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I am a volunteer who helps feed elderly and disabled people. They choose their meal from the cafeteria, and I feed it to them.

My role (which I recently began) has led me to a dilemma. As a Hindu, I do not consume beef. However, some of the people that I help feed, do eat beef.

Through the lens of Hinduism, am I "allowed" to feed other, non-Hindu people beef? I am lost and would appreciate any help.

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  • @keychains since you’re new, when someone gives a satisfactory answer from scriptures (like Rickross has given below) you can press the tick (✔️) below the voting arrows. It lets the community and outsiders know that’s the correct answer and serves as a guide for the future. You will also get little reputation if you accept the answer.
    – Adiyarkku
    Commented Sep 15, 2021 at 19:20
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    @SwamiVishwananda OP is simply asking is it ok for him to serve beef to others? He is never asking others to stop eating the meat. I don't understand where is forcing one's beliefs on others here? If OP leaves the job someone else will take it up and nothing is forced upon anybody.
    – Rickross
    Commented Sep 16, 2021 at 14:29

3 Answers 3

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Manu Smriti 5.51. He who permits (the slaughter of an animal), he who cuts it up, he who kills it, he who buys or sells (meat), he who cooks it, he who serves it up, and he who eats it, (must all be considered as) the slayers (of the animal)

Therefore, according to Hindu scriptures, one who serves the meat is also partaking the sin of killing that animal even though he might not eat the meat himself. So you can understand what this verse means with respect to your question.

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    OP does not need to advertise eating beef or promoting it. Even if he reluctantly serves it, and if eating the meat is a sin, then he is committing the same sin (as eating it) just by serving it to others. The verse given covers the "agent" and "tool" you have mentioned too. One who has organized everything (one who is permitting the slaughter/event) is the agent. And the ones who are helping the agent in executing (like the cooks, the ones who are serving the food) are the tools @ZsoltSzilagyi
    – Rickross
    Commented Sep 16, 2021 at 12:32
  • I see your point, probably I wasn't precise enough. Look at it this way: Would someone who cleans a street that leads to an ATM that is used to get money for a supermarket which sells meat still be a sinner? Probably not, so the verse is likely to be taken as a definitive list, not mere examples of the sin. And understood as such, the one who serves facilitates the sales (is on the clerks "side"). Overusing picture of OP being a tool, he would be eah... a fork.
    – Zsolt Szilagyi
    Commented Sep 17, 2021 at 9:17
  • It is also important to share here that Law of Manu smrit are to be followed in Krita. For Kaliyuga, law of parasara smrit are followed hinduism.stackexchange.com/a/14977/8735
    – Ketan
    Commented Sep 17, 2021 at 12:18
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    @ZsoltSzilagyi the case you mention is like the OP is a sweeper in the cafe where someone else is serving beef and OP is merely cleaning the floor to help that someone else not slip, while serving beef to a third. However that’s not the case. The OP clearly mentions first hand service (or causing it) to customers and that’s very much covered in the answer. Anyway there’s no point prolonging the discussion. If you’re not converting to Hinduism then anyway no point. If you are, there are many things beyond beef. Regardless, in the end Mr. Syrybherudha will deal appropriately. All the best!!
    – Adiyarkku
    Commented Sep 17, 2021 at 16:18
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    @ZsoltSzilagyi - by your logic, only the actual butcher of the animal is the agent - all others involved in the slaughterhouse-supermarket-plate chain are tools. Clearly the verse goes out of the way to mention who all among those chain share the sin of killing, so it has to be understood as is.
    – ram
    Commented Sep 19, 2021 at 7:23
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I have been in a similar situation before many times but on a very small level. Many of my friends are regular consumers of non-vegeterian dishes. A nominal example is - while throwing party I have to take care of what everyone eats, if my friends are regular consumers for non-veg then I can't force them not to eat what I don't approve of. In the end I pay the bill too. In a way I fed them non-veg dish but in the end everyone's happy and I'm happy too because everyone enjoyed what they desired - I played my role successfully.

I think it's best to love God and not to be afraid of him. He who has given us life, he who is feeding us and he who will finish us when times comes is the greatest lover of all time - God.

Question or read everything you like but most of the things are written by people like us during their time, circumstances, yugas etc. In the end do what you feel is right with the God in your mind, we are part of that almighty God, he loves us always.

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    – Community Bot
    Commented Sep 15, 2021 at 12:52
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In Swami Vivekananda's Complete Works,it references the following:

Ramayana- Uttarkanda 42.18-20 -

Embracing Sita with both his arms,Kakutstha made her drink pure Maireya wine, even as Indra makes Shachi partake of nectar. Servants quickly served flesh meat variously dressed, and fruits of various kinds for the use of Rama.

and in Mahabharata - Udyoga LVIII.5

I saw both of them (Krishna and Arjuna) drunk with Madhvasava (sweet spiritous liquor made from honey), both adorned with sandal paste, garlanded, and wearing costly garments and beautiful ornaments.

and in Ramayana- Adodhyakanda 55.19-20

Be merciful to us, O goddess, and I shall, on my return home, worship thee with a thousand jars of arrack (spiritous liquor) and rice well-dressed with flesh-meat.

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    Op is asking about beef and your answers only meat. he is not even asking of liquor but you given from english translation, often english translator take the extreme meaning instead of straight one.. so that they get gratification like even gods have done, lets do.
    – Prasanna R
    Commented Sep 16, 2021 at 12:25

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