Why cant Hindus eat Egg if it's not living and another question

[Samraat Bhismadeva Maurya]

Namaste

I have searched the internet for some answers and i could not find it in any books i read, so i have come to ask to you, the wide community ;)

A few days ago, one of my friends asked me, "if Hindus cant eat living things, why cant you guys eat eggs?", i told him "eggs are living, just like a baby in the mothers fetus" then he replied, "fertilized eggs, the eggs that we eat aren't fertilized, so why cant you eat it" I was left without an answer, so i come here, please educate me and tell me the answer to such a question although i would never eat egg, only because my parents told me.

I also have another question, if one cannot eat meat due to the law of Ahisma and Dharma, then why can one eat plants, Fruits and vegetables? Aren't plants and vegetables living and aren't they gods creation too?

Jai Sri Radhe-Syam:)

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam, and welcome to HDF.

Eggs are like meat in their chemistry. That's one reason. Taking on the chemical effects of meat will lower our natures. I'm sure there are more reasons as well.

As for plants and animals, we and all animals have a relationship with plants. Think of the carbon-dioxide and oxygen cycle between the two. We help them, and they help us. So although we are both life-forms, there is a symbiotic relationship between us that benefits each of us.

Aum Namasivaya

[orlando]

Namaste Samraat Bhismadeva Maurya:)

Allow me to suggest you to read this link:
http://www.harekrsna.com/practice/4regs/vegetarian/vegetarianism.htm

Pranama,
Orlando.

[brahma jijnasa]

Namaste and welcome to the HDF


A few days ago, one of my friends asked me, "if Hindus cant eat living things, why cant you guys eat eggs?", i told him "eggs are living, just like a baby in the mothers fetus" then he replied, "fertilized eggs, the eggs that we eat aren't fertilized, so why cant you eat it" I was left without an answer, so i come here, please educate me and tell me the answer to such a question although i would never eat egg, only because my parents told me.

Here's the answer from the vaishnava point of view.
It does not matter whether eggs are fertilized or not. What is important is that vaishnavas do not offer food to the Lord that is not prescribed to be offered to Him. Food that is appropriate to offer to the Lord is mentioned in the scriptures. Among the said food meat, fish and eggs is not mentioned anywhere.


I also have another question, if one cannot eat meat due to the law of Ahisma and Dharma, then why can one eat plants, Fruits and vegetables? Aren't plants and vegetables living and aren't they gods creation too?

Jai Sri Radhe-Syam

Ahimsa is not the only principle that should be kept in mind when offering food to the Lord Krishna. See above, I said that appropriate food to be offered to the Lord is mentioned in the scriptures. Among the said food meat, fish and eggs is not mentioned anywhere.



regards

[Samraat Bhismadeva Maurya]

Hari Bol!
Thank you everyone, thank you very much Orlando for leading me to the website!

So i just want to clear this, eating plants and other living beings that we have the "Connection" with wont give us karma when taken

Jai Sri Radhe-Syam :)

[Amrut]

Hari Bol!
Thank you everyone, thank you very much Orlando for leading me to the website!

So i just want to clear this, eating plants and other living beings that we have the "Connection" with wont give us karma when taken

Jai Sri Radhe-Syam :)

Namaste,

Certain things are created to help us sustain our livelihood.

Plants do not have central nervous system. Also if you eat ripe fruits, plucking them off, do not produce much pain, just like you trim your beard / hair or trim your nails.

Milk though an animal product, is taken, but it is said that first right on milk is for calf. Excess milk should be taken. But this is not followed today. Still properties of milk are very different than properties of egg.

Perhaps Yogis, who are scientists of subtle bodies say that foods that help one progress in spiritual life are better

Fruits grow in air and hence they have more of aakash tatva. Milk and fruits both digest within 30 mins.

Underground foods like potatoes are not preferred by many, mostly vaishnava-s.

But here again, those who do physical hard work, for them, eating onion, garlic, carrots, etc is important for giving strength to body.

Also certain herbs grow underground. they too are eaten, but in minimal quantity for eradication of disease i.e. they are taken as medicines.

We need to take food that helps us in our spiritual progress. Perhaps, in old days, vaids (doctors) used to pray to plants to take their stems and it is said that plants did respond and gave them permission.

In case of animals, it is observed by yogis that it increase tamasic guna which is not good for spiritual growth and some say that meat eater do not have much stamina as compared to vegetarians.

Hari OM

[Samraat Bhismadeva Maurya]

Hare Krsna

Thank you very much for clearing my doubts

Jai Sri Radhe-Syam!

[Amrut]

Hare Krsna

Thank you very much for clearing my doubts, you have really strengthened my belief on Sanatana Dharma, thank you very much, may god bless you :)

Jai Sri Radhe-Syam!

Hare KruShNa

Honored to serve samrATa ;)

|| Sri Rama Jai Rama Jai Jai Rama ||

|| srI KruShNa parabrahmaarpaNamastu ||

[aupmanyav]

I also have another question, if one cannot eat meat due to the law of Ahisma and Dharma, then why can one eat plants, Fruits and vegetables? Aren't plants and vegetables living and aren't they gods creation too?Your question was discussed in SrimadBhagawatham thousands of years ago in the story in 'DharmaVyadha', the butcher to whom a learned brahmin was sent to understand dharma. Their are two factors in it, tradition and personal choice. Half the Hindus are non-vegetarians, including some of the brahmin castes. Of course, I do not think anybody denies that vegetarianism is better than non-vegetarianism.

[Samraat Bhismadeva Maurya]

Hari Bol!

A fruit is the ripened ovary or ovaries—together with seeds—from one or more flowers, so they are also like eggs then?

EDIT: I found an answer in Srimad Bhagavatam Purport.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.29.15 Explanation: Sometimes the question is put before us: "You ask us not to eat meat, but you are eating vegetables. Do you think that is not violence?" The answer is that eating vegetables is violence, and vegetarians are also committing violence against other living entities because vegetables also have life. Nondevotees are killing cows, goats and so many other animals for eating purposes, and a devotee, who is vegetarian, is also killing. But here, significantly, it is stated that every living entity has to live by killing another entity; that is the law of nature. Jīvo jīvasya jīvanam: one living entity is the life for another living entity. But for a human being, that violence should be committed only as much as necessary.
A human being is not to eat anything which is not offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santaḥ: one becomes freed from all sinful reactions by eating foodstuffs which are offered to Yajña, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A devotee therefore eats only prasāda, or foodstuffs offered to the Supreme Lord, and Kṛṣṇa says that when a devotee offers Him foodstuffs from the vegetable kingdom, with devotion, He eats that. A devotee is to offer to Kṛṣṇa foodstuffs prepared from vegetables. If the Supreme Lord wanted foodstuffs prepared from animal food, the devotee could offer this, but He does not order to do that.
We have to commit violence; that is a natural law. We should not, however, commit violence extravagantly, but only as much as ordered by the Lord. Arjuna engaged in the art of killing, and although killing is, of course, violence, he killed the enemy simply on Kṛṣṇa's order. In the same way, if we commit violence as it is necessary, by the order of the Lord, that is called nātihiḿsā. We cannot avoid violence, for we are put into a conditional life in which we have to commit violence, but we should not commit more violence than necessary or than ordered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

[axlyz]

I'm sure that your question on egg-eating has been answered, but I just want to point out one more thing.

First, we must look at what an egg really is. An egg is, an unfertilized egg of the hen. In other words, a per**d. If we are not going to eat a human per**d, then why should we eat a hens'? It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. I would also like to point out that all the waste of the hen comes out from the SAME HOLE, the same hole that the egg comes out of. That is completely disgusting.

Now, to this, your friend may respond that if taking things from another animal is disgusting , then why do Hindus make an exception to drinking cow's milk. The thing is, as someone pointed out, the first right goes to the calf. Only the excess milk is taken, and it certainly does not hurt the cow. Milk also has good properties when PREPARED correctly, something our modern dairy industry can't seem to do. I should also point out that the cow is one of THE ONLY animals that allows you to take milk from her. Is it possible to take the milk of a chimpanzee? A lion? How about an elephant? Heck, you can't even take the milk of another human female and feed it to your child. But you can take the excess milk of the cow and feed it to children. This shows that greatness of the cow; she is beyond any discrimination.

Vegans may say that cow milk is not necessary for bones and can actually weaken them etc. While we do not need milk, it certainly doesn't hurt us. I remember Gary Yourofsky, a prominent vegan, talk about how the countries with the most consumption of dairy/eggs/meat also have the highest rates of osteoporosis and bone problems. Of course, USA and European counties stacked the highest. Then he went to say that the countries with the least amount of bone problems were the ones having Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, etc. Gary forgot to mention that those groups with the least amount of bone problems ALL DRINK MILK and dairy. Now, there appears to be a contradiction. Some who drink milk etc do get problems, and others don't. Why? It is because most Indians drink milk directly from the cow. Meaning no antibiotics pumped into the cow, no drugs used, etc. The milk taken directly from the cow from hands is the best milk available, and this is what is prescribed in the scriptures.

Hope I could have added something. If all of this is already mentioned, please forgive me.
Regards

[renuka]

Namaste,

The answer is simple.

There are 2 types of eggs..one the fertilized eggs and the other the non fertilized eggs.

The ones sold in the shop are from the farm where the eggs are not fertilized and will not develop into a chick.

Technically there is life in that.

But Eggs are classified under Rajas group of food regardless if they are fertilized or not.

So its up to the person to decide :


1)If his idea of vegetarianism is not taking life of any animal..(in this case on technical grounds an unfertilized egg has no life..a might fit into his criteria.

or

2)His idea of vegetarinism is avoidance of Non Sattva food..so in this case since eggs fertilized or not is Rajas..a person might not want to eat it.

[Samraat Bhismadeva Maurya]

I'm sure that your question on egg-eating has been answered, but I just want to point out one more thing.

First, we must look at what an egg really is. An egg is, an unfertilized egg of the hen. In other words, a per**d. If we are not going to eat a human per**d, then why should we eat a hens'? It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. I would also like to point out that all the waste of the hen comes out from the SAME HOLE, the same hole that the egg comes out of. That is completely disgusting.

Now, to this, your friend may respond that if taking things from another animal is disgusting , then why do Hindus make an exception to drinking cow's milk. The thing is, as someone pointed out, the first right goes to the calf. Only the excess milk is taken, and it certainly does not hurt the cow. Milk also has good properties when PREPARED correctly, something our modern dairy industry can't seem to do. I should also point out that the cow is one of THE ONLY animals that allows you to take milk from her. Is it possible to take the milk of a chimpanzee? A lion? How about an elephant? Heck, you can't even take the milk of another human female and feed it to your child. But you can take the excess milk of the cow and feed it to children. This shows that greatness of the cow; she is beyond any discrimination.

Vegans may say that cow milk is not necessary for bones and can actually weaken them etc. While we do not need milk, it certainly doesn't hurt us. I remember Gary Yourofsky, a prominent vegan, talk about how the countries with the most consumption of dairy/eggs/meat also have the highest rates of osteoporosis and bone problems. Of course, USA and European counties stacked the highest. Then he went to say that the countries with the least amount of bone problems were the ones having Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, etc. Gary forgot to mention that those groups with the least amount of bone problems ALL DRINK MILK and dairy. Now, there appears to be a contradiction. Some who drink milk etc do get problems, and others don't. Why? It is because most Indians drink milk directly from the cow. Meaning no antibiotics pumped into the cow, no drugs used, etc. The milk taken directly from the cow from hands is the best milk available, and this is what is prescribed in the scriptures.

Hope I could have added something. If all of this is already mentioned, please forgive me.
Regards

Great answer, by the way, why put asterix on the word period? It's not a swear word, although i know how you feel, it makes one uncomfortable, don't know why though?:headscratch:

[axlyz]

Great answer, by the way, why put asterix on the word period? It's not a swear word, although i know how you feel, it makes one uncomfortable, don't know why though?:headscratch:

Thanks for your kind words. I only put asterisks because I didn't want anyone to take it offensively. I don't know, people can overreact in the internet. ;)
Regards

[Mystical Soul]

Your question was discussed in SrimadBhagawatham thousands of years ago in the story in 'DharmaVyadha', the butcher to whom a learned brahmin was sent to understand dharma. Their are two factors in it, tradition and personal choice. Half the Hindus are non-vegetarians, including some of the brahmin castes. Of course, I do not think anybody denies that vegetarianism is better than non-vegetarianism.
Namastee, thank you for sharing something I have wondered about but thought it inappropriate to ask. I have asked a few of my friends and some of them have not eaten meat in over a decade or so. I have been trying to ween myself from it and it is working well, esp since I am not one of these guys who "need" meat several times a week.

However I have noticed that after refraining from it for a long time (weeks or so) that i have a voracious craving and eat heavy meats (ie: pork roast) which oddly I don't even like that much. Is that psychological or physiological??

Thanks for the info on eggs, I wondered that too.
Aum

[Eastern Mind]

Is that psychological or physiological??

Aum

Vannakkam: I think it's purely psychological. There is nothing in meat that would cause a craving. There are no addictive chemicals like in cigarettes, for example.

Aum Namasivaya

[Aanandinii]

Namaskar ji,


Is that psychological or physiological??
It could also be an urge for specific micro-nutrients, depending on how carefully you are making sure your vegetarian diet is balanced and your personal physiology. For instance, iron. This is one you'll notice after a few months, 12 weeks or so, if you aren't getting enough. Some people don't process it well from plant fixed sources - I am one such and landed in an ER because of it once. But, I can balance that by eating extra of the greens, veges and beans that carry a lot of iron, and I have learned to recognize the symptoms and supplement if I have to now. If you haven't done so, check with your physician and have your levels checked, it's worth being sure you are changing your diet in the healthiest possible way.

EMji is right, there is certainly a psychological factor, but I sometimes wonder with all the chemicals and hormones livestock are fed and shot up with, if there isn't some kind of chemical thing there too... They say it doesn't get through to the consumer, but then they said that about the hormones and there is mounting evidence that's wrong...

~Pranam

[Mystical Soul]

Namaskar ji,


It could also be an urge for specific micro-nutrients, depending on how carefully you are making sure your vegetarian diet is balanced and your personal physiology. For instance, iron. This is one you'll notice after a few months, 12 weeks or so, if you aren't getting enough. Some people don't process it well from plant fixed sources - I am one such and landed in an ER because of it once. But, I can balance that by eating extra of the greens, veges and beans that carry a lot of iron, and I have learned to recognize the symptoms and supplement if I have to now. If you haven't done so, check with your physician and have your levels checked, it's worth being sure you are changing your diet in the healthiest possible way.

EMji is right, there is certainly a psychological factor, but I sometimes wonder with all the chemicals and hormones livestock are fed and shot up with, if there isn't some kind of chemical thing there too... They say it doesn't get through to the consumer, but then they said that about the hormones and there is mounting evidence that's wrong...

~Pranam
Nameste
Thank you so very much. I will look into the iron factor because I don't want to refrain feom meat only to binge every so often. If it is physical I can correct it. If it is mental then I deal with it in other ways via meditation etc. Thank you
Aum

[grames]

Every living whether plant or animals are already known to SD as living beings. So, this wrong notion of vegetarian and non-vegetarian is not the secret of indian sub-continent.

Anything we consume should promote respective consciousness and provide strength to the muscles required depending on the VarnAshrama! Brahmanical Varna should consume only Saatvik food and thats it. If you are wanting to promote your consciousness as Brahamanical, consume only Saatvik food. Also be aware, there are so many vegetables or vegetarian food substances that are not saatvik and prohibited for consumption.