04 Dec 2020
[Smt. Priyanka asked: Somebody asked a question on buying non-veg pet food for people who keep pets. You had answered by saying that we will get the sin to buy that food because we are encouraging the killing of animals. At the same time, animals like dogs, etc., are carnivorous by nature and if they don’t get their necessary food and exercise requirements, they may get health problems and may not live long. I kept hearing from pet owners that many people who give only vegetarian food to their dogs are not taking care of their pets and it ends up dying early. They buy dog food from the store which has chicken and vegetables mixed together. They also buy a piece of bone for the dog to chew on for the sake of its dental health and bone health! If that is the case, is it a sin to not take care of another living being one has adopted by giving what it truly needs? At Your feet, Priyanka]
Swāmi replied: Demons also eat human beings. If a demon says that he will die soon if he only eats vegetarian food, will you become the food of that demon? Will you offer yourself as food to the demon in order to ensure the longevity and good health of the demon, who is also one of the living beings created by God? We will understand the true knowledge when we place ourselves in the place of the birds and animals that get killed for their meat. Only then will the true knowledge emerge from any person. It is based on this reason that scripture says that killing a zoological living being (animal), which has awareness, is the highest sin (Ahimsā paramo dharmaḥ).
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