Why was ancestor worship by meat offerings allowed in earlier ages?

From HG Sundarshyam Pr:

In the Brahma-Vaivarta Purana, it is said that 5 things are forbidden, one of which is offerings of meat to the ancestors. This means that it was allowed in earlier ages. Why was that?

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Question.
Vasundharshanam Prabhu. How does the verse Sanyasam Palpaitrukam, the verse which says five things are forbidden in Kali Yuga, why does it say that meat eating, the offering of meat to the ancestors are forbidden in Kali Yuga? Does this mean that offering of meat to the ancestors was allowed in earlier ages? If so, why? Answer. Yes.
Meat eating is one of the basic human drives, especially for the human beings who are not having self-mastery. And that’s why we will find meat eating prevalent in all cultures. And even in Vedic culture also it is there.
But it is never a glamorized or a glorified part of Vedic culture. It is a regulated, sanctioned, allowed part. And Palpaitrukam, when we offer offerings to the ancestors.
So actually, the Vedic scriptures offer different kinds of worship according to different levels of consciousness of people. And some people, they may worship their ancestors. And while worshipping their ancestors, they do it according to their level of understanding.
So normally we say that people in goodness, passion, ignorance worship Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva. But actually this is, all of them have to have a basic level of goodness. So those who are in goodness, foundationally, and within goodness, further they are in goodness.
That means those who are in goodness-goodness, they will worship Vishnu. They are in goodness-passion, they will worship Brahma. And goodness-ignorance, they will worship Shiva.
Why? Because all of them have to have a certain level of goodness to at least accept scriptural authority and to worship the Devatas. And this is indicated in the 17th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, where it is Krishna tells, यजन्ते सात्विका देवां यक्षरक्षां सिराजसां प्रेतां भूते गणां स्चान्ने जन्ते ताम साजना 17.4, he says that those who are in goodness worship the demigods. Those who are in passion worship the Rakshasas.
And the Pretas and Putas are worshipped by those who are in ignorance. Now, similarly, if you look at this verse, यान्ति देवः वृता देवां पित्रन्यान्ति पित्रविता भूतान्यान्ति भूते जन् So, this also indicates worship within three modes. So, those who are in goodness worship the Devatas and Devududevatas.
Those who are in passion, they worship here, it is the ancestors, and they worship the ancestors, Pitras. And those who worship the Bhutas, the ghostly beings, they go to those ghostly beings. They become ghosts or something like that, depending on their karma.
So, now, that means that worship of ancestors, you know, in Japan, in Shinto culture, that is a common tendency, as well as in Hindu, in world culture, there are many places where ancestors were worshipped. So, the Vedic culture basically sort of dovetails or harmonizes or integrates this ancestor worship within its broad framework of worship. And thereby it allows the people to be on a progressive spiritual path.
So, worship of the Rakshasa, Rakshansi. Rakshasas are those beings who are extremely attached to the body and bodily enjoyment. Similarly, those who worship their ancestors, their bodily identification is extremely strong.
But by remembering their ancestry and their ancestors, they are inspired to act in relatively honorable ways according to their ancestry. So, now, generally speaking, within that level of ancestry, within that level of ancestor worship, it is quite likely that people are meat eaters. Why? Because that whole dynasty might be involved in people who are eating meat.
So, meat eating is never recommended in the Vedic scriptures, but it is allowed and it is allowed under regulation. So, just as in the worship of Kali, that is now from this perspective, the worship of Kali and worship of Shiva, this has been goodness-ignorance. There is goodness because at least the Devatas are being worshipped.
So, that would mean goodness-ignorance. So, just as meat eating is allowed over there under regulation, similarly here in the worship of ancestors, offering of meat to them is allowed. So, why? Because those ancestors might themselves have been eating meat and those who go to Pitra Loka are not necessarily pure-hearted living beings.
Those who do an average level of good karma, they go to Pitra Loka and those who do an extraordinary level of good karma, they go to Svarga Loka. So, Devyanam Pitrayanam. So, if they are absolutely sinful, they will go to Naraka.
If they are pious, they will go to a higher destination. Now, Pitra Loka might find as a medium level of karma, then they will go to Pitra Loka. So, the point is that ancestor worship is for those who are in the bodily conception to gradually elevate them.
Just direct or regulate or orient their tendency to worship the ancestors within the Vedic fold and because people who worship the ancestors are in the bodily conception and not very elevated in terms of their consciousness. So, it’s quite likely that they might have been eating meat and that might be a dynastic tradition also. So, by saying that the ancestors be worshipped through the offering of meat, the same regulation that is there in the worship of Kali comes up over here.
That means meat can be eaten only when it is offered to the ancestors and otherwise it should not be eaten. So, now in Kali Yuga, because the certain, as we know, for example, that killing animals and in such a way by chanting mantras that they will get a higher body, that power is not there in Kali Yuga for people. So, sacrificing of animals is not allowed.
So, offering meat to the ancestors is also not allowed. Because even when meat is offered to the ancestors, because that is within a Dharmic context. So, the animal that is offered may get elevated if the worship is done properly.
But because in Kali Yuga, people can’t do worship properly. And so, that is not allowed in Kali Yuga. So, to summarize the answer, ancestor worship is a basic human tendency.
Immediacy is also a basic human, not a good tendency, but a sinful or a self-centered enjoyment tendency. So, both of these are dovetailed within the Vedic framework. Those who are in a mood of passion will do this sort of worship.
So, if that ancestors are eating meat and descendants are eating meat, then that eating tendency is regulated by saying that this sort of thing can be done, but within regulation during the forms of ancestor worship. And if it is done within Dharma, the soul in the animal body can get elevated. Because that cannot be done in Kali Yuga.