Hindu Dhrama - collection of Paramachraya's speeches

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Dear Members

" Hindu Dharma " is a book published by Bharatiya Vidya

Bhavan which contains English translation of two volumes of the Tamil

Book " Deivatthin Kural " ; which is a collection of invaluable and

engrossing speeches of Sri Sri Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi

MahaSwamiji.

 

http://kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part5/chap24.htm

 

Animal Sacrifice in the Age of Kali

 

An

argument runs thus: In the eons gone by mankind possessed high

ideals and noble character. Men could sacrifice animals for the

well-being of the world because they had great affection in their

hearts and were selfless. They offered even cows and horses in

sacrifice and had meat for sraddha. As householders, in their

middle years, they followed the karmamarga (the path of works)

and performed rites to please the deities for the good of the

world. But, in doing so, they desired no rewards. Later, they

renounced all works, all puja, all observances, to become

sannyasins delighting themselves in their Atman. They were men of

such refinement and noble character that, if their brother, a

king, died heirless they begot a son by his wife without any

passion in their hearts and without a bit detracting from their

brahmacharya. Their only motive was that the kingdom should not

be plunged in anarchy for want of an heir to the throne.

 

In

our own Kali age we do not have such men who are desireless in

their actions, who can subdue their minds and give up all works

to become ascetics and who will remain chaste at heart even in

the company of women. So it is contended that the following are

to be eschewed in the Kali age: horse and cow sacrifices, meat in

the sraddha ceremony, sannyasa, begetting a son by the husband's

brother. As authority we have the following verse:

 

Asvalambham

gavalambham sanyasam palapatrikam

 

Devarena

sutotpattim kalau panca vivarjayet

 

According

to one view " asvalambham " in this verse should be

substituted with " agniyadhanam " . If you accept this version it would mean

that even those sacrifices in which animals are not killed should

not be performed. In other words it would mean a total

prohibition of all sacrifices. The very first in the haviryajna

category is agniyadhana. If that were to be prohibited it would

mean that, apart from small sacrifices called

" pakayajnas " , no yajna can be performed.

 

According

to great men such a view is wrong. Sankara Bhagavatpada, whose

mission in life was the re-establishment of Vedic dharma, did not

stop with the admonishment that Vedas must be chanted every day

( " Vedo nityam adhiyatam " ). He insisted that rites

imposed on us by the Vedas must be performed: "

" Taduditam karma svanusthiyatam. " Of Vedic rites,

sacrifices occupy the foremost place. If they are to be eschewed

what other Vedic rites are we to perform? It may be that certain

types of sacrifices need not be gone through in the age of Kali.

 

If,

according to the verse, agniyadhana is interdicted, and no big

sacrifice is to be performed in the age of Kali, why should

gavalambha (cow sacrifice) have been mentioned in the prohibited

category? If agniyadhana is not permissible, it goes without

saying that gavalambha also is prohibited. So, apart from certain

types, all sacrifices are to be performed at all times.

 

According

to another verse quoted from the Dharmasastra, so long as the

varnasrama system is followed in the age of Kali, in however

small a measure, and so long as the sound of the Vedas pervades

the air, works like agniyadhana must be performed and the

sannyasasrama followed, the stage of life in which there is no

karma. The prohibition in Kali applies to certain types of animal

sacrifices, meat in sraddha ceremonies and begetting a son by the

husband's brother.

JAYA JAYA SANKARA HARA HARA SANKARA

 

Thwameva Maathaa Cha Pithaa Thwameva Thwameva Bhandhuscha Sakhaa Thwameva

Thwameva Vidhyaa Dhravinam Thwameva Thwameva Sarvam Mama Dheva Dheva.