Regardsing Jha's book

[Guest guest]

In regards to the book recently discussed on this list, namely:

D. N. Jha. Holy Cow-- Beef in Indian Dietary Conditions.

 

Some time ago, I found an interview with Jha, along with an excerpt

(it

said "this essay forms the last chapter ...") from this book on some

web site (might have been "The Week"). It made a poor impression on

me.

There were no citations or notes making it hard what text places were

being referred to. However, I was once again reminded of the joke I

referred to at the end of

http://listserv.liv.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind9806&L=indology&P=R22373

in spite of the assertion made at that time people don't always

translate 'go' by cow irrespective of gender.

 

It is also strange that Jha failed to note what anthropolgists have

found out about attitudes of pastoralists towards cattle. Masai, for

example, eat beef but hold cattle in high esteem, and look upon those

who consider beef to be just another foodstuff to be crude. Long-time

members of Indology may recall an earlier go at this (see the thread

starting with

http://listserv.liv.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind9702&L=indology&P=R1769

which failed to turn up any evidence that could suggest that Vedic

Aryans were any different

 

I hope that copies of this book can be made available to those who

are willing to subject it to strict scrutiny, rather than as another

tool to 'beat people over the head with'.