Beyond Vegetarianism

In the material world, either a man is vegetarian or non-vegetarian, they're eating simply sin, and they will have to suffer the consequence. [Letter to: Nandarani, Seattle, October 17, 1968]

In Bhagavad-gétä, Kåñëa explains:

yajïa-çiñöäçinaù santo mucyante sarva-kilbiñaiù

bhuïjate te tv aghaà päpä ye pacanty ätma-käraëät

The devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because they eat food which is offered first for sacrifice. Others, who prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin.

It is wrong to think that simply by becoming a vegetarian one can avoid transgressing the laws of nature. Vegetables also have life, and while it is nature's law that one living being is meant to feed on another, for human beings the point is to recognize the Supreme Lord. Thus one should not be proud of being a strict vegetarian. [ISO Text 1 Purport]

Animals do not have developed consciousness by which to recognize the Lord, but a human being is sufficiently intelligent to take lessons from the Vedic literature and thereby know how the laws of nature are working and derive profit out of such knowledge. If a man neglects the instructions of the Vedic literature, his life becomes very risky. [ISO Text 1 Purport]

A human being is therefore required to recognize the authority of the Supreme Lord and become His devotee. He must offer everything for the Lord's service and partake only of the remnants of food offered to the Lord. This will enable him to discharge his duty properly. [ISO Text 1 Purport]

In the Bhagavad-gétä (9.26) the Lord directly states that He accepts vegetarian food from the hands of a pure devotee. Therefore a human being should not only become a strict vegetarian but should also become a devotee of the Lord, offer the Lord all his food and then partake of such prasädam, or the mercy of God. Only those who act in this way can properly discharge the duties of human life. Those who do not offer their food to the Lord eat nothing but sin and subject themselves to various types of distress, which are the results of sin. [ISO Text 1 Purport]