Hindus and Buddhists to sacrifice two million animals
Pastor Dale Morgan
3 October, 2006
NEPAL
*Hindus and Buddhists to sacrifice two million animals*
by Prakash Dubey
The large scale slaughter takes place in just three days during
celebrations in honour of the goddess Durga. Buddhists instead urge the
faithful “to butcher their sins,” not innocent animals, and express
appreciation for Christians who have abandoned cruel sacrifices.
Lumbini (AsiaNewsWires) – A reform-minded group of Hindus and Buddhists
has called on the Nepali government and their respective religious
leaders to ban the annual animal sacrifice in honour of the goddess
Durga, which can entail the butchering of up to two million animals in
three days.
Dasai celebrations to honour the goddess, one of the most loved
divinities in the Hindu pantheon, takes place every year for ten days.
In the last three days, about two million animals—chickens, pigeons,
geese and even buffaloes—are sacrificed. Both Hindus and followers of
Tantric Buddhism practice this age-old ritual.
Until last April’s popular revolts against King Gyanendra, which turned
the hitherto ‘Hindu’ kingdom into a secular state, the ritual was
untouchable. Now the presence of a democratic government has encouraged
many reform-oriented Hindu and even Buddhist groups to call for a ban on
the ritual, which they see as “diabolic”.
Jaya Prakash Agarwal, head of Nepal Anubrata Samiti (an organisation
dedicated to Hindus’ spiritual reawakening) told AsiaNews that “the
blood bath at the expense of innocent animals is a sacrilege. We have
been working for quite some time among the people even though few have
actually listened to us. But we are optimistic; sooner or later this
practice will be banned.”
“We have been able to strip the king of the prerogatives that made him a
despot. I don’t see why we cannot succeed in ending this ritual,”
Agarwal said. However, “I am concerned that although Nepal now defines
itself as a secular state, the government is still allocating money for
the slaughter of innocent animals. This year it has set aside US$
250,000 in Kathmandu alone to buy animals to sacrifice in more than 700
temples. It is a stigma on Hinduism that we have people who do not mind
taking lives just for fun”.
“Some Nepalese Buddhist practice this sacrifice,” added Bhante
Satyabrata, a Buddhist monk from Lumbini (Buddha’s birthplace). “This is
horrible. Lord Buddha would never have allowed such a monstrous act.”
In a bitter tone, the monk added that instead of butchering animals “we
should [. . .] butcher our avarice, jealousy, hatred and enmity, [. . .]
emulate Christians whose religion, primordially originated in Jewish
culture with its tradition of animal sacrifice, never sacrificed animals
to please their God.”
“Christians,” he said, “believe that Jesus was the last lamb to be
sacrificed and His blood is enough to cleanse all the sins of mankind.
But ironically, we, the followers and progenies of Lord Buddha in Nepal,
indulge in such an obnoxious act of animal sacrifice”.
Ruben Gurung, an Evangelical Christian from the Good Hope Church, said
that “it was a good sign that some Hindu and Buddhist reformers were
coming forward to call for a ban on the cult of animal sacrifice”.
“I have nothing against their religious ritual. But I don't approve it
because it is the major cause of poverty in rural Nepal,” the
Evangelical Christian said. “Poor Nepalese families sell off their
valuables to perform such rituals. They dare not shun them because [. .
.] they fear some disaster would fall upon them if they don't perform
the sacrifice ritual.”