Question: Is it a sin to kill a living entity like ant, mosquito, cockroach or spider etc? They harm human beings by some means and because of this only one would kill them. It is written in purport of BG 14.16 that one should not kill any living entity. But, microorganisms (bacteria, virus) are always killed by us and plants are also living entities. While I accept that one should not kill animals for eating, but what about plants and bacteria and vermins? Does that incur sin? Please clarify.
Answer by Romapada Swami:
Yes, killing any living entity knowingly, or even unknowingly, incurs sinful reactions. The Supreme Lord is the supreme Father of all beings and every living entity has the right to live in this world, just as we humans do. We do not have the right, because of being in a superior life form, to needlessly take the life of or even cause pain to any other living entity; rather as human beings we are expected to show compassion to these innocent creatures. In fact, Srimad Bhagavatam describes that it is the duty of a grihastha (householder) to protect and maintain even the insects, lizards and other lower life forms as if they were one’s own children, what to speak of killing them! (Please refer SB 7.14.9)
We also hear of great saintly persons taking the trouble to not kill even some insignificant ants crossing their path. It is the nature of a sadhu to be compassionate and not harm anyone even if it meant bearing personal inconvenience; and if there is an option to get rid of a troublesome living entity without killing that should be preferred. Only when a living entity poses a dangerous threat, then they may be killed. For instance, scriptures sanction the killing of a snake or scorpion because these living entities are very envious and will thus be relieved of their sinful bodies.
As you have indicated, it is impossible for an embodied living entity in the material world to exist without unavoidably inflicting some difficulty upon other embodied living entities. Just by one’s very existence one kills many micro-organisms even while harmlessly walking or just by breathing. Does this mean that we should opt instead to go out of existence so as to escape these sins, as some impersonlist schools propose? No. The solution is to purify our existence. These unavoidable sinful reactions can be counteracted only by dedicating our lives unto God’s service and performing yajna (such as sankirtana yajna, chanting the Lord’s Holy Names). If one’s very existence is completey dedicated to the Lord, and one is not envious towards any living entity but a well-wisher of all, then whatever one does becomes beneficial even to the unseen microorganisms.
You cited the example of killing plants for food. Such an activity also incurs sin, albeit relatively less sinful compared to killing of animals. But when a devotee prepares food items and cooks for Krishna, offers the food to the Lord and then partakes the prasadam, there is no sin incured for the devotees. Conversely, the plants derive great spiritual benefit because of being offered to the Lord’s in devotion, and are thus promoted to higher forms of life than would have been the case had natural death taken place instead.
