Mantra One 17

the satisfaction of his uncontrolled taste buds, he is responsible
for breaking the laws of Nature, and therefore he must be
punished.

There is a standard of life for human beings which cannot
apply to the animals. The tiger does not eat rice, wheat or
cow’s milk because it has been given its quota of foodstuff
in the shape of animal food. There are many animals and
birds who are either vegetarian or non-vegetarian, but none of
them transgress the laws of Nature as they have been ordained
by the will of the Lord. Amongst the living beings—whether
animals or birds or reptiles—there is strict adherence to the
laws of Nature, and therefore there is no question of sin for
them, nor are the Vedic instructions meant for them. Human
life alone, then, is a life of responsibility.

It is also wrong to consider that simply by becoming a
vegetarian one can save himself from transgressing the laws of
Nature. Vegetables also have life. One life is meant to feed
another living being, and that is the law of Nature. One should
not be proud of being a strict vegetarian. The point is to
recognize the Supreme Lord. The animals have no developed
consciousness to recognize the Lord, but a human being is
sufficiently intelligent to take lessons from the Vedic literature,
and thereby know how the laws of Nature are working, and
derive profit out of such knowledge. If a man neglects the
instruction of the Vedic literature, his life is very risky. The
human being is therefore required to recognize the authority
of the Supreme Lord. He must be a devotee of the Lord. He
must offer everything to the service of the Lord and partake of
only the remnants of foodstuff offered to the Lord. That will
make him able to discharge his duty properly. In the Bhagavad-
gita the Lord directly states that He accepts the vegetable food-
stuffs from the hands of a pure devotee. Therefore a human
being should not only become a strict vegetarian, but he should
also be a devotee of the Lord, and offer to the Lord all his
food, and only then partake of the prasadam, or mercy of God.
