Religious Views
    As the One Sun appears in the sky so different men in different places in different cultures recognise God in different forms and ways. Some call it Sun, some call Ra, some call Surya, some call Sole, some call Ravi, but it is the same Sun. So similarly we may recognize some of the Lord's wonderful attributes; He is all learned - Buddha (Buddhist); He is Almighty - Adanoi (Jewish); He is the reservoir of all pleasure - Rama (Hindu); He is the Great One Without a Second - Allah (Moslem); He is the unchanging and unadulterated in whom there is no confusion and inconsistency - Io-kore-te-whiwhia (Maori); He is our heavenly Father - Jehova/Yaweh (Christian) and so on.............all these and millions more wonderful attributes belonging to Him are attractive. So as the All Attractive Being in the Sanskrit language He is known as Krishna.
        We are all "sons and daughters" of the One Common Father, including our four leged and multi-legged brethren.
 

What the major religions say regarding Vegetarianism
More Religious Vegetarian links (Buddhist, Christian, Jain, Jewish, Hindu, Islamic, Sikh etc)
You mean is says that in the Bible......... referring to Vegetarianism:

Quotes from Visionary Nikola Tesla on Vegetarianism:
 
 

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Judaism - Christianity - Mormans - Islam - Laws of Karma

Becoming Pure Through the Vegetarian Life-style:
Article from Perfect Questions Perfect Answers



The Four Regulative Principles of FREEDOM

A page explaining the reasons why devotees of Lord Sri Krishna avoid certain things in the daily practices of our Krishna conscious life-style. By so doing, free from the bondage of these four items or acts enables devotees to be situated in spiritual consciousness. Read what these four pillars in society are, understand their implications, learn about how to discriminate what is binding and what frees one from karma (action and reaction) There are many nice stories, analogies, and facts here, and some helpful links too.
 
 

Yoga and Meat indulgence according to Bhagavad Gita

Chapter 6 Dhyana-yoga  TEXT 16

naty-asnatas tu yogo 'sti
na caikantam anasnatah
na cati-svapna-silasya
jagrato naiva carjuna

   WORD FOR WORD
   na--never; ati--too much; asnatah--of one who eats; tu--but; yogah--linking with the Supreme; asti--there is; na--nor; ca--also; ekantam--overly; anasnatah--abstaining from eating; na--nor; ca--also; ati--too much; svapna-silasya--of one who sleeps; jagratah--or one who keeps night watch too much; na--not; eva--ever; ca--and; arjuna--O Arjuna.

   TRANSLATION
   There is no possibility of one's becoming a yogi, O Arjuna, if one eats too much or eats too little, sleeps too much or does not sleep enough.

   PURPORT
   Regulation of diet and sleep is recommended herein for the yogis. Too much eating means eating more than is required to keep the body and soul together. There is no need for men to eat animals, because there is an ample supply of grains, vegetables, fruits and milk.
   Such simple foodstuff is considered to be in the mode of goodness according to the Bhagavad-gita. Animal food is for those in the mode of ignorance. Therefore, those who indulge in animal food, drinking, smoking and eating food which is not first offered to Krsna will suffer sinful reactions because of eating only polluted things. Bhunjate te tv agham papa ye pacanty atma-karanat. Anyone who eats for sense pleasure, or cooks for himself, not offering his food to Krsna, eats only sin. One who eats sin and eats more than is allotted to him cannot execute perfect yoga. It is best that one eat only the remnants of foodstuff offered to Krsna. A person in Krsna consciousness does not eat anything which is not first offered to Krsna. Therefore, only the Krsna conscious person can attain perfection in yoga practice. Nor can one who artificially abstains from eating, manufacturing his own personal process of fasting, practice yoga. The Krsna conscious person observes fasting as it is recommended in the scriptures. He does not fast or eat more than is required, and he is thus competent to perform yoga practice. One who eats more than required will dream very much while sleeping, and he must consequently sleep more than is required. One should not sleep more than six hours daily. One who sleeps more than six hours out of twenty-four is certainly influenced by the mode of ignorance. A person in the mode of  ignorance is lazy and prone to sleep a great deal. Such a person cannot perform yoga.

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Bhagavad Gita As It Is On-line
Bhagavad Gita on Food Types:

CHAPTER 17:7
ähäras tv api sarvasya
tri-vidho bhavati priyaù
yajïas tapas tathä dänaà
teñäà bhedam imaà çåëu
.
TRANSLATION
"Even the food each person prefers is of three kinds, according to the three modes of material nature. The same is true of sacrifices, austerities and charity. Now hear of the distinctions between them."
PURPORT
In terms of different situations in the modes of material nature, there are differences in the manner of eating and performing sacrifices, austerities and charities. They are not all conducted on the same level. Those who can understand analytically what kind of performances are in what modes of material nature are actually wise; those who consider all kinds of sacrifice or food or charity to be the same cannot discriminate, and they are foolish. There are missionary workers who advocate that one can do whatever he likes and attain perfection. But these foolish guides are not acting according to the direction of the scripture. They are manufacturing ways and misleading the people in general.
.
Bhagavad Gita 17:8.
.
äyuù-sattva-balärogya-
sukha-préti-vivardhanäù
rasyäù snigdhäù sthirä hådyä
ähäräù sättvika-priyäù
.
TRANSLATION
"Foods dear to those in the mode of goodness increase the duration of life, purify one’s existence and give strength, health, happiness and satisfaction. Such foods are juicy, fatty, wholesome, and pleasing to the heart."
.
Bhagavad Gita 17:9.
.
kaöv-amla-lavaëäty-uñëa-
tékñëa-rükña-vidähinaù
ähärä räjasasyeñöä
duùkha-çokämaya-pradäù
.
TRANSLATION
"Foods that are too bitter, too sour, salty, hot, pungent, dry and burning are dear to those in the mode of passion. Such foods cause distress, misery and disease."
.
Bhagavad Gita 17:10.
.
yäta-yämaà gata-rasaà
püti paryuñitaà ca yat
ucchiñöam api cämedhyaà
bhojanaà tämasa-priyam
.
TRANSLATION
"Food prepared more than three hours before being eaten, food that is tasteless, decomposed and putrid, and food consisting of remnants and untouchable things is dear to those in the mode of darkness."
PURPORT

"The purpose of food is to increase the duration of life, purify the mind and aid bodily strength. This is its only purpose. In the past, great authorities selected those foods that best aid health and increase life’s duration, such as milk products, sugar, rice, wheat, fruits and vegetables. These foods are very dear to those in the mode of goodness. Some other foods, such as baked corn and molasses, while not very palatable in themselves, can be made pleasant when mixed with milk or other foods. They are then in the mode of goodness. All these foods are pure by nature. They are quite distinct from untouchable things like meat and liquor. Fatty foods, as mentioned in the eighth verse, have no connection with animal fat obtained by slaughter. Animal fat is available in the form of milk, which is the most wonderful of all foods. Milk, butter, cheese and similar products give animal fat in a form which rules out any need for the killing of innocent creatures. It is only through brute mentality that this killing goes on. The civilized method of obtaining needed fat is by milk. Slaughter is the way of subhumans. Protein is amply available through split peas, däl, whole wheat, etc.
.
Foods in the mode of passion, which are bitter, too salty, or too hot or overly mixed with red pepper, cause misery by reducing the mucus in the stomach, leading to disease. Foods in the mode of ignorance or darkness are essentially those that are not fresh. Any food cooked more than three hours before it is eaten (except prasädam, food offered to the Lord) is considered to be in the mode of darkness. Because they are decomposing, such foods give a bad odor, which often attracts people in this mode but repulses those in the mode of goodness.
.
Remnants of food may be eaten only when they are part of a meal that was first offered to the Supreme Lord or first eaten by saintly persons, especially the spiritual master. Otherwise the remnants of food are considered to be in the mode of darkness, and they increase infection or disease. Such foodstuffs, although very palatable to persons in the mode of darkness, are neither liked nor even touched by those in the mode of goodness. The best food is the remnants of what is offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In Bhagavad-gétä the Supreme Lord says that He accepts preparations of vegetables, flour and milk when offered with devotion. Patraà puñpaà phalaà toyam (BG 9:26.). Of course, devotion and love are the chief things which the Supreme Personality of Godhead accepts. But it is also mentioned that the prasädam should be prepared in a particular way. Any food prepared by the injunctions of the scripture and offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be taken even if prepared long, long ago, because such food is transcendental. Therefore to make food antiseptic, eatable and palatable for all persons, one should offer food to the Supreme Personality of Godhead."

What is said in the Ancient Vedik scriptures about the result of meat-eating abuse syndrome


Animal Sacrifice in Hinduism refuted

Ashvamedha and Purushamedha are not sacrifices in the sense of killings of Ashva and Purusha, as wrongly translated by the first generations of indologists (who were missionaries), but is a ritual in which Ashva ad Purusha play the central role in establishing or knowing/understanding how the balance of power respectively the division in society is. Would the Rajasuya then mean the pressing=killing of the Raja?
        Medha is a word which has a cognate in Medha=Wisdom or Medhira, which means the same. (Medha comes from older obsolete mazdha, which is attested in Avestan (Ahura) Mazda, the Varuna of the ancient Iranis. No Varuna is associated with killing of animals.

The only time people are sacrificed is in the Antyeshti Yajna, or cremation ceremony.

Besides this, the understanding that the potency of the brahmanas was very much different in previous times, they were much stronger and more pure. The brahmanas would recite Vedic mantras and lead an animal to the sacrificial fire, however the animal wasn't just thrown into the fire and its body then eaten as the Christian missionaries presented "animal sacrifice of the pagan savages" to be. Rather prior to the Kali yuga an old animal was lead to the fire, and by the perfect recitation of sacred Vedic mantras when the animal was lead into the fire it's old body was rejuvenated by the flames rather than consumed and a young healthy body inherited.
        Due to the lack of potency of the brahmanas in the Kali yuga, it is condemned that one even try to perform such a sacrifice in this age. There were several advocates of Ahimsa in this regard; Lord Buddha and His doctrine of Ahimsa, the saint Madhwacharya (circa 13th centuary) who stopped animal sacrifice again in India and had Vedic brahmanas offer grain balis into the fire with the mantra idam krsnaya idan na mama, Chaitanya mahaprabhu is mentioned in the Pratisagar parva 19th Chapter of Kaliyuga khanda of Bhavishya purana as being the instigator for this.

Gomedha doesn't mean the killing of Go=cow, but it means agriculture. It is known in old Iran-Afghanistan as Gomez, which is only used in the sense of agriculture. Both cultures are cognate, so are their customs. Go-medha then is the proper sacrifice of the animals strength in using it in agriculture within the daivi varnashram system, that dedicates all of men's natural attributes and actions, as well as that of those animals in their care into the blissful service of Govinda (pleaser of the cows and the senses) - Gopala (He who looks after the cows).

Hindu scriptures on eating meat/killing animals
http://www.hindunet.com/forum/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=20798&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

The Hinduscriptures from the oldest Vedic to all the later layers in time all advocate vegetarianism and not killing animals and certainly never offer animals in their Yajnas!
The Vedic word frequantly mentioned is Aghnya = not to be killed. This word was in particular used for cows.

Aahavaniiye maamsapratishedha (Katyayana Sutra)
That which is used in Yajna (aahavaniiya) must be vegetarian

Maa himsyaat sarvabhuutaani. (RigVeda)
No creature/animal should be killed.

Yah paurusheyena kravishaa samankte yo ashvyena pashunaa yaatudhaanah,
Yo aghyaayaa bharati kshiiramagne teshaam shirshaani harasaapi vrshcha. (RV 10.87.16)
The evil person who kills or eats the meat of a horse or cow deserves to be terminated.

Dhaanaa dhenurabhavad, vatso’syaastilo’bhavat. (AtharvaVeda 18.4.32)
Rice is named as ‘cow’ and sesame as ‘calf’.
[Just like someone saying ‘I want the meat of hazel = I want the nut of hazel]

Maamsapaakapratishedhashcha tadvat. (MiimaamsaSuutra 10.3.65)
Killing and eating meat is totally prohibited.

Dhenuvachcha ashvadakshinaa. (MS 10.3.65)
Like a cow is given (in charity) so also a horse.

Suraam matsyaan madhu maamsamaasavam krsaraudanam,
Dhuurttaih pravartitam hyetannaitad vedeshu kalpitam. (Mahabharata, ShaantiParvan 265.9)
It is only the evil-minded hypocrites who started telling that Vedic Yajnas involve intoxicants and meat eating. It is not in the Vedas.
[This comment must have been around the time, far beyond the Bharata Battle and in post-Vedic times, when many customs arrived in the Vedic Heartland, which were totally foreign to its culture]

The full AnushaasanaParvan of the Mahaabhaaratam discusses the evils of meat eating:

Akhaadannanumodamshcha bhaavadoshena maanavah,
Yo’numodati hanyantam so’pi doshena lipyate. (MB, AnushaasanaParvan 115.39)
The one who himself doesn’t eat meat but even if he gives his consent to eat meat or to kill an animal, he becomes equally sinful as them.

Ijyaayajnashrutikrtairyaa maargairabudho’dhamah,
Hanyaajjantuun maamsagrdhnuh sa vai narakabhaangnarah. (MB, AP 115.43)
The meateater who kills an animal in the name of Vedic Yajna or tells that it is a requirement of the Yajna is a sinner and he will be a person who will dwell in hell.

Aahartaa chaanumantaa cha vishastaa krayavikrayii,
Samskartaa chopabhoktaa cha khaadakaah sarva eva te. (MB, AP 115.45)
The one who brings an animal to be killed, the one who buys an animal to be killed, the one who sells, buys, cooks and eats the meat are all sinners.

Na dadyaadaamisham shraaddhe na chaadyaad dharmatattvavit,
Munyannaih, syaatparaa priitiryathaa na pashuhimsayaa. (Bhaagavatam 7.15.7)
It is Dharma that in the Shraaddha feast he should never offer meat nor should eat meat. Only vegetarian food must be offered because meat is obtained by killing.
[One can understand that in the days of this particular verse, the mainstream Hindus were confronted with people starting to eat meat]

Naitaadrshah paro dharmo nrnaam saddharmaamichchhataam,
Nyaaso dandasya bhuuteshu manovaakkaayajasya yah. (Bhaagavatam 7.15.8)
This is the best Dharma to observe for everyone that one should not hurt other beings even in his thoughts.

ManuSmriti or ManavaDharmaShastra

Manu strongly admonishes that one should never drink and should never even smell any intoxicant like wine. (MS. 11.146-149)

Manu asserts that selling, buying, cooking and eating meat is a sin which is as great as killing an animal itself. (MS 5.15)

Gaudii Paishtii cha Maadhvii cha Vijneyaa trividhaa suraa.
Yathaivaika tathaa sarvaa na paatavyaa dvijottamaih. (MS 11.94)
Yaksharakshah pishaachaannam madyam maamsam suraasavam.
Tad braahmena naattavyam devaanaamashnataa havih. (MS 11.95)
Brahmans, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas should never drink wine, liquor or intoxicants of any kinds, because intoxicants, wine, liquor and meat of animals are the food of Yakshas, Rakshasas and Pishachas (all kind of non-Vedic people or even demons). So they mustn’t consumed.

Naakrtvaa praaninaam himsaam maamsamutpadyate kvachit.
Na cha praanivadhah svargyastamaanmaamsam vivarjayet. (MS 5.48)
Anumantaa vishasitaa nihantaa krayavikrayii.
Samskartaa chopahartaa cha khaadakashchetighaatakaah (MS 5.51)
Flesh of animals is obtained only after killing him, which is a sin, and the killer of animals never enters the celestial abode.
All those involved in killing, consenting the killing, helping the killing, carrying, selling, buying, cooking and eating the meat of an animal are equally sinful as the killing of that animal.

Incorrect view of Hindus (Shraaddha ritual)

Annam tu saadhikshiiram goghrtam sharkaraanvitam. (Maasam) priinaati vai sarvaanpitrnityaaha keshavah. (Matsya Purana 17.30)
Vegetarian food prepared with pure butter, milk, sugar and curd, etc. are most pleasing to the
Pitr.

Dvau maasau matsyamaamsaena triinmaasaanhaarine tu.
Aurashnenaatha chaturah shaakunenaatha pancha vai. (MP 17.31)
Shanmaasam chhaagamaamsena trnyanti pitarastathaa.
Sapta paarshatamaamsena tathaashtavenajena tu. (MP 17.32)
Dasa maasaamstu trnyanti varaahamahishamishaih.
Shashakuurmajamaamsena maasaanekaadeshaiva. (MP 17.33)
Samvatsaram tu gavyena payasaa paayasena cha.
Rauravena cha trpyanti maasaanpanchadashaiya tu. (MP 17.34)
Vaardhranisasya maamsena trptirdvaadashavarshikii.
Kaalashaakena chaanantaa khadgamaamsena chaiva hi. (MP 17.35)

Verses 31 to 35 describe the acts of cooking and offering of all kinds of meat (fish, gazelle, sheep, special birds, goat, deer, black deer, pig, buffalo, rabbit, turtle, special deer, rhino) to Pitr, which is totally out of place and out of context, and it appears to have been deliberately interpolated. The 36th verse again goes like this:

Yatkimchinmadhusammishram gokshiiram ghrtapaayasam,
Dattamakshayamityaahuh pitarah puurvadevataah. (MP 17.36)
Apart from the cow’s milk, honey and the sweet pudding made of milk and rice and sugar with dry nuts satifies Pitr forever.

Interpolation in Aashvalayana GrhyaSutra 5 (Shraaddha)

In the end of this chapter there are 45 sutras on Shuulagava which is a ceremony to sacrifice a bull/ox for Shiva to appease him.
Everybody familiar with Shiva and Nandinii, knows that that is impossible. If Ashvalayana was a gotra of Vasishtha, as stated in the Sutras, then that is equally impossible, because Vasishtha owned Nandinii, and was famous for his protection of cows. And he was a Shaiva.

Note
It is very significant that most of the interpolated verses on eating of animal flesh is in relation to the Shraaddha ritual. The rest are in other Samskara ceremonies.
The Harivamsha an appendix to the Mahabharata describes in the Giri Utsava Varnana the sacrifice of bulls and buffaloes in the Govardhana worships. One familiar with the Krshna worship does understand the ridiculous statement.
In the Paraskara GrhyaSutra one comes across the description of a 6 month old baby who has to be fed with meat in the Annapraashana Samskara ceremony. How disgustful and obviously a horrid interpolation.

Source:
Swami Prakshananda: The True History and Religion of India
2001, Delhi. Motilal Banarsidass.
(additional remarks, changes and new order done by me)

Edited by Ishwa (09/20/02 04:15 PM)

Offering our food to Krishna:
....excerpt from lecture by HDG Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada - Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.1-3 -- San Francisco, March 28, 1968

The Vedic literature says like this, that God has no leg, no hand. Therefore the impersonalists take advantage of it. "Oh, here it is stated God has no legs, no hands." But the next line is, javana grhita: "He can accept everything which you offer Him in devotion."

Now how He can accept? If He has no hand, how He can accept things from us? That means He hasn't got a hand like us. His hand is different. Therefore even though He is situated in the spiritual world, which is far, far away from us, still, He says in the Bhagavad-gita, it is said,

patram puspam phalam toyam
yo me bhaktya prayacchati
tad aham bhakty-upahrtam
asnami prayatatmanah

Krsna says that "A little flower or little water or a little leaf, whatever My devotee offers Me in love and devotion, I accept it." And tad aham bhakty-upahrtam. "And because he has brought it with great devotion, therefore I eat." Tad aham bhakty-upahrtam asnami. Asnami means "I eat." Now you can say, "All right, I'll offer these fruits and flower to God, but it is the same. It is remaining. How He is eating?" But His eating is not like my eating, because He hasn't got a body like this. This body is material. If you bring me a plate of fruits, this body immediately swallows it. But He has got spiritual body. He eats... Simply as soon as He knows that you have offered it in devotion, He eats immediately.

Go here to follow the simple system for offering foodstuffs to the Lord
... and always with the Magic ingredient - Offer it to Krishna.....
... with L'n D (love and devotion)
http://www.hknet.org.nz/How2offer.htm

Why do we offer our food to God before eating?
http://www.bhojan.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=11


Hindu Vegetarians
http://www.bhojan.org/dynamic/index.php

Why do we offer our food to God before eating?
http://www.bhojan.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=11

Jewish Vegetarians - our diet as Kiddush Hashem
http://www.jewishveg.com/

Islamic Vegetarian site:
http://www.islamicconcerns.com/

Concessions made for meat eating in Islam
http://www.islamicconcerns.com/fatwas.asp

"You Mean That's in the Bible" - expose on meat eating:
http://www.textfiles.com/occult/CHRISTIAN/ymtitb.txt

Christian Vegetarian links:
http://www.jesusveg.com/links.html

Blessed are the merciful - Christian Vegetarians
http://www.jesusveg.com/index2.html

St Francis of Assisi - Bless All Animals
http://www.goveg.com/feat/stfrancis.html

......and many more links
 

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