Answer: Yes, meat is an impure offering to give God. However you must understand that in Kanappan Nayanar’s case, first of all, God responded to his devotion, not the quality of his offerings. The story showcases the greatness of unbridled selfless devotion. It is not meant to give a devotee an excuse to offer meat or animal sacrifice to God. Secondly, Kanappan did not know better. Being born in a community of hunters and forest dwellers, meat was a central part of their diet. Meat was considered the best among foods to them since they lived in conditions where a balanced vegetarian diet may have been difficult to maintain. Thus it is natural for Kanappan, having grown up not knowing the concept of vegetarianism and not schooled in the protocols of temple worship, to offer God meat. To Kanappan this was the best quality food that he knew for offering God at the time.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
On Offering God Meat
Question: How is it that God accepted Kanappan’s meat offerings? Isn’t it an impure offering?
Answer: Yes, meat is an impure offering to give God. However you must understand that in Kanappan Nayanar’s case, first of all, God responded to his devotion, not the quality of his offerings. The story showcases the greatness of unbridled selfless devotion. It is not meant to give a devotee an excuse to offer meat or animal sacrifice to God. Secondly, Kanappan did not know better. Being born in a community of hunters and forest dwellers, meat was a central part of their diet. Meat was considered the best among foods to them since they lived in conditions where a balanced vegetarian diet may have been difficult to maintain. Thus it is natural for Kanappan, having grown up not knowing the concept of vegetarianism and not schooled in the protocols of temple worship, to offer God meat. To Kanappan this was the best quality food that he knew for offering God at the time.
Answer: Yes, meat is an impure offering to give God. However you must understand that in Kanappan Nayanar’s case, first of all, God responded to his devotion, not the quality of his offerings. The story showcases the greatness of unbridled selfless devotion. It is not meant to give a devotee an excuse to offer meat or animal sacrifice to God. Secondly, Kanappan did not know better. Being born in a community of hunters and forest dwellers, meat was a central part of their diet. Meat was considered the best among foods to them since they lived in conditions where a balanced vegetarian diet may have been difficult to maintain. Thus it is natural for Kanappan, having grown up not knowing the concept of vegetarianism and not schooled in the protocols of temple worship, to offer God meat. To Kanappan this was the best quality food that he knew for offering God at the time.
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