Meat-eating (Was Re: Some Vedic sacrifices...)

[Sankaran Jayanarayanan]

On Tue, 21 Dec 1999, Anand Hudli wrote:

> On Mon, 20 Dec 1999 20:05:02 -0600, Sankaran Jayanarayanan
> <kartik at ECE.UTEXAS.EDU> wrote:
>
> >On Sun, 19 Dec 1999, Anand Hudli wrote:
> >
> >[..]
> >
> >>  The trouble is that people on both sides of the "vegetarian/ahiMsA
> >>  vs. non-vegetarian" issue do not fully understand what the shAstra says
> >>  and doesn't.  If one does perform a soma yajna, animal(s) must be
> >>  sacrificed. There is no excuse for not sacrificing animal(s) in such
> >>  yajnas. But at the same time, if one does NOT perform such yajnas,
> >>  one must NOT kill animals or eat meat simply as part of one's diet.
> >>  Outside the context of such yajnas, meat-eating must be avoided.
> >>  Manu and other authors of smR^iti are quite clear on this.
> >>
> >
> >This is quite incorrect. I have read several smR^iti quotes which advocate
> >meat-eating, and not just the "prasaadaM" from a yaGYa.
> >

[..]

> >ADS 1.5.17.37 (virtually identical with GDS 17.27)
> >"Five-footed animals (ought not to be eaten) with the exception of the
> >iguana, the tortoise, the boar called savaatit, the porcupine, the
> >rhinocerous, the hare, and the Puutikhasha."

[..]

>  The trouble with quotes taken in isolation and without properly
>  considering all views is that they present a distorted picture of
>  the issue in question!
>

Thank you for the quotes relating to meat consumption in the Manu smR^iti!

>  Manu discusses meat-eating in his smR^iti and then goes on to
>  present his concluding remarks on the subject. These concluding
>  remarks or rules (Manu 5.26 to 5.56) are to be taken as the final
>  verdict of Manu who surely must have considered a greater number
>  of texts than either you or I can possibly quote.
>

Actually, the Gautama dharma suutra refers to the Manu smR^iti, which
means that Gautama was later than Manu, and had considered Manu's position
on the subject!

See for example Gautama dharma suutra (GDS) 21.7
"Manu (declares, that) the first three (crimes, named above) cannot be
expiated."

The book that I have (editted by Max Mueller) says that Apastamba also
refers to the Manu smR^iti, though I haven't come accross a verse therein
which mentions Manu by name.

[..]

>  Manu makes an unambiguous and conclusive statement in 5.52:
>
>   svamaa.nsaM paramaa.nsena yo vardhayitumichchhati |
>   anabhyarchya pitR^In.h devaa.nstato.anyo naastyapuNyakR^it.h ||
>
>   There is no greater sinner than one who desires to increase his own
>   flesh by (eating) the flesh of other (animals) without worshipping
>   the Gods and manes.
>
>   Manu even quotes a pithy definition of the word "mAMsa" (meat)
>   in order to prove his point:
>
>  maaM sa bhakshayitaa.amutra yasya maa.nsamihaad.h myaham.h |
>  etatmaa.nsasya maa.nsatvaM pravadanti maniishhiNaH || 5.55 ||
>
>  "He (saH) will eat me(mAm.h) in the next world whom I eat
>   here in this world." This is the definition of "mAMsa" (meat)
>   according to the wise.
>
>

YAGYavalkya also says in this context that "VR^ithaa mAmsaM varjayet.h"
-- Idle meat (that is not offerred to the gods) should be avoided.

>  Anand
>

-Kartik

--
bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam

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>From ADVAITA-L at LISTS.ADVAITA-VEDANTA.ORG Wed Dec 22 14:54:37 1999
Message-Id: <WED.22.DEC.1999.145437.0000.ADVAITAL at LISTS.ADVAITAVEDANTA.ORG>
Date: Wed, 22 Dec 1999 14:54:37 +0000
Reply-To: List for advaita vedanta as taught by Shri Shankara
        <ADVAITA-L at LISTS.ADVAITA-VEDANTA.ORG>
To: List for advaita vedanta as taught by Shri Shankara
        <ADVAITA-L at LISTS.ADVAITA-VEDANTA.ORG>
From: Anand Hudli <anandhudli at HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Meat-eating (Was Re: Some Vedic sacrifices...)

On Tue, 21 Dec 1999 10:57:51 -0600, Sankaran Jayanarayanan
<kartik at ECE.UTEXAS.EDU> wrote:


>Actually, the Gautama dharma suutra refers to the Manu smR^iti, which
>means that Gautama was later than Manu, and had considered Manu's position
>on the subject!
>
>See for example Gautama dharma suutra (GDS) 21.7
>"Manu (declares, that) the first three (crimes, named above) cannot be
>expiated."
>
>The book that I have (editted by Max Mueller) says that Apastamba also
>refers to the Manu smR^iti, though I haven't come accross a verse therein
>which mentions Manu by name.
>
>[..]
>

 That may be true but in the case of Manu smR^iti we find that he
 specifically addresses the issue of rules for meat-eating and
 avoidance (maa.nsasyaataH pravakshyaami vidhiM bhakshaNavarjane, 5.26)
 in a section by itself so to speak. So such rules carry more "weight"
 than those mentioned in other contexts.

 YAGYvalkya smR^iti also has a similar section.

 Anand

--
bhava shankara deshikame sharaNam

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