Veganism: Honoring Savve Jiva through Kaya to Complete Micchami Dukkadam
Dr. Pratik Bhansali
The most unique aspect in Shramanik philosophies is their simplicity. Nothing exemplifies it better than the practice of Pratikraman – which acknowledges the effect of actions and seeking forgiveness in the fullest sense of the word. The following verses in Prakrit widely used during Pratikraman capture this beautifully:
Khamemi Savva Jive
I forgive all living beings,
Savve Jiva Khamantu Me
I seek pardon from all living beings
Mitti Me Savva Bhuesu
I am friendly towards all the living beings
Veram Majjha Na Kenai
I have enmity with none
And we claim to involve our thoughts, speech and body to seek and grant this forgiveness when we say,
“Man (thoughts), Vachan (speech), Kaya (body) se Micchami Dukkadam”
Let us for a moment truly appreciate that without Savve Jiva and Kaya the whole idea of Paryushan and Pratikraman is incomplete. It is not only about expressing our thoughts for all beings, including animals other than humans, but doing so THROUGH OUR BODILY ACTIONS that is essential and irreplaceable. Right at the outset, I will state that inspite of reciting the above verses, Savve Jiva is completely missing from consideration when we perform actions through our Kaya. But on the positive side, it is worth acknowledging that we have the power to change that and it is much simpler than we think. This is the sole purpose of the discussion below.
How do we seek forgiveness without realizing the consequences of our actions?
The reason for many people to follow vegetarianism is unfortunately not the animal suffering. But many do believe that it is a part of following Ahimsa, and they do not want to hurt any animals. In fact, many readers might be going beyond diet and refuse to use leather, wool, silk, honey, ride or use animals for entertainment or any other purpose. But we are somehow either unaware of the immense suffering in the dairy industry, or we let our desire for milk and dairy products overshadow this suffering of buffaloes, cows, goats, and also camels and other animals – individuals who have unfortunately become a part of a growing list. Let us briefly look at some direct suffering cause due to our demand and insistence on consuming dairy.
· Forced pregnancy: Buffaloes, cows and other animals listed above are forced to become pregnant. Why? Because like humans, mammals lactate only after pregnancy. The process of pregnancy is painful for any female, and these animals are no different in that aspect. The idea that someone should be pregnant for our desires is full of Hinsa (we are also missing the man - thoughts) part here).
· Artificial Impregnation: It is a standard dairy practice to force males of these animals in order to collect their semen, and through the use of hands and tubes, the females are made pregnant.
· Male calves are starved to death or sent to slaughter: The male calves are a “financial burden” and are of no use to the dairy industry. They are either not at all allowed to be fed by their mothers, or are only allowed to be fed for a very short duration and then fed solid food if they are to be kept alive. Many of us must have seen the sight of a starved and/or dead calf even around dairies in the most remote places in India. They are also killed to produce soft leather and for veal – their bodies are consumed.
· Females are discarded and killed after their bodies have been used completely: Similar to the males, these females (often also termed “spent” females) meet the same fate – slaughter because they are a burden and their bodies are now maybe “more profitable in a dead form” for leather and beef.
· Dairy is the backbone of the beef and leather industry: Without our consumption of dairy, the beef and leather industry will find it far more difficult to exist. What that also means is, if we refuse to consume dairy, we collectively have the power to end these cruel industries.
· Ahimsa Milk is a myth – where are the males and other females: Even in the smallest dairy farms, the above practices are a normal – they are the standard practices. In fact, smaller farms find it even more difficult to feed the animals that are of no use. One should notice that small farms who have been running for many years have only a few (often one) buffalo or cow, even though they need to be pregnant every year for milk.
More importantly, the dairy that most of us consume – with tea, coffee, paneer, cheese, cookies and biscuits or in any other form, both at our homes and of people we visit DOES NOT COME from these farms (which I repeat are far far away from the normal).
Despite these facts, people often claim that if not for dairy, no one would take care of these animals, whereas the truth is, that these animals are only bred into existence for dairy. Forcing someone to give birth and then claiming to take milk so that they could care for them is contrary to the basic principle of Ahimsa.
Even if one claims that this somehow does not happen on their farms (which is completely far from the standard reality), the whole idea of looking at a pregnant animal, and thinking that we can somehow benefit from her pregnancy is an abhorrent thought. How is this thought even Ahimsak?
Do we have to contribute to this? How easy is it to move away?
Contrary to common belief – MILK IS NOT REQUIRED FOR NUTRITION beyond being fed by our own mothers. There exists diverse plant-based food that we eat that can meet our nutritious needs very easily. Even if we want it for our desire called taste, there exist an array of plant-based alternatives – not only to milk, but for butter and cheese as well. While the scope of this article does not include covering this aspect in depth, there exists a plethora of rich information on how easy it is.
Let us use this moment focus on the actions of our Kaya, and alleviate the suffering of Savve Jiva in true spirit of Pratikraman. Thank you for reading through.
Micchami Dukkadam through my Kaya, Man and Vachan!
If you feel encouraged to give up dairy, but need support, you are welcome to contact through the link below. Among other articles, we also encourage you to read this article by Dr. Jina Shah which dispels some myth about dairy and navigate to her website veganjains.com.
