SB 11.21.30 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

ते मे मतमविज्ञाय परोक्षं विषयात्मका: । हिंसायां यदि राग: स्याद् यज्ञ एव न चोदना ॥ २९ ॥ हिंसाविहारा ह्यालब्धै: पशुभि: स्वसुखेच्छया । यजन्ते देवता यज्ञै: पितृभूतपतीन् खला: ॥ ३० ॥

Verse text

te me matam avijṣāya parokṣaṁ viṣayātmakāḥ hiṁsāyāṁ yadi rāgaḥ syād yajṣa eva na codanā hiṁsā-vihārā hy ālabdhaiḥ paśubhiḥ sva-sukhecchayā yajante devatā yajṣaiḥ pitṛ-bhūta-patīn khalāḥ

Synonyms

te — they ; me — My ; matam — conclusion ; avijṣāya — without understanding ; parokṣam — confidential ; viṣaya — ātmakāḥ — absorbed in sense gratification ; hiṁsāyām — to violence ; yadi — if ; rāgaḥ — attachment ; syāt — may be ; yajṣe — in the sacrificial prescriptions ; eva — certainly ; na — there is not ; codanā — encouragement ; hiṁsā — vihārāḥ — those who take pleasure in violence ; hi — indeed ; ālabdhaiḥ — which have been slaughtered ; paśubhiḥ — by means of the animals ; sva — sukha — for their own happiness ; icchayā — with the desire ; yajante — they worship ; devatāḥ — the demigods ; yajṣaiḥ — by sacrificial rituals ; pitṛ — the forefathers ; bhūta — patīn — and the leaders among the ghostly spirits ; khalāḥ — cruel persons .

Translation

Those who are sworn to sense gratification cannot understand the confidential conclusion of Vedic knowledge as explained by Me. Taking pleasure in violence, they cruelly slaughter innocent animals in sacrifice for their own sense gratification and thus worship demigods, forefathers and leaders among ghostly creatures. Such passion for violence, however, is never encouraged within the process of Vedic sacrifice.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Those who are attached to sense gratification, not understanding the confidential conclusion of Vedic knowledge as explained by me, their minds overcome with enjoyment and taking pleasure in violence, worship devatās, Pitṛs and ghosts by sacrifices with animal killing for their own happiness. They think that the Vedas permit violence through sacrifice if one has such attachment, though this is not the injunction. Not knowing me, they do not know the meaning of the Vedas approved by me. Not knowing my opinion which is hidden (parokṣam), they worship devatās, Pitrṣ and ghosts by sacrifice. Their mistaken idea is presented: they assume the Vedas say that if one is not able to give up killing animals, then one is permitted to do so by performing sacrifices. But this is not the injunction. Not knowing my intention, with minds overcome by material enjoyment, they take pleasure in violence.

Purport

The Vedic scriptures sanction occasional animal sacrifice to satisfy cruel, low-class men who cannot live without the taste of flesh and blood. Such concessions, however, are restricted by rigorous obligatory rituals and are meant to gradually discourage animal killing, just as the exorbitant cost of a liquor license restricts the number of retail outlets selling alcoholic beverages. But unscrupulous persons misconstrue such restrictive sanctions and declare that Vedic sacrifice is meant for killing animals in order to enjoy sense gratification. Being materialistic, they desire to attain the planets of the forefathers or demigods and thus worship such beings. Sometimes materialistic persons are attracted to the subtle lifestyle of ghosts and worship ghostly creatures. These methods constitute gross ignorance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the actual enjoyer of all sacrifice and austerity. The demons perform Vedic sacrifice but are inimical to Lord Nārāyaṇa, for they consider the demigods, the forefathers or Lord Śiva to be equal to God. Although understanding the authority of Vedic rituals, they do not accept the ultimate Vedic conclusion and therefore never surrender to God. Thus false religious principles flourish in the demoniac societies of the animal killers. Although in countries like America people outwardly profess to be followers of God alone, actual worship and glorification is offered to innumerable popular heroes such as entertainers, politicians, athletes and other equally insignificant persons. Animal killers, being grossly materialistic, are inevitably attracted to the extraordinary features of material illusion; they cannot understand the real platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or spiritual life.