Understanding Krsna and Christ 123

Srila Prabhupada: 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 In-
dia 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 preach-
ing Krsna consciousness we ask people not to eat any kind of meat, and
my disciples strictly follow this principle. But if, under certain circum-
stances, 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 busi-
ness 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.
Srila Prabhupada: 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...
Srila Prabhupada: 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.
Srila Prabhupada: But he never maintained a slaughterhouse. ,
Cardinal Daniélou: [Laughs.] No, but he did eat meat.
Srila Prabhupada: 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. Ac-
tually, 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 Krsna
consciousness movement our practice is that we don’t allow the killing of
any animals. Krsna says, patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya
prayacchati: ‘Vegetables, fruits, milk, and grains should be offered to Me
in devotion.”’ [Bhagavad-gita 9.26] We take only the remnants of Krsna’s
food (prasdda). The trees offer us many varieties of fruits, but the trees
are not killed. Of course, one living entity is food for another living en-
tity, 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.
