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by word, act or thought and abstinence from this kind of killing is the first requirement for a student of Yoga. It obviously implies abstinence from animal food inasmuch as it is never procurable without direct or indirect killing. The Hindoo scriptures are very strong on this point. Manu the famous lawmaker of the Hindoos says-Anumantā Visasitā nihantā krayavikrayi Sanskritā chopahartā cha khādakas'cheti ghātakāh —one who indirectly gives permission to kill animals, one who separates the several parts of the caracass after the animal is killed, one who actually kills the animals, one who sells meat, one who cooks meat, one who serves meat at the table and one who eats it are all considered killers of the animal. Again Akritvā prāninām hinsām mānsam notpadyate kvachit, Na cha pranivadhah svargah tasmān mānsam vivarjayet -you cannot get meat unless an animal is killed, killing of animals cannot lead to a higher state, therefore abstain from meat-eating altogether.
MYSTICISM IN INDIA
The avoidance from animal food is strongly recommended from another standpoint, as that food always leads to the growth of animality to the complete obscuration and even annihilation of intuition and spirituality. It is to secure this condition of being ever with nature and never against it or in other words being in love with nature that all other restrictions are prescribed. And what end do you achieve by the observance of this doctrine of universal love-universal brotherhood not of man only but of all living beings. We claim that when one has acquired that confirmed
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