A devotee’s question: “What to tell family members who eat non-vegetarian foods? They know that it comes under the top five sins, but they still do not stop consuming it.”
Swami Nikhilanand Ji’s answer: So this actually depends on your status in the family. If you’re the head of the family, then you decide what gets eaten in your house and what doesn’t.
I mean, because I don’t know this person’s age—they could be a son or a daughter—then you can’t tell your parents what they can do and what they can’t do. But if you’re the father or mother, then you decide what gets eaten in your house. So if you’re a parent, maybe you can’t control what your kids eat when they leave the house, but you can sure control what food enters your house. If the person writing this question is not a parent, then you’ll have to just decide for yourself.
“This is what I will eat. This is what I won’t eat.”
One thing is for sure, family members tend not to listen to other family members if they’re being told what to do. So your telling your family members not to eat non-vegetarian food is probably not going to have any positive effect.
But if you just model the proper behavior, if you are firm in your resolve not to eat non-vegetarian food, then that’s the best you can hope for as far as you’re able to influence them. They may be influenced by you eventually, but arguing with them won’t change anything.
