Kill Your Stereotype: Yagna, Meat & Alcohol 

Flesh and meat, even if it is the remains of a sacrifice (Yagna), should never be eaten ever in exigency, and any kind of liquor, even if offered to deities, shall never be drunk. (15)

What is the Stereotype for Yagna, Meat & Alcohol?

People in the era (Kaliyug) say,

“I don’t eat meat, I eat the prasadi meat offered to god. Also, I don’t drink alcohol, I drink prasadi alcohol offered to god.”

There is a stereotype created here to increase the business

What Business?

People who sell meat and alcohol want everyone to eat it and drink it — even the devotees of God.
So they introduced this system. They offer meat and alcohol to God and tell devotees to drink the offered alcohol and eat the offered meat.

Why God Doesn’t Need Meat or Alcohol Offerings?

If one performs Ashwamedha Yagna (Yagna to expand and glorify the Kingdom) every month, he will get the same Punya (merit) as the one who takes an oath not to eat non-veg and drink alcohol.

If anyone does not kill or harm any animal, then we should know him as a friend of every animal.
Brihaspati (Jupiter) said that if one does not drink alcohol or eat meat, he is counted as an ideal donor, tyagi, and tapasvi.

“Let Your Life Be in Danger but Never Eat Meat & Drink Alcohol” – Shreeji Maharaj

“Let your life be in danger, but never eat meat and drink alcohol” – this profound instruction from Shreeji Maharaj is not merely a guideline but a sacred vow, an uncompromising spiritual principle for devotees walking the path of Dharma.

It speaks of the highest level of self-control, where even the instinct of self-preservation must not override the divine law of ahimsa (non-violence) and purity.

This command is not based on mere dietary preference, but on the deep understanding that consuming meat or intoxicants deeply pollutes both the body and soul, hindering one’s spiritual elevation.

“न भक्ष्यं सर्वथा मांसं” – Never to be eaten – is an eternal declaration.
It doesn’t leave room for exceptions or loopholes — not in times of famine, not during a life-threatening crisis, not even at the moment of death.

This unwavering stance reflects the gravity of spiritual discipline in the Swaminarayan tradition, where righteousness and purity are to be upheld beyond all costs.

To adhere to this command is to affirm one’s unshakeable devotion to God — to show that divine principles are above bodily needs, and that the ultimate aim of life is not just to survive but to transcend, to liberate, and to realize the eternal Self.

Let the body perish, but let not the soul be defiled.
Such is the strength of spiritual commitment demanded by Shreeji Maharaj.

Contradiction Given by Yajnavalkya Rushi

“Meat and alcohol, if our life is in danger or it is an offering for the Shradh of our father, then one is allowed to drink or eat it.”
– Yajnavalkya Smruti 1/179

Shreeji Maharaj has said that even if in any Veda, Purana, or Smruti eating non-veg or drinking alcohol is permitted, still we are not supposed to drink or eat it.

Beautiful Explanation in Vachanamrutam

Those (to drink alcohol or to eat non-veg permitted by scriptures) are not the Dharma of Moksh Bhagi Atma — or in simple words, Mumukshu (Seeker of Liberation).

Their Dharmas are different.
The permission of eating non-veg or drinking alcohol or anything which is prohibited in Shikshapatri but permitted in other scriptures are not for the soul to reach God.

Basically, in simple language, those are the Dharmas of Rajasi and Tamasi (the passionate and inert modes of nature respectively) people.

Why Do Smrties Permit to Break the Dharma Given by God?

Those who want to reach God must have strong willpower to control their senses and body.

For the people who don’t want to reach God — they can do whatever they want; there is no issue.
These rules are for those souls who came into this world just to live and go anywhere.

But you are supposed to reach Akshardham.
If you want to reach it, then you have to follow these rules.

What Happiness Will We Attain if We Follow This?

If we follow these rules — i.e., Panch Vartaman(Vows of a Devotee: Not to Drink Alcohol, Not to Eat Non-Veg, Not to Commit Adultery, Not to Commit Theft, Not to Eat Outside Impious Food) — it is even said by Sardar Patel:

“If Indian people follow Shikshapatri, then courts and jails will become useless.”

We would be happy, and there would be no charges of law on us.
If we don’t drink alcohol, then our expenses would reduce.

Real Case of India

One day in Uttar Pradesh, at the time of Covid-19, they lifted the lockdown just for one day, and all alcohol sellers of UP earned around ₹100 Crore in that single day.

UP would be a developed state if they used those ₹100 Crore for developing it properly.

A study in Bihar before prohibition found that 75% of women whose husbands got drunk “very often” experienced spousal violence, compared to 25% of women whose husbands did not consume alcohol.

Conclusion

“Let your life be in danger, but never eat meat and drink alcohol” – this is not just a quote; it’s Dharma.
It’s a living principle for a Mumukshu.

People who sell meat and alcohol created a stereotype by wrapping sin into the cloth of prasadi.

But remember — God doesn’t need meat or alcohol.
He doesn’t eat meat or drink alcohol.

Then who are you offering it to?
It’s business in disguise.

They fool the devotees by using God’s name to sell sin.