Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 24.250
Deliberate Cruelty Deepens Sinful Reactions
“Nārada Muni continued, ‘My dear hunter, your business is killing animals. That is a slight offense on your part. But when you consciously give them unnecessary pain by leaving them half-dead, you incur very great sins.’
What the purport teaches
- Nārada Muni distinguishes the hunter’s killing from deliberately prolonging an animal’s pain. He calls consciously leaving animals half-dead a very great sin.
- The purport describes strict restrictions on animal sacrifice intended to prevent unnecessary pain. Even under these restrictions, the killer must suffer similar pain in the next life.
- Killing animals daily by the thousands merely to satisfy the tongue disregards these restrictions. The purport connects such killing with worldwide suffering, wars and massacres under material nature’s laws.
Try this today
Choose a meal without meat today rather than satisfying your tongue through animal killing.
Ask yourself
How much weight do I give an animal’s suffering when considering the satisfaction of my tongue?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport; the practice and question are plain words for trying the verse today.