There is a big debate going on in Hinduism and that is about veganism. The traditionalist say milk has been used in Hindu diet and Hindu rituals since forever, but vegans want to end all kinds of use of animals, and Hindus must admit most milk comes from factory farms so the cows are suffering. There is one person going around socially persecuting vegans, he is a British convert to Hinduism and is very traditional and inflexible in his orthodox Vaishnavism. Here is his facebook profile (here), his name is WIlliam Seaborn. He says that since milk drinking has been part of Hinduism as far back as anyone can remember, that veganism is an attack on Hinduism and Hinduism should not evolve over time, he dislikes what he calls "neo-Hinduism", even though Hinduism has had many "neo-Hindu" revolutions.
However, Seaborn now knows that his assertions are not actually 100% correct, he has been shown the evidence and has chosen to ignore and laugh at it. According the Kurma Purana, in Satya Yuga we only ate fruit, there we no domesticated animals, that came in the Treta Yuga. The Vayu Purana takes this a step further and says that fruitarianism didn't even start until the Treta Yuga and before that humans drank juice that came up from the ground. There are many fasts which call for eating fruit only, and fruit juice was the source of longevity for many peoples of the past.
The link to the International Gita Society's PDF is below along with the quotes. I hope this will open some people's eyes and they will understand that veganism is not anti-Hindu, Hinduism is actually more extreme than that. I personally believe there is some kind of uplift during the Kali Yuga, a mini-golden age. I believe veganism and eventually, fruitarianism (with vegan B12 supplements) will mark this age, and I think Hinduism will look into its history and not just take inspiration from that, but evolve into something new
LINK TO INTERNATIONAL GITA SOCIETY PDF (HERE)
Envy and jealousy were unknown in Satya Yuga and everyone was happy. There was no superiors and inferiors and all individuals were equally healthy and equally handsome. There were no fixed places for people to live in, no cities and no villages. Men lived in the mountains and on the shores of the oceans.
In Satya Yuga, water was always freely available. This was no longer the case in Treta Yuga. Water only became available when it rained. Rain was unknown earlier. And as it rained, trees began to grow. People lived on these trees. The fruit from these trees provided the sustenance required to make a living. But gradually, anger and jealousy came to be known and many of the wonderful trees disappeared as mankind picked up evils ways. However, enough trees were left to ensure that people did not die of starvation. They lived on honey gathered from the trees. Although men looked on Satya Yuga with nostalgia, ill-health and disease continued to be unknown even in Treta Yuga. But towards the end of Treta Yuga, people became really sinful. All the trees disappeared. To make a living, mankind had to resort to agriculture and animal husbandry. The weather became inclement and seasons like summer, monsoon and winter led to hardship. Notions of property were also introduced. Individuals appropriated mountains, rivers, land, trees and herbs as their own. To instil righteousness in the minds of people, the principles of varna ashrama dharma were set out towards the end of Treta Yuga.
In Dvapara Yuga, hatred, anger and jealousy became much more common. Fighting started. It was then that Veda Vyasa spread amongst ordinary people, the knowledge that was in the Vedas, by dividing them. Drought, death and disease came to be known in Dvapara Yuga.
In Kali Yuga, fraudulence is the norm. There are severe droughts and famines. Revolutions take place. People are liars and sinners. They are easily angered. They d not respect the brahmanas. The brahmanas, on their part, forget all about the Vedas and yajnas. Shudras become kings and oppress the brahmanas. Some Shudras shave off their heads and wear saffron clothes. They pretend to be religious teachers. And horror of horrors, people start to believe in these fraudulent teachers. Women wear hairpins in their hair. As if this alone were not enough, they refuse to obey their husbands. Thieves are everywhere. The only redeeming feature of Kali Yuga is the fact that even if one worships Shiva just a little bit in Kali Yuga, one attains undying punya (store of merit).
– Kurma Purana
In satya yuga, winter, summer and monsoon were unknown. All individuals were equally handsome, equally prosperous and equally happy. There was no concept of dharma (righteousness) or adharma (evil) since people were naturally righteous. There were no prescribed places where people lived, there were no cities or villages. People lived freely on the shores of the oceans and in the mountains. Roots, fruits or flowers did not grow. People lived on juice that came out of the bowels of the earth. This juice was so miraculous that old age and disease were unknown. Hatred and envy did not exit. There was nothing to be envious about, since all individuals were equal. Moreover, people had the mental power to summon up whatever object they desired. There were no shortages.
As one moved from satya yuga to treta yuga, these mental powers that people possessed disappeared. The primary obsession of individuals in satya yuga was meditation; in treta yuga it became knowledge. Thick clouds appeared in the sky and it began to rain. This rain fostered the growth of various trees. People started to live on the fruits of these trees. The trees also provided barks for clothing and honey. These trees were so wonderful that they were known as kalpavrikshas. That is, they provided whatever it was that one desired. But as treta yuga progressed, people became evil and started to fight over the possession of these trees. Consequently, the trees began to wither away. It was then that habitations started to be built, earlier there had been no fixed dwelling-places for humans. Such habitations were built on mountain and near rivers. Villages and cities were constructed. It also became necessary to have units of measurement.
– Vayu Purana
THERE ARE FRUIT ONLY FASTS IN HINDUISM
A devotee who has taken the vow of listening to the Katha of Shiva Mahapurana, should follow a celibate life. He should sleep on the floor and should have only fruits in the diet.
– Shiva Purana
A devotee who fasts on Shivaratri remaining only on fruits, attain virtues equivalent to the worship done for the whole year.
– Shiva Purana
On the sixth day of the lunar fortnight one performs shashthi vrata. One has to live only on fruit and if one performs this vrata, the fruits of any action that one performs live forever. Shashthi vrata should be observed especially in the months of Kartika and Bhadra.
– Agni Purana
Markandeya says- 'The people residing in KimPurusha Varsh
enjoy a long life. They live for 10,000 years. They are never bothered by any
kind of disease or sorrow. Just behind Kimpurusha Varsh is situated Hari Varsh.
The residents of Hari Varsh enjoy an eternally youthful life because of the sugarcane
juice they intake. Meru Varsh, which is situated near Hari Varsh, is also known
as Ilavrit. It is devoid of the light of the Sun but gets sufficient light from
the radiant Sumeru Mountain. It is so bright that even the Sun gets
overshadowed. People living in Meru Varsh enjoy a very long life for 30,000
years. Similarly people living in Ramyak Varsh sustain themselves by drinking
fruit juice. They live for 10,000 years. Hiranyamay Varsh is situated towards
the north of Ramyak Varsh where the river Hiranvati flows. The residents of
Hiranyamay are powerful, rich and handsome in appearance. - Markandeya Purana
