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On Hinduism
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18. Hindu Practices
Offering food to God is an expression of devotion and gratitude. For some, it represents giving up something valuable, which helps cultivate detachment from material possessions. For others, it is a way of sharing—since the food offered is later distributed to temple priests, devotees, and often to the poor and hungry.
Hinduism provides many pathways for devotion (bhakti), and offering food is one such practice. Once offered, the food is believed to be sanctified and imbued with divine blessings. This blessed food is then shared as prasāda—a sacred gift from the Divine.
Other reading material:
Relevant videos: The Kerala Story,
Contributor: Dilip Amin
Location of this post (18i): https://www.hinduspeakers.org/ufaqs/what-is-prasad/
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18. Hindu Practices
22. Diet
Non-violence (ahimsa) is one of the fundamental teachings of Hinduism. Killing another life form to service their dietary existence is, therefore, considered sacrilege. That being the foundation, most Hindu’s journey towards divinity is only complete when he or she takes care of all other beings. There are, however, situations in which eating animals becomes a necessity for various reasons–topography, climate, famines, etc. In those cases, Hindus do consume non-vegetarian foods. However, for reasons related to health/digestion consumption of less complex life forms is recommended – fish, chicken, etc. Cow being a mammal is not only a more complex life form but also happens to be a multi-utility animal. In addition to being a farm animal, it provides dairy and fuel, among other benefits. Killing a cow for food has never made an economic sense for an agrarian society in fertile lands where the Hindus have flourished for many millennia.
Cow, traditionally, being the center of a household in India holds an emotional place in a family as pets do. Just as we do not kill our pet dogs for food, Hindus do not kill cows for feeding themselves.
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Other reading material: https://houseoflac.wordpress.com/2018/10/09/the-wedge-of-vegetarianism/
Relevant videos: Swami Nikhil Anand Hinduism Q & A: Why Do we eat Vegetarian Food? , Zakir Naik and Rajiv Malhotra
Contributor: Rajeev Singh
Location of this post (22a): https://www.hinduspeakers.org/ufaqs/why-hindus-dont-eat-beef/
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22. Diet