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Is it a Sin to kill small insects knowingly or unknowingly as per Hinduism?

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P.J.

P.J.

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Is it SIN to kill mosquitoes/insects etc knowingly or unknowingly from Hindu religious point of view? ( or even tormenting them)
Srimad Bhagavatam 5.26.17:
(See Jai Shree Krishna's answer for details)

Persons who tormented the birds, beasts, reptiles, mosquitos, lice, worms and flies like are placed in the hell known as Andhakupa by Godhead and he is attacked by the creatures he tormented during his life.


Is there any prayachit for such sins?
 
Sir,
You raise a difficult question.
What is SIN in Hinduism terms? From Advaita point of view there is nothing called SIN. If you define Brahman as all inclusive, you could never do any act against Brahman. As for Karmas are concerned you may have good and bad association with the karmas depending on the attachment to karmphala.
There is no act, that in itself is right or wrong.
 
It is ok when they are a source of disturbance or harm because humans represent a highly evolved species of nature and any harm to a more evolved species by a less evolved one would be allowed to be prevented as nature has spent a lot more effort on the evolution of species such as humans. So it seems logical that nature grants the freedom for the more evolved species to kill the less evolved ones when they try to harm them. But not for any other reason.
 
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Padmanabhan Janakiraman said:
Is it SIN to kill mosquitoes/insects etc knowingly or unknowingly from Hindu religious point of view? ( or even tormenting them)
Srimad Bhagavatam 5.26.17:
(See Jai Shree Krishna's answer for details)

Persons who tormented the birds, beasts, reptiles, mosquitos, lice, worms and flies like are placed in the hell known as Andhakupa by Godhead and he is attacked by the creatures he tormented during his life.


Is there any prayachit for such sins?
Click to expand...

Dear Sir,

I am reminded of a question my son asked me when at the age of 7.

He asked me"Why do we have to kill mosquitoes when the mosquito only sucked a little blood from us and not killed us..so why should the mosquito face death?"

I had to explain to him the risk of Malaria,Dengue fever that can even kill and we have the right to protect ourselves from impending harm.
 
In Srimad Bhagavatham..Manduka Muni does not accept the explanation given by Yama on account of the difficulty faced by Manduka Muni(where he was almost given the death sentence)

Yama had said that when Manduka Muni was a child he had killed an ant and hence he faced suffering as an adult.

Manduka Muni got mad and cursed Yama to be born as Vidura becos he felt that one can not be punished by an act committed during childhood unknowingly.
 
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Padmanabhan Janakiraman said:
.......... Persons who tormented the birds, beasts, reptiles, mosquitos, lice, worms and flies like are placed in the hell known as Andhakupa by Godhead and he is attacked by the creatures he tormented during his life. ...
Click to expand...
Dear Sir,

Nobody knows what will happen after we leave this world. The fear of punishment after death is created, so that people

will not harm any living being / commit sins. Ram's mother used to say that even if a person is very careful with what he/she

eats, the insects eaten during a life span will be equal to the size of a goat's head!! Is it not scary? Instead of killing ants with

gamaxin, mosquitoes with the electronic bat / spray, rats and cockroaches with poisonous stuff, we can drive them away:

Ants with camphor, mosquitoes with repellent liquids / creams, cockroaches with boric acid powder and release the rat

caught in a trap in a place far away! But if a snake is ready to bite, it has to be killed!!! :fear:

 
Raji Ram said:
There are many persons to help us! :)
Click to expand...



There are many who are Hindus but Non-Veg eaters...A butcher's job is to kill animals for the use by the humans..

Are these Non-Veg eaters and butchers are SINNERS..? It is wrong to assume that the killing of insects are PAVA

KAARYAMS.. and seek some Prayachitams...

TVK

 
My humble opinion:
What is the remedy then?
"My dear followers should, under no circumstances kill any living being while being aware about that, not even minute insects like a lice or a bug, etc."

Q.: Why should we not kill any living being?
A.: Killing creates bad impressions on our subconscious mind and as a result of that we become aggressive, irritable and heartless.
Q.: Why should we not kill insects like lice, bugs, scorpions, serpents, rats, mosquitoes etc.?
A.: We create them through our negligence of hygiene and sanitation. By biting us they remind us about maintaining the cleanliness all around as well as within and outside the body. They are thus our teachers. So we should not kill them and at the same time create such condition that they neither born nor do they flourish.
[h=3]Swaminarayan Sampraday - Shikshapatri Q & A[/h] [h=3]The remedy lies in prevention rather than in killing them after they are allowed to attack us.
Keep the surroundings clean so that these types of insects do not bite you.[/h] [FONT=&quot]Actually this how most of Western and European countries maintain the surroundings, one hardly see any filth, any mosquitoes etc

[/FONT]
 
Padmanabhan Janakiraman said:
My humble opinion:
What is the remedy then?
"My dear followers should, under no circumstances kill any living being while being aware about that, not even minute insects like a lice or a bug, etc."

Q.: Why should we not kill any living being?
A.: Killing creates bad impressions on our subconscious mind and as a result of that we become aggressive, irritable and heartless.
Q.: Why should we not kill insects like lice, bugs, scorpions, serpents, rats, mosquitoes etc.?
A.: We create them through our negligence of hygiene and sanitation. By biting us they remind us about maintaining the cleanliness all around as well as within and outside the body. They are thus our teachers. So we should not kill them and at the same time create such condition that they neither born nor do they flourish.
Swaminarayan Sampraday - Shikshapatri Q & A

The remedy lies in prevention rather than in killing them after they are allowed to attack us.
Keep the surroundings clean so that these types of insects do not bite you.

Actually this how most of Western and European countries maintain the surroundings, one hardly see any filth, any mosquitoes etc
Click to expand...

Our revered vedas clearly show that our (at least, of the Brahmins) ancestors killed hundreds if not thousands of captive animals routinely during their vedic yajnas and they preached to every one around, including those hapless animals that those animals will straight away go to the heavens with their bodies shining brightly and be utilized by the Devas. The concept of ahimsa came only after Buddha questioned all those barbaric practices. Jainism went a step further and was obsessed with ahimsa; swaminarayan also was a supporter of ahimsa but he did not endorse samapanthi bhojanam i.e., all castes eating together. So, putting lot of importance to the words of all such godmen/godwomen is a waste imo, unless you have no problem in turning into a confused person.

If you are troubled by pests either kill them or put up with that nuisance. Even in US and western countries I have found very small spiders and insects and they routinely spray and kill these insects and then vacuum clean.
 
Padmanabhan Janakiraman said:
........ Actually this how most of Western and European countries maintain the surroundings, one hardly see any filth, any mosquitoes etc
Click to expand...
There are mosquitoes and other biting insects in the gardens and near the ponds in Boston!

Since the house is treated with pesticides, they are not found inside the house.

Rats invade the garage even if there is a small hole to get in. Rat poison is kept in the corners to keep them away!
 
sangom ji

could you give the reference source in Veda where asked to kill hundreds if not thousands of captive animals for yagna .

the reason why i asked you is as far as i know , the animals sacrifice yagnas are performed for Lola kshemas and is done once a year only or even rarely involving only one goat. if it is ashwamedha one horse.

if you could give details like which yagna and what animal and how many, citing the sources then i could check .

with your indepth knowledge , im sure you can throw light more in this area and substantiate what you said.


Hindus form the largest vegetarian group on the world not Buddhist even though they outnumber is. if one count who kills more for food consumption then the picture will be more clearer i hope.
 
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Shri Padmanabhan Janakiraman

Padmanabhan Janakiraman said:
My humble opinion:
What is the remedy then?
"My dear followers should, under no circumstances kill any living being while being aware about that, not even minute insects like a lice or a bug, etc."

Q.: Why should we not kill any living being?
A.: Killing creates bad impressions on our subconscious mind and as a result of that we become aggressive, irritable and heartless.
Q.: Why should we not kill insects like lice, bugs, scorpions, serpents, rats, mosquitoes etc.?
A.: We create them through our negligence of hygiene and sanitation. By biting us they remind us about maintaining the cleanliness all around as well as within and outside the body. They are thus our teachers. So we should not kill them and at the same time create such condition that they neither born nor do they flourish.
Swaminarayan Sampraday - Shikshapatri Q & A

The remedy lies in prevention rather than in killing them after they are allowed to attack us.
Keep the surroundings clean so that these types of insects do not bite you.

Actually this how most of Western and European countries maintain the surroundings, one hardly see any filth, any mosquitoes etc
Click to expand...

Healthy normal humans live with multi various microorganisms. Some of them don’t hurt us and some of them do beneficial task for us. When out immune system compromised some of these organisms do affect us. For example E.Coli. They usually live in our gut. If this travel to our urinary tract, it causes urinary tract infection (oouch). So we have to take antibiotic to kill these. If you don’t take the antibiotic, you may get into septicaemia and could die (worst scenario). I would rather take the antibiotic and live. I definitely wont consider this as sin. But if a person kills other organism for fun and pleasure, I would say that would be wrong. We have to respect the other species. They also have same right as we do. However nothing wrong in protecting ourselves. Imo there is no sin involved.

Kind Regards
 
Mr. PJ,
I raised a question about sin, you did not answer.
[video=youtube;pueoTXV6FLY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=pueoTXV6FLY[/video]

Good and bad deeds are borrowed from social sciences, they are etched in our mind by Abrahamic traditions.
If killing ant causes you mental anguish, that is a SIN. Anything that causes your mind wavering it is bad for your mental equanimity, is a sin.

In gita chapter 2 - 28
avyaktadini bhutani
vyakta-madhyani bharata
avyakta-nidhanany eva
tatra ka paridevana

All created beings are unmanifest in their beginning, manifest in their interim state, and unmanifest again when annihilated. So what need is there for lamentation?

Gita chapter 2-30
dehi nityam avadhyo 'yam
dehe sarvasya bharata
tasmat sarvani bhutani
na tvam socitum arhasi
O descendant of Bharata, he who dwells in the body can never be slain. Therefore you need not grieve for any living being.

Gita chapter 2 -38
sukha-duhkhe same kritva
labhalabhau jayajayau
tato yuddhaya yujyasva
naivam papam avapsyasi
Do thou fight for the sake of fighting, without considering happiness or distress, loss or gain, victory or defeat -- and by so doing you shall never incur sin.
 
sangom ji

could you give the reference source in Veda where they kill hundreds if not thousands of captive animals .

the reason why i asked you is as far as i know , the animals sacrifice yagnas are reformed for Lola kshemas and is done once a year only or even rarely involving only one goat. if it is ashwamedha one horse.

if you could give details like which yagna and what animal and how many citing the sources then i could check .

with your depth knowledge , im sure you can throw light more in this are and substantiate what you said.


Hindus form the largest vegetarian group on the world not Buddhist even though they outnumber is. if one count who kills more for food consumption then the picture will be more clearer i hope.
 
HARE RAMA HARE KRISHNA said:
sangom ji

could you give the reference source in Veda where asked to kill hundreds if not thousands of captive animals for yagna .

the reason why i asked you is as far as i know , the animals sacrifice yagnas are performed for Lola kshemas and is done once a year only or even rarely involving only one goat. if it is ashwamedha one horse.

if you could give details like which yagna and what animal and how many, citing the sources then i could check .

with your indepth knowledge , im sure you can throw light more in this area and substantiate what you said.


Hindus form the largest vegetarian group on the world not Buddhist even though they outnumber is. if one count who kills more for food consumption then the picture will be more clearer i hope.
Click to expand...

Shri HRHK,

If you are sure (as far as u know, that is) that "the animals sacrifice yagnas are performed for Lola kshemas and is done once a year only or even rarely involving only one goat. if it is ashwamedha one horse.", then you may continue to believe so; I have no problem. I am sure about what I wrote. In case you want to confirm your already existing beliefs you can go through Yajurveda or its translation by some reputed author.
 
sangom ji,

as you know i've superficial knowledge only, yajur veda itself runs many many pages and if im to search and find where the yagnas prescribe 100s if not 1000s of captive animals for sacrifice, its going to be a lot of effort.

since you have the resource at your hand it is much easier for you to give the reference, or else please give me the book name , page no etc.. that will do.

please do this " parobhakaram"

thanks
 
As human beings we are self aware and self judging beings. We have the privilege to exercise our free will to practice Ahimsa which has to be understood in terms of not absolute 'non-violence' but minimizing injury. Here in this interpretation we are not our body and hence causing harm to our own body has to be taken into account in minimizing injury. If a worm in our stomach is causing pain it has to be killed or the body will be killed. So practicing ahimsa does not mean keeping quiet. This principle has nothing to do with superiority or size of any manifestation.

Hindu thinking does not include a value of 'preserving' history. We deal with understanding universal and therefore timeless (and place-less) principles. Anyone making affirmative statements about what happened during Vedic times are purely expressing their belief system and therefore not subject to reason.

Ahimsa is mentioned as a value in Bhagavad Gita ( Chapter 13). It can be understood as a timeless principle.

There are some that believe that our Rishis ate meat and killed animals and they may cite all kinds of references.
I tend to think they are mistaken because principles taught when fully taken into *with the right context of other timeless principles taught* do not correctly justify those interpretations especially when Sanskrit words do have multiple meanings.


I am neither an expert in Sanskrit, nor in the verses of Vedas. However my thesis is that one does not need to have bookish knowledge of these verses to understand holistically timeless principles that are available for understanding here and now. We do not have to believe in teachings of any vedic statements. We need to understand and they have to make sense.

I think I came across this website perhaps by someone who posted a link here..I do not know have the knowledge to authenticate the interpretation. However I tend to favor studies that attempts proper interpretations of vedic citations often misused to propagate practice of 'animal sacrifices' in vedic times. I tend to favor such interpretations only because the timeless principles taught elsewhere are more in alignment then.

The site (and I have no knowledge to authenticate accuracy) is

MISCONCEPTION 3:- Violence against animals; meet eating, etc - VedicGranth.Org

There are typos by the writers and one has to overlook those things in reading through their interpretations.

In short it is our privilege to practice Ahimsa which is about making decisions by our free will to minimize injury recognizing that zero injury is not in the way nature works. It is one of the timeless 'Samanya Dharma' - available for understanding by any human being even if they are not well versed in any Vedic texts,
 
in their swami ji says there are 3 types of yagnas having 7 divisions each.

the first type don't have and animal (termed as pasu) sacrifice , for the 2nd type the first 5 divisions don't have any sacrifice. only animal sacrifice starts from 6th sub-division.

out of 21 divisions of yagnas only 9 division have animal sacrifice , with max no capped at 23 animals for yagnas preformed by brahmins like vajpayee yagnas which are very rarely done in persons life time. and 100 animals (not hundreds , only one hundred) sacrifice for Ashwamedha yagnas performed by kings which is also very rare as very few chakravartis are capable of doing this.

Thanks
 
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hi
atma cannot be killed...only the physical body can be killed.....tiger/lion has to be killed other animals for their survival....elephant

can survive without killing any animal...this is natural law...just follow the natural law...humans are social animals...so we

are also part of this natural law and part of animal kingdom....
 
PJ ji,

Considering that Lord Rama did prayaschitta after killing Ravana to cleanse himself of Brahma hatti and veera hatti dosham , even though killing of ravana is necessary and justified , still it is a papa and need to do purificatory rites. that's the lesson from ramayana.

In similar vien , though it is necessary to kill small insects which harm us, we may need to do prayschitta but im not sure what kind of purifiactory rites prescribed for such sins.

Thanks
 
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HARE RAMA HARE KRISHNA said:
PJ ji,

Considering that Lord Rama di prayaschitta after killing Ravana to cleanse himself of Brahma hatti and veera hatti dosham , even though killing of ravana is necessary and justified , still it is a papa and need to do purificatory rites. that's the lesson from ramayana.

In similar vien , though it is necessary to kill small insects which harms us, we may need to do prayschitta but im not sure what kind of purifiactory rites prescribed for such sins.

Thanks
Click to expand...
hi
in the avani avittam.....in mahasankalpa.....prayachitta mantras are there...even prayachitta homam also there....
 
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