Understanding Kṛṣṇa and Christ
123
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  So if the cow is your mother, how can you support killing her? You take the milk from her, and when she's old and cannot give you milk, you cut her throat. Is that a very humane proposal? In India those who are meat-eaters are advised to kill some lower animals like goats, pigs, or even buffalo. But cow killing is the greatest sin. In preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness we ask people not to eat any kind of meat, and my disciples strictly follow this principle. But if, under certain circumstances, others are obliged to eat meat, then they should eat the flesh of some lower animal. Don't kill cows. It is the greatest sin. And as long as a man is sinful, he cannot understand God. The human being's main business is to understand God and to love Him. But if you remain sinful, you will never be able to understand God—what to speak of loving Him.
Cardinal Daniélou:  I think that perhaps this is not an essential point. The important thing is to love God. The practical commandments can vary from one religion to the next.
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  So, in the Bible God's practical commandment is that you cannot kill; therefore killing cows is a sin for you.
Cardinal Daniélou:  God says to the Indians that killing is not good, and he says to the Jews that . . .
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  No, no. Jesus Christ taught, "Thou shalt not kill." Why do you interpret this to suit your own convenience?
Cardinal Daniélou:  But Jesus allowed the sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb.
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  But he never maintained a slaughterhouse.
Cardinal Daniélou:  [Laughs.] No, but he did eat meat.
Śrīla Prabhupāda:  When there is no other food, someone may eat meat in order to keep from starving. That is another thing. But it is most sinful to regularly maintain slaughterhouses just to satisfy your tongue. Actually, you will not even have a human society until this cruel practice of maintaining slaughterhouses is stopped. And although animal killing may sometimes be necessary for survival, at least the mother animal, the cow, should not be killed. That is simply human decency. In the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement our practice is that we don't allow the killing of any animals. Kṛṣṇa says,  patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati : "Vegetables, fruits, milk, and grains should be offered to Me in devotion." [ Bhagavad-gītā  9.26] We take only the remnants of Kṛṣṇa's food ( prasāda ). The trees offer us many varieties of fruits, but the trees are not killed. Of course, one living entity is food for another living entity, but that does not mean you can kill your mother for food. Cows are innocent; they give us milk. You take their milk—and then kill them in the slaughterhouse. This is sinful.