Why Smoking, Drinking are – Sins ?

The Hindu religion imposed a ban on - smoking, drinking and using drugs and stamps them as ‘maha patak’, the ‘great sin’. There are few more ‘sins’ in the list that come under ‘maha patak’ but, the article is limited to the discussion exclusively on - smoking, drinking and using drugs.

The reason is not just religious but, scientific too because, everything in Hinduism is  scientific. If I smoke or drink or consume any other intoxicant – in due course of time it [the bad chemicals that ‘come in’] will affect and spoil my reproductive system. Due to this my sperm-cells ovary-eggs are spoiled and due to this my children will get the diseased genes from me and they will suffer due to no fault of theirs, though they are not taking the intoxicants.

If luckily, my children escape from the jaws of these diseased genes that I am gifting them, these diseased genes will not die there as they will be latent in my children and the ‘diseased gene’ might exhibit its effects in some of my grandchildren or in my grand grand children or in my grand grand grand children or in my 100th descendant and the like and this sequence will continue with no end at all. In the first generation I might suffer, in the second generation it multiplies depending on the number of children I produce, and turns exponential after that. In my tenth generation 100 persons might get some form of genetic disease and suffer due to the ‘bad’ or ‘diseased’ gene I have created and passed on to my descendants and all my descendants, countless in number will suffer without end due to the mindless act I did. But, of course, it is possible that - I might escape unhurt from the ‘bad’ or ‘crime’ I did without getting any disease if I am luckily.

No one could stop the malfunctioning of the ‘bad’ or ‘diseased’ gene I had created and it has no end. Even no one could predict which one of my descendants will develop which disease – and it’s all depends on their fate and luck. Many might not be affected by the ‘bad’ gene due to their luck and many will ‘surely’ suffer due to the ‘sin’ I had committed. According to the Hindu scriptures - who will ‘suffer’ and who will ‘escape’ is determined by their ‘prarabdha’, their fate.

Seeking your temporary or instantaneous joy, you are spoiling the lives or making countless individuals to suffer and they are none other than - your own children, your own descendants your dear descendants Many of your descents, in fact countless from the future will look back at you with ‘pathetic eyes’ – for spoiling their lives and you will not even dare to look into their eyes for you, ONLY YOU are responsible for their sorrow and suffering, their lack of legs, lack of hands, their leukemia, their madness and countless unimaginable disease and malfunctioning organs.

I know you are arguing that – ‘I am old and already bred and will not breed anymore so, smoking or drinking or using drugs is not bad on my part’. But, those surrounding you, the passive smokers too will suffer and they will acquire the ‘great sin’, the ‘maha patak’ and consequently you too will get it back.

Honestly I agree that – I don’t know the clear logic to explain – how any old person [who will not give birth to children] who drinks – can suffer from the ‘maha patak’, the great sin. For really I don’t know how they could make the others suffer due to their drinking or using drugs if they don’t give birth to children. But, the Hindu scriptures [sastras] make no exception of them. If the scriptures say something - that should be a fact, thought we might fail to explain them. I have understood and presented how ‘the great sin’ affects those who – smoke or drink or use drugs – before breeding children but, I fail to answer those who argue that – ‘I am not going to breed children so, I can smoke and drink and use drugs’. But, the Hindu scriptures are not sparing them and the mere fact that I fail to decipher the logic doesn't imply that there is no logic. There will be some logic behind all these that I fail to guess – for sure. Just is I my incapability and nothing is wrong with the scriptures.

So, according to the Hinduism – you will be responsible for all their sorrows and sufferings and consequently you will suffer endlessly for the crime you had committed. There is NO limit to the ‘sorrow’ you will get back from this – that’s why the Hindu scriptures call this as ‘maha patak’, the great sin. If I kill a person – only one [and few of his kith and kin] will suffer – but if I smoke or drink or take drugs – countless descendants of me will suffer so, this is a ‘great sin’.

The main saying of all the religions is – ‘the mastery over all the senses and the body’ as it makes the inner self to bloom but, the use of intoxicants will work against this. Hence, all the religions condemn their use apart from the fact that they spoil the physical health of the individual and it is well known that they cause deadly diseases like cancer of various kinds.

The intoxicants though they give temporary pleasure but, in the long run they will spoil the health of the individual concerned as all know. Not only this as explained above - they will spoil the health of many of your descendants too and those who are present around you. If you are used to it they will affect many of your descendants – i. e., you are harming uncountable number of beings in the future and the present too.

If you don’t care for your health at least look at the ‘pathetic eyes’ of your descendants to come, have mercy on them and stop smoking, drinking or taking drugs. PLEASE stop them for your sake and for their [your descendants] sake too.

Even after reading this article - do you feel like continuing your habits, if you are accustomed to one?

I THANK YOU - in advance for stopping your - smoking, drinking and using drugs.

Good luck to you and all those who smoke etc., and those who don’t smoke etc., as well.