Is non-veg allowed in Hinduism? - Page 2

Ok I don't know whether it is silly to ask or not but can someone please tell me whether non-veg is allowed in Hinduism?Actually I've been practising Hinduism only since one year and I am still very alien about the concepts related to Hinduism.i actually have a very weird religious background,my mother is a Christian,my father is a Hindu and my grandmother is a Muslim.after the divorce of my mother n father,I've stayed with my mother n practised Christianity but I never liked the concept of killing n eating animals,so I could never find peace with it and then I started researching about Hinduism and in most of the places I found that non-veg is not permitted in Hinduism and also eating beef is a crime.but then what really confused me was when I saw a video of Dr.Zakir Naik and he said that in mahabharat yudhistira asked bheeshma that what should he serve as food for the rajsuya yagya n beeshma replied that he can serve fish and beef.so is that true? I've always thaught Hinduism to be the only religion sensitive to other living organisms and In many places I've read that cow is like a mother in Hinduism!so how can Hinduism permit killing n eating a cow?Edited by Myraluvpanchali - 9 years ago

There can be no clear answer to such questions because Hinduism, unlike the Abrahamic faiths, isn't a monolithic organized religion. Hinduism is an umbrella term for many traditions and sects originating or existing in the region. Further, Hindus don't have any concept of God vs Devil so the corresponding binaries of believers/non-believers, heaven/hell, salvation/damnation or permissible/forbidden too are blurred. There are many sects that require you to be vegetarian and many that don't. Gita advices against non-veg along with other 'tamasic' food, but then not all Hindus are Gita-literalists nor has Gita been the Hindus's Bible or Quran for most part of the history.

The most radical anti-non-veg movement was spawned by Jainism that was later adopted by certain sects of Brahmins and Vaishnavas. Holy cow too is a product of the Bhagwata bhakti movement of the middle ages. Whereas animal offerings are often customary for sects like Shaktas. Indeed there have been hindu monks like Vivekananda who ridiculed upper-caste Hindus for their prudish attitude toward non-veg including beef. If you are asking whether one can be a Hindu while being a non-vegie, well, I guess yes. Most of them are.

You'll get different answers depending on whom you ask. What I can say is Hinduism is quite a bit complex and comprises a wide range of beliefs and believers - many of them are conflicting and yet none of them are right or wrong in absolute sense.

All I know is different sects practise different things. You can certainly practise what you believe, without affecting the sentiments of others. Here in Kerala, Brahmins don't even touch non-veg. But in Bengal, Brahmins do eat fish. (I am not sure, my aunt who stayed there told me). It more depends upon what you believe & what you like to believe. Even if you don't believe in God itself, you will still be a Hindu only as the basic thing that makes one Hindu is Dharma / duty, in the shortest way. So if you don't like non-veg, you can choose not to eat. There are no strict universal rules that can be applied for all Hindus. It all depend upon what you want to believe.

it's your choice, anyway, in hinduism, non-vegiterian foods are not forbidden in my point of view, but, many sects likes vaishnava do forbid it because thay think it's tamasik. if you want to follow a vegiterian diet then you should follow it anyway.

Vegetarianism is better for health but pay attention to protein and Iron intake. 

It's not that non-vegetarian is forbidden, but it is written in scriptures that to achieve moksha, vegetarian food is required because vegetarian = non-violence and non-vegetarian indirectly supports violence towards animals. To achieve moksha, one cannot be violent towards any species, including animals.

😊yes, in most Hindu scriptures, stress is given on vegetarianism. I am also a vegetarian by choice. actually its for the mental and spiritual purity which the vegetarian food intakes provide.also, its excellent for maintaining a slim figure😉

Edited by ...Diala... - 8 years ago

Edited by ..RamKiJanaki.. - 8 years ago

I eat meat but refrain from it on religious occasions and on certain days just because my dad implemented that we stay vegetarian on Thursday,Saturday and now Monday. Would love to be vegetarian but my body won't allow it I get extremely weak if I don't have meat and fish in my diet over a long period. I think it's ok to be vegetarian just during religious days, everybody has their own set of rules.