Pariprashnena — Q&A Archive

Chicken eggs are simply unfertilized eggs, Hen chickens will lay eggs without a rooster. If those eggs were fertilized they would become embryos and would hatch. So the eggs that people eat are the unfertilized egg or flesh (yolk and albumen) or menstruation/period of a chicken. Some small farmers do sell fertilized eggs because they have roosters around, they simply get the eggs in the refrigerator soon after laying so the embryo does not develop.

So its correct an egg is not an embryo in most cases because it was never fertilized, but it is flesh and it is the result of a Hens menstruation cycle.

And devotees only eat what can be offered to Krishna as stated in BG 9.26

Your answer is eggstatic .. and thats no yolk.

Why dont devotees eat meat that wasnt killed on their behalf? Because even if it isnt perpetuating slaughter, meat is still conducive for spiritual life, devotees shouldnt have a taste for this.

Same reason here. Eggs are a form of meat, regardless of ethics.

As such one who wants to reap the full spiritual benefits of a meatless diet should not eat eggs.

The reason devotees dont eat meat, fish and eggs is because they are unofferable to the Lord. A devotee eats only Krishna prasadam otherwise, according to Sastra, he is eating sin. So the reason devotees dont eat eggs is because Krishna will not accept eggs as an offering. Here is a quote from Prabhupadas purport to Text 26 of Chapter 9, Bhagavad-gita for further understanding:

"One who loves Krishna will give Him whatever He wants, and he avoids offering anything which is undesirable or unasked. Thus meat, fish and eggs should not be offered to Krishna. If He desired such things as offerings, He would have said so. Instead He clearly requests that a leaf, fruit, flowers and water be given to Him, and He says of this offering, "I will accept it." Therefore, we should understand that He will not accept meat, fish and eggs. Vegetables, grains, fruits, milk and water are the proper foods for human beings and are prescribed by Lord Krishna Himself. Whatever else we eat cannot be offered to Him, since He will not accept it. Thus we cannot be acting on the level of loving devotion if we offer such foods."

" Why no eggs-- anything from sastra??"
If we do not eat even tea, coffee, mushrooms, onion, garlics - so why should we eat eggs? Animals are not punishbed when eatrng non-veg, but humans may even go to hell by misusing mind for meat-eating/slaughterhouses (or eggs-for"food" etc)...
http://www.bhagavad-gita.org/Articles/holy-cow.html
"Those who fail to give cows reverence and protection and choose to foolishly oppose and whimsically ignore the injunctions of the Vedic scriptures by selling a cow for slaughter, by killing a cow, by eating cows flesh and by permittings the slaughter of cows will all rot in the darkest regions of hell for as many thousands of years as there are hairs on the body of each cow slain. There is no atonement for the killing of a cow."

"In Sri Caitanya Caritamrita adi lila, chapter 17 verse 166 Caitanya Mahaprabhu confirms:
go-ange yata loma tata sahasra vatsara
go-vadhi raurava-madhye pace nirantar
Cow killers and cow eaters are condemned to rot in hell for as many thousands of years as there are for each hair on the body of every cow they eat from."

Im not sure about eggs, but they are also not allowed, sure.
Even lactovegetarian food when eaten brings karma, so it is to be offered, and taken as prasadam. Otherwise highest destination is only some higher(highest) material planets (and consequent death, probably again rebirth as there is often no much interest in spiritual life as one simply enjoys material comfort for millions of years) for vegetarians, but not spiritual world.