Guest guest Posted October 17, 2007 Report Share Posted October 17, 2007 forwarded again as stated in post 5 MGV---------- Forwarded message ----------MG Vasudevan <vasudevanmgOct 15, 2007 6:43 PM raama's food habits 7 , tiruvenkatam <tiruvenkatam >, oppiliappan <oppiliappan > Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer, Continuing the study of food habits of raama, please see here another very interesting quote and also a very grand learning for us -- in chapter 115 of anusaasana parvam – yudhishtira questions his grandfather bheeshma Quote – How can meat, however, be procured without slaying a living creature? Thy declarations, therefore, seem to me to be contradictory. A doubt has, therefore, arisen in our mind respecting the duty of abstaining from meat. Unquote -- Point: This is the same position now also. Now bheeshma answers to the above question in a very long essay – and I will take select paragraphs only – for those interested to read full essay please refer website sacred texts.com Quote -- Flesh cannot be had from grass or wood or stone. Unless a living creature is slain, it cannot be had. Hence is the fault in eating flesh. One should never eat meat of animals not dedicated in sacrifices and that are, therefore, slain for nothing, and that has not been offered to the gods and Pitris with the aid of the ordinances. I shall now cite another authority, depending upon that was declared by the ordainer himself, and established in the Vedas. [MGV adds here, now it is clear who is the ordainer -- who can put in the vEdaas – it is but the supreme lord himself] It has been said that, that religion which has 'acts' for its indications has been ordained for householders, O chief of kings, and not for those men who are desirous of emancipation. Manu himself has said that meat which is sanctified with mantras and properly dedicated, according to the ordinances of the Vedas, in rites performed in honour of the Pitris, is pure. All other meat falls under the class of what is obtained by useless slaughter, and is, therefore, uneatable, and leads to Hell and infamy. One should never eat, O chief of Bharata's race, like a Rakshasa, any meat that has been obtained by means not sanctioned by the ordinance. Indeed, one should never eat flesh obtained from useless slaughter and that has not been sanctified by the ordinance. That man who wishes to avoid calamity of every kind should abstain from the meat of every living creature. Unquote-- Point: So bheeshma's words are very clear and not contradictory – god's rules as in vEdaas or manu's rules for slaughtering and obtaining flesh for eating is all for " grahasthaas - the householders " and not for people 'desirous of emancipation' or liberation or mOksham - to put it in sanskrit. Since all " sri vaishNavaas " or " braahmaNaas " , in simple language, -- let it be sree vaishNavaas of India in southern parts or gaudiya vaishNavaas or raamaanand vaishNavaas or other vaishNavaas -- are all these people NOT aspiring for liberation from the chain of these births and deaths? May be through the grandest and simplest route of " PRAPATHTHI " for sree vaishNavaas, and bhakthi of krishNa or raama for others, are they not aspiring for mOksham or emancipation or liberation or freedom? Hence, there is no recourse to 'meat eating' by braahmaNaas. Now is it clear why sree vaishNavaas are prohibited from meat eating? Now turn the table on " raama's meat eating " – Is there any evidence of 'raama' trying to get mOksham from this chain of birth and death at any place in sreemadh raamaayaNam? Hey folks - for HE is THAT GRANTER of mOksham -- how then he will aspire for that what he gives to others even though location changed? Raama is living as an ordinary human being in sreemadh raamaayaNam – a fullfledged grihastha – as himself stated 'aathmaanam maanusham manyE' - now please answer me -- is there any thing wrong in raama eating meat – which is permitted by vedaas, and manu, raama's ancestor made clear. Now a small response to sri P.S.Kannan – now is this topic necessary or unnecessary? Further, I made my position very clear in the first post – as not to create any controversy, and bring out the facts only as stated by sage vaalmeeki, and as clarification of positions. Even among ourselves there are quite a large number of 'less informed' like me. So it is a discussion for 'group learning', and nothing more. There will always be baiters and we need NOT be afraid of them, as they themselves will backtrack, as happened, may be for some gains or other, or will be forced out on their own. What we are trying to study in the group is about raama, our ishta dheivam – so he will take care of himself and as well definitely take care of us. Even thyaagaraaja's own brother removed 'raama' from his brother [the vigraham to what swamy was offering his pooja], but swamy got it back and sung more glorifying krithis after getting back his raama. So let us not worry about baiters. 2. Thanks are due to sri K.S.Tatachar swamy for his points 'on culture and not religion' - an excellent way of analyzing things. Sreemadh bhagavadh geethaa's version of classification of food is already given. 3. Thanks to Sri Ranjan swamin and will give clarification as and when we take up related points. Dhasan Vasudevan m.g.-- Vasudevan MG -- Vasudevan MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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