Is Vaccination allowed in Religious view as it is made mandatory now?
A male follower (Name hidden) asked like this:
“Good morning, I have a query and a big confusion . Nowadays the government is making mandatory to have the vaccine certificate to enter into public places . Though It is good for people , but what about those who refuse to take vaccine , even in many festival and rituals in temples , the devotees only those are fully vaccinated are allowed . Is it not like discrimination b/w those vaccinated and unvaccinated . What do our acharyas , Vedas and Purana describe about these Mandates and allowing those who are only vaccinated ? (“I am not against vaccines , I myself took vaccines” ). Thank you in advance.”
REPLY:
Vaccination IS allowed in Religious view too because it is happening since thousands of years ago.
Ayurveda is our approved Indian medical system that has the origin as the Vedic period and even before.
The man is trying to protect himself from the diseases even from lakhs of years ago.
Ayurveda suggests some preparations and herbs to consume on every day basis to escape from some diseases.
For example, if we take sufficient milk, we can have sufficient B-Complex, calcium, etc., that protects us from neuropathy.
If we take pepper and turmeric in our every day food, we can reduce the chances and severity of cold because our immunity will increase..
(CORONAVIRUS DISEASE (COVID-19)- PRECAUTIONS & MANAGEMENT! READ HERE!)
This shows that we should try our best to remain healthy by being careful against the diseases.
Though we will face diseases or die as per our karma, if we are careless, the pains due to the diseases will be more.
If we take some precautionary efforts, we can reduce the pains while facing our karma.
This is permitted in karma network’s rules.
Let us now come to the Vaccines.
Vaccines are the microorganism themselves injected into our bodies. The same disease causing microorganism or its components are introduced to our body in a non-toxic form, ie, after removing its negative effects.
Same is followed in preparing the Vaccines for Covid.
Same Covid viruses are introduced to our body in different forms
Types of vaccines and their methods of preparation has been explained in this site here:
(Covid-19 Vaccination – Why Should You Get Vacinated? Full Details! READ HERE)
To counter the diseases, our body itself produces antibodies. This is called Immunity. When this immunity comes down, we support externally through antibiotics, foods, etc.
Similarly, for deadly diseases due to New Viruses, before that actual virus attacks our body, we ourselves introduce that Virus to our body safely that gives the message to our body the need to prepare antibody for that new virus.
When we get vaccinated, our body is introduced to the Covid virus removing its adverse effects.
So, our body’s immune system gets alerted and our body itself prepares itself to protect from such attacks of the virus in future.
So, when we are infected by the actual covid virus in future, it is not new to our body as it knows how to defeat that virus as we have already introduced that virus to our body through vaccine.
What is the problem for the people to get vaccinated?
Viruses are always attacking our body. So, vaccinating is not going to be violation of karma rules or religious principles.
Getting vaccinated is just a step to protect our bodies from the new microorganisms.
Already every new born child is vaccinated with many vaccines for many diseases such as Polio, Hepatitis, Cholera, Chickenpox, etc.
Now, one more vaccine has to be taken.
Next generation ,may take some other vaccine for some other infections.
RELIGIOUS/ SPIRITUAL ASPECTS:
This advice is for those followers of religious principles who are serious about NOT violating the Spiritual rules as fixed by different spiritual organizations:
See, if you like to serve the Lord, you should keep your body free from diseases.
If you do not keep your body healthy, you can not serve the Lord properly.
So, taking steps to protect your body is not called attachment or violation. It is our duty as it helps to serve the lord comfortably.
(25 GOLDEN RULES TO EAT YOUR DAILY FOODS TO STAY HEALTHY WITH SCIENTIFIC REASONS! READ HERE!)
Srila Prabhupada, the founder of ISKCON himself got vaccinated whenever he visited some countries in which flu or some othyer diseases were spreading. So, he himself used antiviral vaccinations.
See, many spiritual personalities, gurus of ISKCON got admitted in the hospitals during the pandemic or before. They too would have received antivirals, antibodies, etc.
So, these things do not require the approval of the scriptures.
Protecting the body from infections is our duty.
After India had vaccinated most of its people, the third wave could not make serious infections to the people. Most of the infected people recover within 3-4 days with just simple fever, cold, etc.
See, the governments do not lie saying that you will not be infected if you get vaccinated. They honestly say that though you get infected, the impact will be manageable and it may not lead to tthe death in most of the cases.
That is what happening.
Now, the spread of virus is manageable by the bodies of people because they have been vaccinated.
Though the government has made vaccination compulsory, the Central Governmentt has said in the Courts that the governmentt can not compel the people to get vaccinated. These rules are made just to protect the spread of the viruses.
It is the duty of the governments to protect its people from serious consequences. That is what done by the governments.
So, without cooperating with the sincere efforts of the governments, we should not bring the religion in all the matters.
So, the devotees may get vaccinated atleast to protect the other people from getting infected, though they do not bother about themselves.
They will not go to the hell for getting vaccinated as it is being done since the time immemorial in different forms as explained above.
Hope you are clear now about whether the Vaccination allowed in Religious view.
(Covid-19 Vaccination – Why Should You Get Vacinated? Full details. READ HERE!)