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Does Naramedha sacrifice mean to kill the human being?

[A question by Dr. Balaji]

Swami replied: The negative nature of the human being is to be killed and not the human being. The word naramedha means purification of the human being by killing its negative human nature. The Veda itself says that the animal must not be killed and the ghee shall not be burnt. The Veda says that instead the animal nature is to be killed and the desire shall be burnt (manyuḥ paśuḥ, kāma ājyam). When Harishchandra purchased Shunasshepha for the sake of human sacrifice, god Varuna appeared and protected him from the killing. This concept is again a totally misunderstood blunder of our tradition belonging to scholars who simply recited the Vedas without studying them. This blind tradition belongs to the followers of Purva Mimamsa, who blindly recite the Veda and blindly perform rituals without studying the meaning of the Veda. Shankara condemned this giving importance to the logical conclusions of the studies of the Veda. The word medha means purification and the word Yagna means worship through practical sacrifice (Yaja = pūjāyāṃ tyāge ca…).

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