GADHIMAI SACRIFICE – A REPUDIATION OF HINDUISM

[Guest guest]

Since there seems to be some feeling that I am singling out sacrifice in

Islam, I am forwarding my article on the forthcoming Gadhimai sacrifice,

which appeared in liveexportshame.com. I have written extensively against

animal sacrifice in Hinduism in my column in the new Indian Express and have

stopped sacrifices in over 50 village temples of South India. My forthcoming

book on Sacred Animals of India (Penguin) has attacked sacrifice in Hinduism

too.

 

Just as I, a Hindu, am trying to stop the killing of animals in the name of

the Supreme Lord, I hope others will try to do so in their own religious

faiths. those who do will assuredly have a better chance of liberation,

heaven or paradise, whatever may be the future of our souls.

 

*GADHIMAI SACRIFICE – A REPUDIATION OF HINDUISM*

 

* *

 

It is unfortunate that Hinduism, which is the earliest religion to forsake

the killing of animals, is misused to sacrifice animals in the names of

various local goddesses.

 

 

 

The Rig Veda, the most ancient book of the Hindus, says ‘One who partakes of

human flesh, the flesh of a horse or another animal and deprives others of

milk by slaughtering cows, O King, if such a fiend does not desist by other

means, then you should not hesitate to cut off his head (*Rig* *Veda, *X.

87. 16).’

 

 

 

The *Yajur Veda *adds ‘You must not use your God-given body for killing

God’s creatures, whether they are human, animal or whatever.’

 

 

 

The *Atharva Veda *says* *‘Those noble souls who practice meditation and

other yogic ways, who are ever careful about other beings, who protect all

animals are the ones who are actually serious about spiritual practices.’

 

 

 

Apart from this, the *Chandogya Upanishad *(8.15.1)*, Mahabharata

*(3.199.11-12;

13.115; 13.116.26; 13.148.17) and* Bhagavata Purana* (11.5.13-14) strongly

condemn the slaughter of animals and the eating of meat.

 

 

 

Contemporary Hindu ritual is based on the *Manusmruti* and it is interesting

to see that Manu lashed out against all forms of sacrifice and meat-eating.

The *Manu Samhita* (5.48-52) recommends that since ‘meat can never be

obtained without injury to living creatures, and injury to sentient beings

is detrimental to the attainment of heavenly bliss, let him therefore shun

the use of meat. Having well considered the disgusting origin of flesh and

the cruelty of fettering and slaying corporeal beings, let him entirely

abstain from eating flesh.’ Further, it is not only the person who eats the

meat but the butcher and even the king or administrator who are equally at

fault. ‘He who permits the slaughter of an animal, he who cuts it up, he

who kills it, he who buys or sells meat, he who cooks it, he who serves it

up, and he who eats it, must all be considered as slayers of the animal. There

is no greater sinner than that man who…seeks to increase the bulk of his own

flesh by the flesh of other beings.’(6.60)

 

 

 

The *Mahabharata *contains a very detailed discussion between Yudhishthira

and his dying grandfather Bhishma. Bhishma says ‘What need there be said of

those innocent and healthy creatures endued with love of life, when they are

sought to be slain by sinful wretches subsisting by slaughter? For this

reason, O King, know that the discarding of meat is the highest refuge of

religion, of heaven, and of happiness…The man who abstains from meat is

never put in fear, O king, by any creature. All creatures seek his

protection…If there were nobody who ate flesh there would then be nobody to

kill living creatures. The man who kills living creatures kills them for the

sake of the person who eats flesh. If flesh were regarded as inedible, there

would then be no slaughter of living creatures. It is for the sake of the

eater that the slaughter of living creatures goes on in the world. Since the

life of persons who slaughter living creatures or cause them to be

slaughtered is shortened, the person who wishes his own good should give up

meat entirely…The purchaser of flesh performs himsa [violence] by his

wealth. He who eats flesh does so by enjoying its taste; the killer does

himsa by actually tying and killing the animal. Thus, there are three forms

of killing. He who brings flesh or sends for it, he who cuts off the limbs

of an animal, and he who purchases, sells, or cooks flesh and eats it—all of

these are to be considered meat eaters.’

 

 

 

According to *Bhagavata Purana *(7.15.7, 11.5.14) adds: ‘Those sinful

persons who are ignorant of actual religious principles, yet consider

themselves to be completely pious, without compunction commit violence

against innocent animals that are fully trusting in them.’

 

 

 

Unfortunately, there has never been a central authority in Hinduism.

Hinduism has also been happy to absorb every religious cult and belief that

came its way in the belief that religion is universal and all-encompassing.

This has been a strength and an indication of the all-encompassing tolerance

of the religion, but in cases like the Gadhimai sacrifice and the sacrifices

conducted for several other village goddesses all over India, where

buffaloes, goats, sheep and fowl are sacrificed in large numbers, it has

become a burden on the Hindu Dharma.

 

 

 

The origin of most of these sacrifices goes back to the opposition between

food producers who worshipped the mother goddess and the nomadic

pastoralists who grazed cattle, goats and buffaloes. To commemorate their

defeat of and contempt for the latter, the food producing worshippers of the

mother goddess took to sacrificing large numbers of buffaloes. This was

done during the festival of Navaratri which commemorates the defeat of the

worshippers of the buffalo king Mahisha by the Mother Goddess. When

buffaloes became expensive, they were substituted by goats and fowl.

 

 

 

Several people claim that sacrifice is central to their religious practice.

Maybe it was. It has been so in several ancient religions all over the world

and was present in the *Rig Vedic* and *Brahmanic* religion of 5000 years

ago. However, religions and religious practices must evolve and grow out of

the limitations of primitive beliefs and rituals to a higher level that does

not cause any harm to any creature in the name of god. Let us not forget

that human sacrifice was once the norm all over the world. Today, it is

banned as a cruel and primitive practice. The same villagers of Gadhimai

who would be prosecuted if they sacrificed human beings, would have, once

upon a time, not hesitated to kill a human being. Animal sacrifice is no

less primitive or cruel.

 

 

 

Hinduism does not deserve to be given a bad name because of the sacrifice of

animals to Gadhimai at Bariyapur or elsewhere. A festival is a time for

celebration. The piteous cries of the slaughtered animals are not happy:

their tears will merely assure many more lives of misery for the

perpetrators of the sacrifice. Their karma or action of killing these

innocent animals will be a great burden in this and future lives. And THAT

is the centrality of Hinduism - to abstain from committing those actions

that will add to one's list of negative karmas.