Text 161] Pastimes of the Lord in His Youth 343

TRANSLATION

Refuting the Kazi’s statement, the Lord immediately replied, ‘‘The Vedas clearly
enjoin that cows should not be killed. Therefore any Hindu, whoever he may be,
does not indulge in cow killing.

PURPORT

In the Vedic scriptures there are concessions for meat-eaters. It is said that if one
wants to eat meat, he should kill a goat before the goddess Kali and then eat its
meat. Meat-eaters are not allowed to purchase meat or flesh from a market or
slaughterhouse. There are no sanctions for maintaining regular slaughterhouses to
satisfy the tongues of meat-eaters. As far as cow killing is concerned, it is completely
forbidden. Since the cow is considered a mother, how could the Vedas allow cow
killing? Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu pointed out that the Kazi’s statement was faulty.
In Bhagavad-gitd there is a clear injunction that cows should be protected. Kys/-
goraksya-vanijyar vaisya-karma svabhdva-jam: ‘The duty of vaisyas is to produce
agricultural products, trade and give protection to cows.’’ (Bg. 18.44) Therefore it is a
false statement that the Vedic scriptures contain injunctions permitting cow killing.

TEXT 160
fom@us ota aft, Sea aca si
CAM-ARIT STE CHA BSH-ATA it Swe W

fiyGite pdre yadi, tabe mdre prant
veda-purane ache hena ajnd-vani

SYNONYMS

jiydite—to rejuvenate; pare—one is able; yodi—if; tabe—then; mdre—can kill;
prani—living being; veda-purdfe—in the Vedas and Puranas, dche—there are; hena—
such; a@jd-vdn7—orders and injunctions.

TRANSLATION

“In the Vedas and Puranas there are injunctions declaring that if one can revive
a living being, he can kill it for experimental purposes.
TEXT 161

ASAI FAM HLA Barats |
Cama FAS FCA GEA HAA Wows

ataeva jarad-gava mdre muni-gana
veda-mantre siddha kare tahare jivana
