Drinking Milk From Cows That Are Slaughtered Is Impious
Submitted by Madhava Gosh
Posted December 17, 2002

Srila Prabhupada: No. The main thing is, society must learn to discriminate between pious and sinful activities. Human beings must engage in pious activities, not sinful activities. Otherwise, they have no brain. They are no better than animals. And from the moral point of view, do you like sending your mother to the slaughterhouse? You are drinking the milk of the cow -- so she is your mother -- and after that you are sending her to the slaughterhouse. That is why we ask. Where is society's brain?
Mr. Hennis: Of course, when we speak of the distinctions that are made between pious activities and sinful activities --
Srila Prabhupada: Today practically no one is making this distinction. We are making it, and we have introduced these ideas by establishing farm communities and protecting our cows. And our cows are winning awards for giving the most milk, because they are so jubilant. They know, "These people will not kill me." They know it, so they are very happy. Nor do we kill their calves. At other farms, soon after the cow gives birth to a calf, they pull her calf away for slaughter. You see? This means society has no brain. You may create hundreds of organizations, but society will never be happy. That is the verdict.
Mr. Hennis: Well, we can't be accused of engaging in sinful activities when we don't think what we are doing is sinful.
Srila Prabhupada [Laughing]: Oh? You don't think you can be accused of breaking the state law -- just because you don't know what the state law is? The point is, if your priestly class have no knowledge of what is sinful, they may instruct you, "Don't do anything sinful" -- but what good is that? You must have a priestly class who know what is sinful, so that they can teach you. And then you must give up your sinful activities.