Why is milk acceptable but not egg?

Milk and eggs are both animal products, so one might assume that a vegetarian can consume both. However, they arise from two very different systems within the animal’s body.

Milk comes from the animal’s life-supporting system. It is produced to nourish the newborn. When the calf has had its fill, any surplus may be shared within the household. This is similar to when a mother who has more milk than her child requires feeds another child without violating any natural process. Milk is fundamentally a provision for nurturing life, not creating it.

Eggs, however, come from the animal’s reproductive system. They are products of the hen’s ovulatory cycle—similar in principle to the menstrual cycle in mammals. Thus, consuming an egg is comparable to consuming menstrual discharge, something inherently tied to reproduction rather than nourishment. For this reason, traditional vegetarian principles consider eggs unsuitable for consumption.

Today, a type of egg is marketed as a “vegetarian egg.” These are simply unfertilized eggs produced by hens kept without roosters and fed vegetarian diets. They do not contain a developing embryo, yet they still arise from the hen’s reproductive cycle. The absence of mating does not change the biological origin of the egg.

So whether it is a fertilized egg, a broiler egg, or a so-called “vegetarian egg,” its nature remains the same. It is a reproductive by-product, not a life-supporting substance. Hence, within many traditional and scriptural frameworks, milk is acceptable, but eggs are not.

– From Q & A session
Oviya Jaisankar
10th grade student, 2023
Michigan, USA.

Sa:sthra, the scriptures describe how Nature and all beings are designed to function. It offers guidance and instruction to human beings so we do not hurt the natural functioning of the universe. And thus, below are some more guidelines from the scriptures for those who seek universal well-being and spiritual foundation to life.

Every food item contains a mix of sattva, rajas, and tamas.

Sattva strengthens the manas—the clarity, stability, and purity of the mind.
Rajas stimulates activity, drive, and sometimes aggression.
Tamas induces heaviness, dullness, and a tendency toward rest or lethargy.

Therefore, one should choose foods that are sattva-heavy, especially if the goal is to cultivate a calm, steady, and focused mind. If the goal is to build physical strength—for example, for military service or high-endurance roles—foods richer in rajas may be required.

It is similar to how a police service dog is given a carefully curated diet to develop the skills required for its duties, whereas street dogs eat whatever they find and naturally develop very different qualities.

Scriptures also give broad principles:

Moving beings depend on non-moving beings for food. Humans, for instance, rely primarily on plant-based nourishment.
Non-moving beings depend directly on lifeless elements —water, air, earth, fire, and space. Trees, for example, draw nourishment straight from nature.

Sri Krushna says…

yuktha:ha:ra viha:rasya
yuktha che:stasya karmasu
yuktha swapna:va bo:dhasya
yo:go bhavathi dukhaha (Bhagavad Githa 6.17)

Moderation in food, recreation, activity, and sleep is essential for a healthy, balanced life—one that nurtures our own well-being and also supports harmony with all living beings around us.

Today, there are genuine concerns about how cows and buffaloes are misused or overexploited, often depriving their calves of the nourishment that rightfully belongs to them. This is a painful reality. In many places, milk production has shifted toward commercial, profit-driven methods, setting aside natural principles and the compassion that must guide animal care. This is certainly not right.

However, this problem does not stem from the moderate, mindful consumption of milk in regular households. The real strain arises from the enormous demand created by eating outside, large-scale commercial food industries, and a culture that encourages excess and wastes vast quantities of natural resources. The issue is not with milk itself, but with the imbalances, excesses, and misguided practices that have developed around it.

Scriptures also mention certain foods as nishiddha, to be avoided if one seeks a stronger, clearer mind:

na ma:msam bhakshaye:th, na sura:m pibe:th One should avoid meat and alcohol. Along with these, some vegetables such as bottle gourd, radish, and onion are considered tha:masika, as they are heavy in tamo-guna and reduce mental clarity.

na ma:msam bhakshaye:th, na sura:m pibe:th One should avoid meat and alcohol.

Along with these, some vegetables such as bottle gourd, radish, and onion are considered tha:masika, as they are heavy in tamo-guna and reduce mental clarity.

– From the teachings of HH Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji
during mantra initiation, and other lectures