You Cannot Stop War and Go On Killing Animals
This article explores the stark reality of karmic reactions as explained in the teachings of Śrīla Prabhupāda. While modern society desperately seeks peace through diplomacy and politics, it simultaneously commits horrific violence in thousands of slaughterhouses. By understanding the stringent laws of material nature, we can clearly see how the mass slaughter of animals directly translates into the devastating global conflicts and wars that plague the human race.
The Root Cause of Global Conflict
Śrīla Prabhupāda firmly states that peace is entirely impossible as long as human beings continue to kill animals. The constant operation of slaughterhouses pollutes the atmosphere and forcefully imposes a heavy karmic reaction upon human society. The hypocrisy of holding peace conferences while maintaining wholesale murder in slaughterhouses only guarantees more anxiety, pestilence, and the inevitable outbreak of cold and hot wars across the globe.
- You cannot stop war and go on killing animals. That is not possible.
- You are maintaining so many slaughterhouses, and when it will be mature, there will be war, the wholesale murder.
- The material world is itself a place always full of anxieties, and by encouraging animal slaughter the whole atmosphere becomes polluted more and more by war, pestilence, famine and many other unwanted calamities.
- In the western country the cows are specially being killed. Now the reaction is war, crime, and they are now repentant. And they will have to repent more and more.
Nature's Wholesale Slaughterhouse
When the sinful activities of a nation mature, material nature creates its own mechanism for justice: the battlefield. Śrīla Prabhupāda describes war as nature's wholesale slaughterhouse. Just as animals are mercilessly butchered without cause, humans are forced into situations where their throats are cut and millions are finished. Even the horrific cruelties witnessed in concentration camps are direct karmic reflections of the cruelty inflicted upon innocent animals in forests and slaughterhouses.
- Nature therefore creates a wholesale slaughterhouse in war, to cut throat all - finished. Many millions and millions are finished.
- When a nation is attacked by its enemies, the wholesale slaughter of the citizens should be taken as a reaction to their own sinful activities. That is nature's law.
- The reaction of the poor animals is being forced on human society, and therefore there is always the strain of cold or hot war between men, individually, collectively or nationally.
- Sometimes during war, soldiers keep their enemies in concentration camps and kill them in very cruel ways. These are reactions brought about by unrestricted animal-killing in the slaughterhouse and by hunters in the forest.
The Infallible Law of Karma
The laws of God are completely infallible. Just as an infection takes time to incubate before the disease violently manifests in the body, the accumulated sins of a godless society eventually erupt into massive conflicts. In the current age of Kali-yuga, populations are completely devoid of spiritual consciousness, inviting heavy punishments from nature. Wars, devastating losses of men and wealth, and the constant threat of nuclear annihilation are simply the mature fruits of our own impious behavior.
- Nature's law is that as soon as there are discrepancies in regard to the law of God at once there will be heavy punishment in the form of sudden outbreaks of war.
- Wait for accumulation of your sinful activities, and there will be war, and the America will drop the atom bomb, and Russia will be finished. Both will be finished. Go on now enjoying. It takes time. Just like even if you infect some disease.
- We have recently experienced a war between India and Pakistan. Within fourteen days there have been immense losses of men and money, and there have been disturbances to the entire world. These are the reactions of sinful life.
- People are unfortunate in spiritual consciousness in the Kali-yuga, and nature disturbs them in so many ways, especially through incurable diseases like cancer and through frequent wars and among nations.
The Burden of Selfish Leadership
Wars are not arbitrary events; they are often orchestrated by politicians and leaders driven by extreme selfishness and greed. By ignoring the strict advice of Vedic ācāryas regarding atyāhāra (over-endeavoring and over-collecting), modern capitalists and communists drag entire nations into violent revolutions and massacres. When a leader declares war out of personal interest or material ambition, they assume the massive responsibility for the resultant sins. Conversely, a pure devotee who acts solely on the order of the Supreme Lord remains completely untouched by such reactions.
- Politicians are unnecessarily declaring war, and according to the stringent laws of material nature, massacres are taking place between nations.
- Racial strife, civil wars, violent revolutions, and world wars so common in the modern age are all caused by the whimsical and selfish nature of impious men.
- Modern warfare waged between capitalists and communists is due to their avoiding the advice of Srila Rupa Gosvami regarding atyahara.
- Factually no sin whatsoever touched the Pandavas, who were only the order carriers of the Lord. For others, who declare war out of personal interest, the whole responsibility lies on them.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Śrīla Prabhupāda establishes that world peace can never be legislated by politicians who simultaneously sanction the killing of innocent animals. The bloodshed in the slaughterhouse and the bloodshed on the battlefield are bound together by the unbreakable laws of karma. To save the world from total destruction, human society must embrace spiritual consciousness, stop all forms of animal slaughter, and adopt the pure, nonviolent path of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Only then can true, lasting peace be realized.
Dive Deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda's Vani
Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category War and Sinful Activities. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.