What you eat is eating you out || Acharya Prashant, in conversation (2022)

Questioner (Q): Dear Guru ji, we are so honored to be here today, Thank you!

Acharya Prashant (AP): I'm glad.

Q: Can you tell us the truth about the dairy industry? A lot of Indians might not know what's going on and for the ones that do know that's going on, they usually respond by saying, “Well, Lord Krishna had milk” or “it's our tradition” or “we have to do Abhishek”, “it's in the culture”, things like that… Could you explain?

AP: See, even if one is not in possession of facts, there are a few basic rules of thumb. Let's say, I have this (pointing to something on the table). And it yields me money, and who am I? I am the usual, normal, average, greedy person; that's how we all are since birth. And if this is yielding me money and comforts and whatever, will I let this go, first thing?

Secondly, what all will I do to extract more money from it? Thirdly, will I not want more and more of such money spinners? So, I may not know what we do with the buffalo or the cow in the factual sense. I might not know what is happening exactly inside that dairy or that farm, but don't I know how man is? I may not know the facts of the dairy industry, but do I not know the facts of our inner self?

We are greedy people and if an animal can give me something that gives me money, I’ll do anything to extract more and more of that stuff from that animal, which happens to be a female mammal.