Diet in Hinduism varies with its diverse traditions. The ancient and medieval Hindu texts do not explicitly prohibit eating meat, but they do strongly recommend ahimsa—non-violence against all life forms including animals. Many Hindus prefer a vegetarian or lacto-vegetarian lifestyle, and methods of food production that are in sync with nature, compassionate, and respectful of other life forms as well as nature. Most Hindu sects and gurus also promote a sattvic vegetarian diet as a natural obligation as part of living a lifestyle that cause's minimum harm to other lifeforms.
The diet of Hindus may include eggs and meat. However, often they favor jhatka (quick death) style preparation of meat since Hindus believe that this method minimizes trauma and suffering to the animal.
Ancient Hindu texts describe the whole of creation as a vast food chain, and the cosmos as a giant food cycle.
Hindu mendicants (sannyasin) avoid preparing their own food, relying either on begging for leftovers or harvesting seeds and fruits from forests, as this minimizes the likely harm to other life forms and nature.
The Vedic texts have conflicting verses, which scholars have interpreted to mean support or opposition to meat-based food. In some verses, the oldest Hindu text, the Rigveda (10.87.16-19), denounces eating meat of cattle and horses:
The fiend who smears himself with flesh of cattle, with flesh of horses and of human bodies,
Who steals the milch-cow's milk away, O Agni,—tear off the heads of such with fiery fury.
The cow gives milk each year, O Man-regarder let not the YÄtudhÄna ever taste it.
If one would glut him with the biesting, Agni, pierce with thy flame his vitals as he meets thee.
Let the fiends drink the poison of the cattle; may Aditi cast off the evildoers.
May the God Savitar give them up to ruin, and be their share of plants and herbs denied them.
Agni, from days of old thou slayest demons never shall RÄká¹£asas in fight o’ercome thee.
Burn up the foolish ones, the flesh-devourers let none of them escape thine heavenly arrow.
Some consider this as a disapproval of cow slaughter and meat eating in general. However, elsewhere the Rig Veda says:
The bridal pomp of SÅ«rya, which Savitar started, moved along.
In Magha days are oxen slain, in Arjuris they wed the bride.
- Olivelle From Feast to Fast: Food and the Indian Ascetic. 1999
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