Table of contents

1. Vedas
2. Bhagavad Gita
3. Ramayana
4. Mahabharata
5. Upanishads
6. Puranas
   1. Bhagavata Purana or Srimad Bhagavatam

Comments

Vedas

RV 1.162.2-5

यन्नि॒र्णिजा॒ रेक्ण॑सा॒ प्रावृ॑तस्य रा॒तिं गृ॑भी॒तां मु॑ख॒तो नय॑न्ति । सुप्रा॑ङ॒जो मेम्य॑द्वि॒श्वरू॑प इन्द्रापू॒ष्णोः प्रि॒यमप्ये॑ति॒ पाथ॑: ॥
यन्निर्णिजा रेक्णसा प्रावृतस्य रातिं गृभीतां मुखतो नयन्ति । सुप्राङजो मेम्यद्विश्वरूप इन्द्रापूष्णोः प्रियमप्येति पाथः ॥

ए॒ष च्छाग॑: पु॒रो अश्वे॑न वा॒जिना॑ पू॒ष्णो भा॒गो नी॑यते वि॒श्वदे॑व्यः । अ॒भि॒प्रियं॒ यत्पु॑रो॒ळाश॒मर्व॑ता॒ त्वष्टेदे॑नं सौश्रव॒साय॑ जिन्वति ॥
एष च्छागः पुरो अश्वेन वाजिना पूष्णो भागो नीयते विश्वदेव्यः । अभिप्रियं यत्पुरोळाशमर्वता त्वष्टेदेनं सौश्रवसाय जिन्वति ॥

यद्ध॑वि॒ष्य॑मृतु॒शो दे॑व॒यानं॒ त्रिर्मानु॑षा॒: पर्यश्वं॒ नय॑न्ति । अत्रा॑ पू॒ष्णः प्र॑थ॒मो भा॒ग ए॑ति य॒ज्ञं दे॒वेभ्य॑: प्रतिवे॒दय॑न्न॒जः ॥
यद्धविष्यमृतुशो देवयानं त्रिर्मानुषाः पर्यश्वं नयन्ति । अत्रा पूष्णः प्रथमो भाग एति यज्ञं देवेभ्यः प्रतिवेदयन्नजः ॥

होता॑ध्व॒र्युराव॑या अग्निमि॒न्धो ग्रा॑वग्रा॒भ उ॒त शंस्ता॒ सुवि॑प्रः । तेन॑ य॒ज्ञेन॒ स्व॑रंकृतेन॒ स्वि॑ष्टेन व॒क्षणा॒ आ पृ॑णध्वम् ॥
होताध्वर्युरावया अग्निमिन्धो ग्रावग्राभ उत शंस्ता सुविप्रः । तेन यज्ञेन स्वरंकृतेन स्विष्टेन वक्षणा आ पृणध्वम् ॥

Translations:

Griffith:

1. What time they bear before the Courser, covered with trappings and with wealth, the grasped oblation, The dappled goat goeth straightforward, bleating, to the place dear to Indra and to Pusan.

2. Dear to all Gods, this goat, the share of Pusan, is first led forward with the vigorous Courser, While Tvastar sends him forward with the Charger, acceptable for sacrifice, to glory.

3. When thrice the men lead round the Steed, in order, who goeth to the Gods as meet oblation, The goat precedeth him, the share of Pusan, and to the Gods the sacrifice announceth.

4. Invoker, ministering priest, atoner, fire-kindler Soma-presser, sage, reciter, With this well ordered sacrifice, well finished, do ye fill full the channels of the rivers.

Wilson:

1. “When they, (the priests), bring the prepared offering to the presence (of the horse), who has been bathed and decorated with rich (trappings), the various-coloured goat going before him, bleating, becomes an acceptable offering to Indra and Pūṣan.”

2. “This goat, the portion of Pu+ṣan fit for all the gods, is brought first with the fleet courser, to that Tvaṣṭā may prepare him along with the horse, as an acceptable preliminary offering for the (sacrificial) food.”

3. “When the priests at the season (of the ceremony), lead forth the horse, the offering devoted to the gods, thrice round (the sacrificial fire); then the goat, the portion of Pūṣan, goes first, announcing the sacrificer to the gods.”

4. “The invoker of the gods, the minister of the rite, the offerer of the oblation, the kindler of the fire, the bruiser of the Soma, the director of the ceremony, the saage (superintendent of the whole); do you replenish the rivers by this well-ordered, well-conducted, sacrifice.”

Comment: Poor goats are sacrificed for fictional gods.

Bhagavad Gita

Ramayana

Ramayana Ayodhya Kanda sarga 52 shloka 102

तौ तत्र हत्वा चतुरः महा मृगान् |
वराहम् ऋश्यम् पृषतम् महा रुरुम् |
आदाय मेध्यम् त्वरितम् बुभुक्षितौ|
वासाय काले ययतुर् वनः पतिम् || २-५२-१०२

sanskritdocuments.org: Having hunted there four deer, namely Varaaha, Rishya, Prisata; and Mahaaruru (the four principal species of deer) and taking quickly the portions that were pure, being hungry as they were, Rama and Lakshmana reached a tree to take rest in the evening.

IITK: Famished, they (Rama and Lakshmana) killed a boar, a rishya (whitefooted male antelope), a spotted deer and a great deer with black stripes. They partook the meat and reached a tree by evening where they rested for the night.

Comment: Why is he killing animals? Don’t say he needs it to survive. Bhagiratha a mere human being was able to live 1000 deva years without food in Hindu fiction. Rama was a god in human avatar, he should be able to live for even more years. Even if for some reason he needs food why can’t he do some plant agriculture?

Ramayana Ayodhya Kanda sarga 55 shloka 33

क्रोशमात्रम् ततो गत्वा भ्रातरौ रामलक्ष्मनौ || २-५५-३३
बहून्मेध्यान् मृगान् हत्वा चेरतुर्यमुनावने |

sanskritdocuments.org: Thereafter having travelled only a couple of miles the two brothers Rama and Lakshmana killed many consecrated deer and ate in the river-forest of Yamuna.

IITK: After walking a krosa into the forest on the bank of Yamuna, the two brothers killed many deer suitable for sacrifice and ate them.

Ramayana Ayodhya Kanda sarga 96 shloka 1-2

तां तथा दर्शयित्वा तु मैथिलीं गिरिनिम्नगाम् |
निषसाद गिरिप्रस्थे सीतां मांसेन चन्दयन् || २-९६-१

इदं मेध्यमिदं स्वादु निष्टप्तमिदमग्निना |
एवमास्ते स धर्मात्मा सीतया सह राघवः || २-९६-२

sanskritdocuments.org: Having shown Mandakini River in that manner to Seetha, the daughter of Mithila, Rama set on the hill-side in order to gratify her appetite with a piece of flesh. Rama, whose mind was devoted to righteousness stayed there with Seetha, saying; “This meat is fresh, this is savoury and roasted in the fire.”

IITK: Rama showed Sita, the princess of Mithila the river Mandakini flowing in the mountain, gratified her by offering meat (to eat) and sat on the mountain slope. Offering Sita several kinds of preparations to eat, righteous Rama, seated in her company remarked, This meat is savoury, this meat roasted on fire is sacred.

Ramayana Aranya Kanda sarga 44 shloka 27

निहत्य पृषतम् च अन्यम् मांसम् आदाय राघवः |
त्वरमाणो जनस्थानम् ससार अभिमुखः तदा || ३-४४-२७

sanskritdocuments.org: Raghava then on killing another spotted deer and on taking its flesh, he hurried himself towards Janasthaana.

IITK: Then Rama killed another deer, collected the venison and hastened to Janasthana.

Mahabharata

Upanishads

Puranas

Bhagavata Purana or Srimad Bhagavatam

SB 8.16.50

त्रयोदश्यामथो विष्णो: स्‍नपनं पञ्चकैर्विभो: ।
कारयेच्छास्त्रद‍ृष्टेन विधिना विधिकोविदै: ॥ ५० ॥

Translations:

srimadbhagavatam.org: Next on the thirteenth day proceeding in accordance with the regulations as laid down in the scriptures, the Almighty One [Vishnu] should be bathed with five substances [milk, yogurt, ghee, sugar and honey].

Vedabase: Thereafter, following the directions of the śāstra with help from brāhmaṇas who know the śāstra, on the thirteenth day of the moon one should bathe Lord Viṣṇu with five substances [milk, yogurt, ghee, sugar and honey].

Comment: Come on Viṣṇu, you want your statues to be bathed in milk, yogurt, ghee, and honey. Each of the mentioned products are nonvegan and require animal cruelty. Even though, today it is immoral to consume dairy products, I don’t think it was morally wrong for people who lived before B12 fortified foods and supplements were available to consume dairy products (meat wasn’t necessary even in those days. Jains followed vegetarianism from thousands of years). But for beings like Viṣṇu (moral standards can be measured even for fictional characters like Viṣṇu) who do not have nutritional needs unlike us it is immoral to consume these dairy products even before B12 fortified foods and supplements were available. They can live without taking away the milk that was supposed to be for the calf. Too much hypocrisy (cowpocrisy?) for a religion that says cows are sacred. There is nothing holy about forcefully inseminating cows and taking away the milk from the calf.

SB 8.16.51-52

पूजां च महतीं कुर्याद् वित्तशाठ्यविवर्जित: ।
चरुं निरूप्य पयसि शिपिविष्टाय विष्णवे ॥ ५१ ॥
सूक्तेन तेन पुरुषं यजेत सुसमाहित: ।
नैवेद्यं चातिगुणवद् दद्यात्पुरुषतुष्टिदम् ॥ ५२ ॥

Translations:

srimadbhagavatam.org: By reciting the many hymns [or sûkta] for Lord Vishnu who resides in the hearts of all, the miserly mentality [of not spending] must be given up to the offerings of the milk and grains in grand worship. With great attention one thus should worship the Original Personality with the offerings of the food that was so carefully prepared to please His person.

Vedabase: Giving up the miserly habit of not spending money, one should arrange for the gorgeous worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, who is situated in the heart of every living entity. With great attention, one must prepare an oblation of grains boiled in ghee and milk and must chant the Puruṣa-sūkta mantra. The offerings of food should be of varieties of tastes. In this way, one should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

SB 11.12.18

यथानल: खेऽनिलबन्धुरुष्मा
बलेन दारुण्यधिमथ्यमान: ।
अणु: प्रजातो हविषा समेधते
तथैव मे व्यक्तिरियं हि वाणी ॥ १८ ॥

Translations:

srimadbhagavatam.org: Just as fire confined within wood, with the help of air, kindled by friction is born very tiny and increases with ghee, I similarly manifest Myself in this [Vedic, inner] voice.

Vedabase: When sticks of kindling wood are vigorously rubbed together, heat is produced by contact with air, and a spark of fire appears. Once the fire is kindled, ghee is added and the fire blazes. Similarly, I become manifest in the sound vibration of the Vedas.

SB 11.12.18

यथानल: खेऽनिलबन्धुरुष्मा
बलेन दारुण्यधिमथ्यमान: ।
अणु: प्रजातो हविषा समेधते
तथैव मे व्यक्तिरियं हि वाणी ॥ १८ ॥

Translations:

srimadbhagavatam.org: According to his means he should make offerings of foodstuffs like candy, sweet rice, ghee, rice flour cake [s’ashkulî], sweet cakes [âpûpa], sweet rice flour dumplings with coconut [modaka], spicy sweet wheat cake of ghee and milk [samyâva], yogurt and vegetable soups.

Vedabase: Within his means, the devotee should arrange to offer Me sugar candy, sweet rice, ghee, śaṣkulī [rice-flour cakes], āpūpa [various sweet cakes], modaka [steamed rice-flour dumplings filled with sweet coconut and sugar], saṁyāva [wheat cakes made with ghee and milk and covered with sugar and spices], yogurt, vegetable soups and other palatable foods.

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