Fwd: raama's food habits 6

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forwarded again as stated in post 5

MGV---------- Forwarded message ----------MG Vasudevan <vasudevanmgOct 15, 2007 11:23 AM

raama's food habits 6 , tiruvenkatam <tiruvenkatam

>, oppiliappan <oppiliappan >

Post 6

Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

 

Continuing sri sudarsan swamy's mail –

Quote –

point a. On the subject of food (meat, alcohol) & chastity there is quite a bit ofinformation AdiyEn have heard. Need your help to get these clarified discretely.

Unquote –

 

Here are some interesting aspects on this eating of meat by a braahmaNa – in chapter 37 of saanthi parvam sage vyaasa says like this

– quote

§ The bull, earth, little ants, worms generated in dirt, and poison, should not be eaten by Brahmanas.

§ They should not also eat fishes that have no scales, and 4-footed aquatic animals like frogs and others, except the tortoise.

§ Water-fowls called Bhasas, ducks, Suparnas, Chakravakas, diving ducks, cranes, crows, shags, vultures, hawks, owls, as also all 4-footed animals that are carnivorous and that have sharp and long teeth, and birds, and animals having 2 teeth and those having 4 teeth, as also the milk of the sheep, the she-ass, the she-camel, the newly-calved cow, woman and deer, should not be taken by a Brahmana.

Unquote –

 

Just before the above paragraph another interesting aspect is available in the same chapter

– quote --

'When an occasion for doubt respecting what should be done arises, that should be regarded as the injunction of the scriptures, which 10 persons versed in Vedic scriptures or 3 of those that frequently recite them may declare.[119]'

unquote

[MGV adds 119 is point or explanatory note 119 and that note 119 reads

-- quote

119. There were, as now, persons with whom the reading or recitation of the scriptures was a profession. The functions of those men were not unlike those of the rhapsodists of ancient Greece.

Unquote --

 

Since, presently, many of those well versed in scriptures or who recite, declare and as sri sudarsan swamy - suggests / advices / says / informs - in his mail

 

-- quote

'To avoid this kind of confusion, it is best to follow the path of Sat SampradAyam shown by Sri Vaishnava AchAryas', -- unquote

 

So it is very clear and is always better to follow what living aachaaryaas of the present days suggest and that will be the 'yuga dharmam' as of now and as ordained by sage vyaasa as above.

 

Yet another very very interesting point in chapter 22 of anusaasana parvam is there –

quote --

" Yudhishthira said, 'Tell me, O grandsire,

§ what is superior to Brahmacharya?

§ What is the highest indication of virtue?

§ What is the highest kind of purity?'

Bhishma said, 'I tell thee, O son, that

§ abstention from honey and meat is even superior to Brahmacharya.

§ Righteousness consists in keeping within boundaries or in self-restraint,

§ the best indication of Righteousness is Renunciation (which is also the highest kind of purity). [2]

unquote --

 

This explanatory note 2 is

quote

118:2 The Bengal reading Brahmacharya is better than the Bombay reading of that word in the accusative. Bhishma apparently gives 2 answers. These however involve 3. By maryada is meant boundaries or limits. The duties of men have known bounds. To transgress those bounds would be to transgress duty. The highest indication of Righteousness is samah or absence of desire for all worldly objects; hence Renunciation.

Unquote

 

Dear bhakthaas – now perhaps it is very clear what are the intentions of raama when hanumaan says to seethaa in sundhara kaaNdam, 'raama is not taking honey and meat in your absence' – simply raama lived and shown himself as an example on all 3 points as above - what later bheeshma preached as 'dharmam' or 'righteousness' in mahaa bhaaratham.

 

We have already seen that raama lived as a brahmachari - as per tenets of manu – even while in 'grihastha aasramam' – when seethaa was by his side - before abduction by raavaNa - quoted from manu saasthram in another discussion on brahmacharya.

 

Why the above point is quoted is -- sri sudarsan swamy says in his mail – quote --

 

b. Meat & alcohol were avoided by brahmins due to a historical episode (ShukrAcharya, who spelt out these should be avoided by Brahmins to maintain their stature), and until that time, these were also consumed. –unquote

 

Madhu does not always mean alcohol but can mean honey also and as clarified above.

 

On the sukraachaarya episode or advice, I will take up that later since my topic is on raama's food habits and not on braahmanaas' food habits.

 

Dhasan

Vasudevan m.g.-- Vasudevan MG -- Vasudevan MG