By: BK Usha
Source: The Daily Guardian https://epaper.thedailyguardian.com/view/2193/the-daily-guardian/15
Dated: March 22nd, 2025

Vegetarianism, first recorded in ancient India and Greece, is closely connected with the idea of non-violence, and has been promoted by religious groups and philosophers. Until some decades ago, it was regarded by many people as little more than a fad, but has since gained acceptance the world over as a healthy alternative to meat-based diets.

Scientific studies have established the positive effects of a vegetarian diet on health. They have found that body mass index, cholesterol levels, and blood pressure are usually on the lower side in vegetarians, who also have lower incidence of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s Disease, and other ailments. Meat-based diets, on the other hand, have been found to be directly associated with increased risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease.

While the healthful nature of vegetarian food is now widely acknowledged, its effect on human behaviour is less appreciated, perhaps because this has not been studied to the same extent. The relationship between food and our state of mind has been known for centuries in Eastern cultures. The Bhagavad Gita classifies foods into three types: sattvic or pure, rajasic or stimulating, and tamasic or impure. Pure foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, are said to bring calmness and clarity to the mind and promote a sweet disposition. Stimulating foods such as meat, eggs, onion, garlic, and spices lead to restlessness, passion, and emotional outbursts. Impure foods, including putrefied, processed, and preserved foods, dull the mind and contribute to chronic mental ailments. They are said to cause early ageing and death.

The effect of diet on behaviour can be clearly observed in nature. Carnivores such as the tiger, lion, and crocodile are known to be aggressive. Notably, all predators, who hunt, kill, and consume other animals, are meat-eaters. Herbivores, on the other hand, do not show predatory behaviour except when driven by unusual circumstances, such as survival needs or stress. Dogs, who are regarded as omnivores, meaning they can eat both animal-based and plant-based foods, are known to become more aggressive when fed large meat rations. 

The effect of meat on behaviour is not just a biochemical process; there is a spiritual aspect to it. The production of meat involves callousness, cruelty, and violence towards other creatures. Eating such food can hardly be wholesome. As per the law of karma, one who partakes of such food condones and becomes complicit in the violence used to procure it. In effect we kill a small part of our conscience when we consume the flesh of a murdered animal. This almost unconscious act of stifling the conscience gradually alters our state of mind and makes us callous towards the suffering of others, and prone to aggression. When entire populations regularly consume meat, much of which is produced by mechanised industrial-scale slaughter, a rise in levels of aggression and violence is to be expected.

However, there still exist vegetarian communities with non-violent cultures. Certain tribes in Africa, religious groups in India, indigenous communities in South America, and some spiritual groups have built peaceful societies where individuals exhibit mutual respect, love, and cooperation, with little to no aggression in their interactions.

At a time when peace of mind is becoming increasingly rare for more and more people, and social aggression is on the rise, as evidenced by people’s online behaviour, political polarisation, and the declining quality of public discourse, it would be worthwhile to learn from these communities that are examples of peaceful coexistence. If merely choosing something different to eat can help us make the world a better place, it is worth giving it a try.

BK Usha is a Rajyoga teacher
at the Brahma Kumaris headquarters in Abu Road, Rajasthan.