy in his lifetime nor after his death.

मांस भक्षयिताऽमुत्र यस्य मांसमिहाद्म्यहम् ।

एतन्मांसस्य मांसत्वं प्रवदन्ति मनीषिणः ।।

                – Manusmruti, Adhyaya 5, Shloka 55

Meaning : I will be eaten by the animal in other worlds, whose meat I have eaten here. This is how the consequence of eating meat has been defined by the learned (of the Vedas).

The prescribed way of consuming meat during a Yadnya

        As part of ritualistic worship, consuming meat is permitted during Yadnya; but the quantity is minimal, and that too the fat of the animal, meaning, a little flesh extracted from the navel region is put in the fire as oblation, and then the Brahman just smells the fat and does not actually eat it. Only a little bit of the fat is eaten as a custom. This means that in day to day life, meat and alcohol are to be completely prohibited.’

• Whenever possible, avoid non-vegetarian or tamasik food on full-moon and new-moon days and during the period of sandhikal

        Whenever possible, avoid non-veg food. If this is not possible, then avoid tamasik food (onions, garlic, spicy food, non-veg food etc.) two days before and after the new-moon day and full-moon day and during the period of sandhikal. The vasanadēha (Desire sheath) of the individual who consumes non-veg food and the individual who accompanies him come into contact with each other. As a result, the latter also suffers from distress.When an individual consumes non-vegetarian food Tama component in him increases and taking advantage of this increase, negative energies find it easier to trouble him or enter his body.

Reference : Sanata Sanstha Holy Text, ‘Importance of a sattvik diet’.