idk 2013, Vedas can be used for reasoning, in fact, Vedas should always be used for reasoning. But to understand the vastness of Vedas, mental reasoning is not enough. In simple word, mental consciousness is not enough to understand the complexities of Vedas. The Rishis, Yogis who discovered Vedas were not ordinary human beings who seek sensual pleasures. These Rishis actually mastered their own mind and came to a state of mind where mind was absolutely silent and this silent state of mind reveals higher reality. And Vedas consist of these higher realities which cannot be understood by normal human who always seeks sex, money, power, meat, wife, children, car, etc. Sex is not in the Penis! Sex is in the mind. Mind is everything! Therefore, why should we focus on inert substances like penis? And to be honest, I am not a scholar of rituals of Atharva Veda. I am just trying to illumine that "real killings of animals" are prohibited in the Vedas. I am just trying to say that modern people ignorantly kill animals in the name of sacrifice when they don't even understand abc of their own religion. 90% of so called Hindu don't even know what Brahman is! All they know is Brahmaa (this is different from Brahman), Visnu, shiva and some other handful of deities. In the Nasadiya sukta of Rig Veda, it boldly tells: Even these gods came after the Big Bang, then who knows what lies beyond that? Such is the Vedas. if understood properly and wisely, you will be liberated, otherwise the suffering of samsara is endless.