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Thread: Question about Meat, Alcohol, and Sex

  1. #1

    Question about Meat, Alcohol, and Sex

    Okay, I was reading this article online about Hindus and Muslims in the US (I think) and how while they have no problem having sex, drinking, or doing drugs, if they see a fellow Hindu or Muslim eating beef or pork, then it's automatically blasphemy.

    I was reading the comments of the article and it said apparently that it's not forbidden for Hindus to do stuff like that because ancient Indians had to eat beef for survival and it was considered a good food for Brahmins. Here's the link to the comments.

    http://www.chicagoflame.com/home/ind...9-229c70a5c1e8

    Now my parents are from a very conservative Hindu sect which forbids eating meat (onion and garlic too, but I don't really follow that lol), drinking alcohol, doing drugs, or pre-marital sex. I'm not going go do all that stuff if it isn't, but I'm pretty confused.

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    Re: Question about Meat, Alcohol, and Sex

    Vannakkam bp789:

    Everyone is entitled to their opinion. But the opinions expressed by those commenters regarding sex, drugs are all okay but meat eating isn't is just ludicrous from almost 99% of Hindus point of view. Of course the western media, controlled by Christians, secularists, and atheists does whatever it can to portray Hindus as idiotic.

    Just read around these forums and you'll find out what most more traditional people think.

    Aum Namasivaya

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    Re: Question about Meat, Alcohol, and Sex

    If you drink alcohol or do drugs, you're harming your own body. However, if you eat meat (especially beef) you're responsible for taking the life of another creature solely for your own sense gratification (and cows are sacred in Hinduism). Premarital sex is more a social taboo, it's not really hurting anyone if both parties consent but rather causing shame to traditional Hindu families.

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    Re: Question about Meat, Alcohol, and Sex

    If meat alcohol, drugs and sex are prohibited in Hinduism than the whole country of Nepal and most himalayan regions must follow some other religion
    Almost everybody in Nepal is using bhang at least on Shivaratri, even if the US goverment, especially the Reagan administration tried the utmost to outlaw drug use, still the king was donating 500 kg charas to the sadhus and shiva devotees assembled at Pashupatinath every year to celebrate Mahashivaratri according to the ancient customs.
    At dashain (durgapuja) even in the household of a pious vaishnava brahmin where i was living, 3 goats where sacrificed and the meat was eaten as prasad by all. Many nepali hindus have the custom to go to dakshinkali temple every saturday to offer a goat or chicken and some alcohol and they gather for a family picnic to eat and drink the prasad in the surrounding of the temple. There is also a Festival (Indra Jatra) dedicated to Indra and Bhairava where out of the mouth of a huge metal murti of the head of Bhairava alcohol is spouting in a continous stream and everybody goes there and drink it directly from the mouth of the deity. Of course other places have other customs especialy in the south of india people are quite different from the Himalayan region and the west, north and east of india. But even in the south, for instance in kerala, especially the non brahmin castes, have customs like pashu bali, alcohol and drug use which are celebrated side by side with vegetarian bali and brahmin customs at the same festivals until recent times. With the rise and domination of the monotheistic cults like Islam and Christianity many of these ancient religious customs were demonized as immoral, suppressed, ignored, outlawed or obliterated.

    Sveta Bhairava, the white bhairava in Nepal opens the doors only during Indra jatra. Devotee drinks the Alcohol

    Devotees lining up for drinking the alcohol from Bhairavas mouth

    Very good pictures from Dakshinkali: follow this link:

    http://www.marcellogambini.it/Dakshin%20Kali.htm
    Last edited by MahaHrada; 18 June 2010 at 09:10 AM.

  5. #5

    Re: Question about Meat, Alcohol, and Sex

    Hi bp,

    I really don't know about the history of beef eating in India and so cannot comment on it. It is probable that the idea of the cow being sacred came at a particular point in history, rather than being a sentiment held sincethe begining of mankind. Whatever though, what people thought or think does not affect my sentiments toward cows, which I have lived with for a number of years and can vouch for their beautiful and loving nature. I would never want to cause harm to a cow, and I equally dislike the idea of hurting any sentient creature for good and logical reasons.

    As for the sex and alcohol, I think that this is easier to understand that you may realise. People are silly. Its that simple. Really quite ridiculous, absurd, exasperating. Whatever. That's what humans are/can be.
    I think that people focus so much on things like beef or pork/ham eating because it is more unique whereas sex and alcohol are considered no-nos by so many groups. And most do it anyway, so its easier to overlook or ignore.

    I also think that a lot of people realise that the idea of illicit sex is contextual. Of course it was a bad idea throughout history and in cultures where women have so little power next to men that falling pregnant outside of marriage was a horrible situation for the woman and child. It still can lead to bad situations now, but people have more excuses now- contraceptives, women can be independent and work, get government support etc. And don't forget that its such a huge physical temptation that the fat that society is sex-crazed makes it near impossible to abstain and I think people in general can excuse it easily.

    Alcohol is something else. I don't think people are aware of all the things that various religious groups are and are not aupposed to do. I don't think it ever occurred to my friends to question my consumption of alcohol (on those rare occasions that I actually had some). I don't think they realised that its a no-no. Hell, lots of them are Christian but that doesn't stop them.

    So in other words, it comes down to the fact that being forbidden cow/pig is unique and thus a kind of symbol that people come to associate with that particular religion, unlike sex and alcohol which are hardly unique at all- quite boring really, and thus easy to ignore.
    "For a bewildered person in the materialistic way of life, the body, the mind and the senses, which are engaged in sense gratification, are the cause of bondage to repeated birth, death, old age and disease. But for one who is advanced in spiritual knowledge, the same body, senses and mind are the cause of liberation"
    Prabhupada.

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    Re: Question about Meat, Alcohol, and Sex

    consumption of meat , alcohol or sex etc are by no means prohibited in hinduism . it is very much there and sometimes within rituals itself !!

    but for a person desiring quick spiritual upliftment its best to put them aside along with evrything else that agitates the mind and delays the process of chittasuddhi .
    na kAshthe vidyate devo na shilAyam kadAchana
    bhAve hi vidyate devas-tasmAd-bhAvam samAcharet

  7. #7

    Re: Question about Meat, Alcohol, and Sex

    Guys, he is talking about beef and pork specifically, not meat-eating in general.
    "For a bewildered person in the materialistic way of life, the body, the mind and the senses, which are engaged in sense gratification, are the cause of bondage to repeated birth, death, old age and disease. But for one who is advanced in spiritual knowledge, the same body, senses and mind are the cause of liberation"
    Prabhupada.

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    Re: Question about Meat, Alcohol, and Sex

    Quote Originally Posted by bp789 View Post

    I was reading the comments of the article and it said apparently that it's not forbidden for Hindus to do stuff like that because ancient Indians had to eat beef for survival and it was considered a good food for Brahmins. Here's the link to the comments.
    Beef is absolutely not allowed for hindus. Beef was never eaten by hindus, it's just a imaginary assumption made by westerners who have tried to interpret vedas but have completely failed. There were some sects like left handed tantriks who might have consumed meat(but even they didn't consumed beef meat). Also in the link you gave some one wrote, It was influence of buddha that Hindus became vegetarians, Well that's a big non-sense, Buddha himself died after consuming stale pork. And dalai lama is a non-vegy.


    See the main point is vedic sanskrit is not understood properly today, each sanskrit word can have many meanings. If they are not translated properly false meanings can come out, just as it has in westerners/communists translations.
    Literal translations can be very dangerous.

    Quote Originally Posted by bp789 View Post

    Now my parents are from a very conservative Hindu sect which forbids eating meat (onion and garlic too, but I don't really follow that lol), drinking alcohol, doing drugs, or pre-marital sex. I'm not going go do all that stuff if it isn't, but I'm pretty confused.
    Well alcohol is a tamsik drink (fit for demons), so not advised, pre-martial sex is definitely unethical and immoral, also if you want to live sattvic life, then do not consume any tamsic/rajsic food. For example I have habit of drinking coca-cola, and that has made me complete insomniac. Unfortunately I can't give up coca-cola
    When the light has risen, there is no day, no night, neither existence nor non-existence; Siva alone is there. That is the eternal, the adorable light of Savitri, - and the ancient wisdom proceeded thence (Svetasvatara Upanishad IV-18). :)

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    Re: Question about Meat, Alcohol, and Sex

    as an ofshoot to this main discussion , i have heard about go-medha yajna much like the famous ashwa-medha .

    does anyone here knows or has the exact scriptural texts of that sacrifice ? i want to know what was that all about ?!!!
    na kAshthe vidyate devo na shilAyam kadAchana
    bhAve hi vidyate devas-tasmAd-bhAvam samAcharet

  10. #10

    Re: Question about Meat, Alcohol, and Sex

    Quote Originally Posted by isavasya View Post
    Beef is absolutely not allowed for hindus. Beef was never eaten by hindus, it's just a imaginary assumption made by westerners who have tried to interpret vedas but have completely failed. There were some sects like left handed tantriks who might have consumed meat(but even they didn't consumed beef meat). Also in the link you gave some one wrote, It was influence of buddha that Hindus became vegetarians, Well that's a big non-sense, Buddha himself died after consuming stale pork. And dalai lama is a non-vegy.


    See the main point is vedic sanskrit is not understood properly today, each sanskrit word can have many meanings. If they are not translated properly false meanings can come out, just as it has in westerners/communists translations. Literal translations can be very dangerous.



    Well alcohol is a tamsik drink (fit for demons), so not advised, pre-martial sex is definitely unethical and immoral, also if you want to live sattvic life, then do not consume any tamsic/rajsic food. For example I have habit of drinking coca-cola, and that has made me complete insomniac. Unfortunately I can't give up coca-cola
    I just want to point out that it was Brahmins who supposedly did not eat any meat but the other castes certainly did, certainly do now (according to stories like the Mahabharata).

    Also, you said alcohol is fit for demons. Well, it might be bad for humans but I'm pretty sure the demigods enjoyed getting intoxicated now and then!

    I disagree that pre-marital sex is immoral/unethical. I think that is largely contextual. In many cases I would agree but I think there are situations when it is neither.
    "For a bewildered person in the materialistic way of life, the body, the mind and the senses, which are engaged in sense gratification, are the cause of bondage to repeated birth, death, old age and disease. But for one who is advanced in spiritual knowledge, the same body, senses and mind are the cause of liberation"
    Prabhupada.

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