[Advaita-l] Advaitic Foods - Vedic ritual involving animal-killing

Bhaskar YR bhaskar.yr at in.abb.com
Mon Dec 20 04:29:48 CST 2010


praNAms
Hare Krishna

I have heard that there is a vidhi in sOma yAga where animal sacrifice is 
a MUST (ofcourse no alternatives or substitutes allowed like pishta bimba 
etc. :-)) When I was in Mattur to attend vedAnta shibira, my guruji's 
brother (Sri Keshava avadhAni, who is vedAntin as well as 'text book 
perfect' in vedic rituals :-)) was telling even today this formality is 
followed but at the far off place from yagna shAla and some part of the 
sacrificed animal will be used as 'dravya' in this shrauta yAga and 
adhvaryu as a vidhi  has to taste the remains of this dravya  as prasAdam 
at the end !!??  In smruti texts like gautama dharma sUtra and Apasthamba 
dharma sUtra there are  favourable quotes which prescribes meat eating not 
just as 'prasAdam' but as a 'regular' diet :-)) 

 In Apasthamba sUtra it is said : one should  not eat food which has been 
bought or obtained readily prepared in the market nor he should eat 
flavoured food  except 'rawmeat', honey, and salt. I dont know the exact 
reference, but I am sure,  there is a sUtra like this. 

And another sUtra (if my memory serves me right!!) says :  One can eat the 
flesh of animals killed by beasts for  prey, after washing the same, if no 
imperfection is noticed and if it is declared to be fit for use by the 
word of a brAhmaNa.

Hari Hari Hari Bol!!!
bhaskar

PS :  By the way, I am a pakka 'shakhAhAri' but occasional onions in the 
menu :-))


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