So the animal killer, they are encroaching upon others' right. This cows and goats, they are also living entities; they have got right to live. When there is absolute necessity, that is a different thing. But you cannot encroach upon their right of living simply to satisfy the taste of your tongue. That is the greatest sin. Similarly, illicit sex. One has got wife and he is having illicit sex with other woman, that is . . . that is crime. "You want to satisfy your sex? All right. You have got legitimate wife." "No. I want to satisfy my senses." Therefore illicit sex is sinful. You have got many other foodstuff. Why should you satisfy your senses by killing some other right of living?
Therefore it is . . . why it is sinful, anyone can understand. Just like if I have no money, that does not mean to secure money I shall take your money. Then I am thief. You cannot say: "Oh, I have no money. This man has got so much money, therefore I have taken some money." Will the court excuse you? Even if you have no food, you cannot encroach upon other's right unless you are sanctioned.
Therefore according to Vedic system, the meat-eater is given chance by sacrificing an animal before some demigod. Not free slaughterhouse. No. That you cannot do. Undergoing that process, some day he will come to his senses that "Meat-eating and killing of animal is not good." Because there are so many mantras. If you understand mantras, the mantra, when a goat is sacrificed before Goddess Kālī, before the goat being cut by his throat, the priest says that "Because you are sacrificing your life before Goddess Kālī, next life you are going to have human form of body for your this sacrifice." Otherwise you have to undergo the process. That is gradual evolutionary process.