Why do many Hindus not eat beef?
Many Hindus do not eat beef because they hold the cow in deep respect. The cow gives milk and the ox pulls the plough; the Rig Veda already speaks of the cow as one not to be harmed, and the Mahabharata calls cows “the mothers of all creatures”. Krishna, the cowherd, is loved in that role. The texts also teach ahimsa, non-harm, and many praise giving up meat altogether. Practice varies. In a Pew Research Center survey, 44% of Hindus in India said they are vegetarian, with large differences between regions. Many Hindus eat other meat but not beef, and customs differ by community and family. The texts are read in different ways, and quoting a text here does not make its wording this guide's view.
Written for Pujadeep and checked against the sources listed.
What the schools say
Vedic texts
A hymn of the Rig Veda praises the cow as mother of the Rudras and daughter of the Vasus, names her Aditi, and says: “injure not Aditi, the Cow, the sinless” (8.101.15, Griffith). The Vedic ritual texts describe animal offerings, and they also give rules about cattle. The Shatapatha Brahmana tells a person preparing for the Soma rite: “Let him not eat (the flesh) of either the cow or the ox; for the cow and the ox doubtless support everything here on earth” (3.1.2.21). The same passage ends with the sage Yajnavalkya's reply: “I, for one, eat it, provided that it is tender.”
Sources for this reading
- Rig Veda 8.101.15, in R. T. H. Griffith (tr.), The Hymns of the Rigveda, 2nd ed., vol. 2 (Benares: E. J. Lazarus, 1897). Griffith died 1906: public domain. Quoted verbatim. (Book VIII, Hymn XC, stanza 15 in Griffith's numbering (8.101.15 in the usual one; he prints the Valakhilya hymns after Book VIII), p. 253 (leaf n263); checked on the page image)
- Shatapatha Brahmana 3.1.2.21, in Julius Eggeling (tr.), The Satapatha-Brâhmana, Part II (Sacred Books of the East, vol. 26, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1885). Eggeling died 1918: public domain. Quoted verbatim; read in the Motilal Banarsidass photographic reprint on archive.org. The passage ends: “Nevertheless Yâgñavalkya said, ‘I, for one, eat it, provided that it is tender.’” (III Kânda, 1 Adhyâya, 2 Brâhmana, 21, p. 11 (leaf n48), checked on the page image)
Dharmashastra (Manu)
The law books allow meat in some settings, such as rites for the ancestors and the honouring of guests, but they praise those who give it up. Manu says: “Meat can never be obtained without injury to living creatures, and injury to sentient beings is detrimental to (the attainment of) heavenly bliss; let him therefore shun (the use of) meat” (5.48). He also says that there is no sin in eating meat, for that is the natural way of created beings, “but abstention brings great rewards” (5.56); the reward is the text's own claim.
Sources for this reading
- G. Bühler (tr.), The Laws of Manu (Sacred Books of the East, vol. 25, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1886), 5.27–56. Bühler died 1898: public domain. Quoted verbatim. 5.41: an animal may be slain only “On offering the honey-mixture (to a guest), at a sacrifice and at the rites in honour of the manes”. (5.41 (p. 175, leaf n320); 5.48 (p. 176, leaf n321); 5.56 (p. 177, leaf n322); checked on the page images)
Mahabharata (Anushasana Parva): Bhishma
In the Mahabharata, Bhishma teaches Yudhishthira at length about non-harm and food. He says: “Abstention from injury is the highest religion”, and “Unless a living creature is slain, it cannot be had”, speaking of flesh. In another chapter he praises the gift and care of cows: “Kine are the mothers of all creatures.”
Sources for this reading
- Kisari Mohan Ganguli (tr.), The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa (Calcutta, 1883–1896), Project Gutenberg transcription, vol. 4, Anusasana Parva. Ganguli died 1908: public domain in the US; India status not yet confirmed. Quoted verbatim. (Anusasana Parva, sections CXV (non-harm and meat) and LXIX (cows), in the Gutenberg numbering)
- The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, translated into English prose (K. M. Ganguli), published by Protap Chandra Roy: Anusasana Parva (Calcutta: Bharata Press, 1893) (the same passages in the printed Anusasana Parva volume (Calcutta, 1893), with the same section numerals and the same words: Section LXIX, “Kine are the mothers of all creatures”, p. 350 (leaf n365); Section CXV, from p. 560 (leaf n575), the two quotations on p. 562 (leaf n577); checked on the page images)
Vaishnava
For Vaishnavas, Krishna is Govinda and Gopala, the protector of cows, who grew up among the cowherds of Vraja. In the Vishnu Purana, after Krishna lifts the mountain to shelter the herds, Indra tells him: “as the Indra of the cows, thou shalt be called Govinda.” In Vaishnava temples, food is first offered to Krishna or Vishnu, and the worshippers then eat what remains as prasada; the Gita speaks of offering “leaf, flower, fruit, water” with devotion (9.26). The Mahabharata also praises the care of cows (go-seva), and says that cows “always deserve worship”.
Sources for this reading
- The Bhagavadgîtâ with the Sanatsugâtîya and the Anugîtâ, translated by Kâshinâth Trimbak Telang (The Sacred Books of the East, vol. VIII, ed. F. Max Müller) (Bhagavad Gita 9.26 (SBE 8, p. 85, leaf n98), checked on the page image)
- The Vishnu Purana, a system of Hindu mythology and tradition, translated by H. H. Wilson (London: John Murray, 1840) (book 5, chapter 12 (Indra names Krishna Govinda after the lifting of Govardhana), pp. 528–529 (leaves n626–n627), the quotation on p. 528; checked on the page image)
- Monier Monier-Williams, Hinduism (London: SPCK, 1877): in the temples of Vishnu and Krishna the chief daily rite is offering food to the deity, and the remains, called prasada, are eaten by the worshippers. Monier-Williams died 1899: public domain. Summarised; the author's own judgements are not repeated. Checked on the page image. (p. 99 (leaf n108))
- The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, translated into English prose (K. M. Ganguli), published by Protap Chandra Roy: Anusasana Parva (Calcutta: Bharata Press, 1893) (Section LXIX, p. 350 (leaf n365): “Kine are goddesses and homes of auspiciousness. For this reason they always deserve worship.” Checked on the page image)
Practice today
Practice varies by region, community and family. In Pew's survey, most Hindus in the north (71%), centre (61%) and west (57%) of India said they are vegetarian, while far fewer did in the east (18%), the northeast (19%) and the south (30%). Many who eat meat avoid it on certain days or avoid certain kinds. Families abroad keep these customs in many different ways.
Sources for this reading
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- Our explanation
- Written for this site from the sources listed here, and checked against them. Free to quote with credit.
- Checked
- Checked against the sources listed, October 16, 2026.