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Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 1, Ch. 3]
the Supreme Lord. The whole theme of Vedic literature is to know the Supreme Lord, the individual soul, the cosmic situation and the relations between all these items. When the relation is known, the relative function begins, and as a result of such a function the ultimate goal of life or going back to Godhead takes place in the easiest manner. Unfortunately, unauthorized scholars of the  Vedas  become captivated by the purificatory ceremonies only, and natural progress is checked thereby.
To such bewildered persons of atheistic propensity, Lord Buddha is the emblem of theism. He therefore first of all wanted to check the habit of animal killing. The animal killers are dangerous elements on the path of going back to Godhead. There are two types of animal killers. The soul is also sometimes called the “animal” or the living being. Therefore, both the slaughterer of animals as well as those who have lost their identity of soul are animal killers.
Mahārāja Parīkṣit said that only the animal killer cannot relish the transcendental message of the Supreme Lord. Therefore if people are to be educated to the path of Godhead they must be taught first and foremost to  stop the process of animal killing  as above mentioned.  It is nonsensical to say that animal killing has nothing to do with spiritual realization.  By this dangerous theory many so-called  sannyāsū  have sprung up by the grace of Kali-yuga who preach animal killing under the garb of the  Vedas . The subject matter has already been discussed in the conversation between Lord Caitanya and Maulana Chand Kazi Shaheb. The animal sacrifice as stated in the  Vedas  is different from the unrestricted animal killing in the slaughterhouse. Because the  asuras  or the so-called scholars of Vedic literatures put forward the evidence of animal killing in the  Vedas , Lord Buddha superficially denied the authority of the  Vedas . This rejection of the  Vedas  by Lord Buddha was adopted in order to save people from the vice of animal killing as well as to save the poor animals from the slaughtering process of their big brothers who clamor for universal brotherhood, peace, justice and equity. There is no justice when there is animal killing. Lord Buddha wanted to stop it completely, and therefore his cult of  ahiṁsā  was propagated not only in India but also outside the country.
Technically Lord Buddha’s philosophy is called atheistic because there is no acceptance of the Supreme Lord and because that system of philosophy denied the authority of the  Vedas . But that is an act of camouflage by the Lord. Lord Buddha is the incarnation of Godhead. As such, he is the original propounder of Vedic knowledge. He therefore cannot reject Vedic philosophy. But he rejected it outwardly because the  sura-dviṣa , or the demons who are always envious of the devotees of Godhead, try to