Thoughts on Bali or Animal Sacrifice in Hindu Temples

A Guest Post by Gayatri Sankar

The HINDU WAY of LIFE has been a constant victim of criticism because of certain practices of its few followers. These non-following followers of the Hindu faith have corrupted the very meaning of the faith because they believe in their 'self-conceived notion' of pleasing the GOD for their materialistic benefits.

I have spent 17 years of my life in Kolkata. Kolkata is famous for its Kali Temple in Kalighat. I used to occasionally visit the Temple with my parents. As a child, I never took initiatives to offer my prayers because I hardly understood what it means. Once as I was doing Pradakshina (circumambulation) around the temple, I stopped halfway when I saw a piece of flesh right in front of me. I took a closer look at it and I could see something looking like a Goat's ear. I realized it was a piece of flesh cut from a goat. I just could not control myself and I cried. The reason I cried was because I had never seen a piece of flesh so closely ever in my life before.

Secondly since I am a Brahmin and have been taught not too eat meat, I was scandalized. I looked around then asked my mother what it was and she said that a goat has been sacrificed by someone to please Kali Devi. I asked her "wouldn't it have hurt the Goat? Wouldn't the have cried of pain?" She said humans are turning inhuman. It was then that I developed apathy towards the temple. I never felt like paying a visit to that temple ever again.

As I grew up, I realized what people were doing in the name of God, to satisfy their baseless whims and fancies.

There are many temples across India where people offer Bali. People who practice Bali thinking that God would punish them if they do not offer him a Bali.

By writing about the "Bali" all I want to convey is that there is no such concept of sacrificing a life to the God in Hinduism. In Hinduism all are equal. How could God tell one of his children to kill the other to please him?

Many non-followers of Hinduism think that Hinduism preaches and practices the concept of sacrificing a life. But this is not the case.

We must condemn such anti-social activities and help our faith getting polluted and ridiculed.

(This article has been written by Gayatri Sankar, an avid read of our blog. It has not been edited and the views expressed are of Gayatri. )

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