Now science has proved eating beef has a lot of health risks. There is no mention of cow slaughter or beef eating in Vedas or any authenticated Sanatan Shatras (scriptures) nor it is a Hindu custom at all. Dayanand, the founder of Arya Samaj movement, had the courage to take on the so-called Hindu system with his exceptional knowledge in the Vedic scriptures. you've  Also read: Why beef eating should not be made into a virtue. | Suggestions google_ad_channel ="9439030369"; Once you are able to convince him of flaws in the foundation of this core tenet and make him feel guilty, he becomes an easy prey for the predator faiths. Respect for cow forms a core tenet of Hinduism. After the decision of beef ban in India, communists killed a number of cows in public and ate it in order to oppose the decision of the central government. And, mind that promoting vegetarianism should not be done in the name of so-called religion. . Now. The writer is co-founder of EduQuest and Ex-Editorial Head, DC Media, DC Books. The ancient and medieval Hindu texts recommend ahimsa—non-violence against all life forms including animals because they believe that it minimizes animal deaths. The theme is an evergreen song within the context of popular level of viewing at Indian spiritual tradition. 1. This also comes handy in convincing poor and illiterate Indians to give up their faith on the grounds that their fundamental holy books – the Vedas – contain all the inhuman elements like denigration of women, meat-eating, polygamy, casteism and above all – beef eating. Like Hearth diseases, Fat, Blood pressure. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of DailyO.in or the India Today Group. In the initial phase, the four varnas - the brahmins (priests, teachers and preachers), the kshatriyas (kings, governors, warriors and soldiers), the vaishyas (cattle-herders, agriculturists, artisans, and merchants) and the shudras (labourers and service providers) - were not decided by birth, but by karma (actions). Do not kill our cows, horses and people.". Respect for cow forms a core tenet of Hinduism. Then the acharyas introduce some further modifications as this based also on the verse which I read out from Manu Samhita- That if at all you say that you have to sacrifice animals, make animals out of clay, make … 2000-Present  Publishers: Because In Holy Rig Veda it declares straightly not to eat beef. google_color_bg = ["EBFFED","FFF5F6","FFFFFF","FFFFFF"]; Related articles: 1) Lay off meat-eating Hindus, 2) Hinduism & the Holy Cow. Saying that the Vedas permit beef-eating and cow-slaughter amounts to striking a lethal blow to a Hindu’s soul. He is right on saying that there's no Hindu religion. Do not kill those who are capable of being fathers and mothers. me the print edition Except Swami Dayanand Saraswati, none of the Indian leaders dared to spearhead a reformation purely based on the Vedas. Protect the cows. David Frawley’s many books are perhaps the best literature explaining Hindu dharma and … But even if one is able to prove beef eating in Upanishads, that still does not prove that there is beef in Vedas. Now that there is nothing to show in Vedas, focus of allegation has shifted to Upanishads. Respect for cow forms a core tenet of Hinduism. Jobs @ MG, __________________ Cows are considered "sacred" in Indian culture. Special google_ad_format = "728x90_as"; Among the Hindu scriptures Vedas are considered as most ancient and most sacred. Once you are able to convince him of flaws in the foundation of this core tenet and make him feel guilty, he becomes an easy prey for the predator faiths. Subscribe Saying that the Vedas permit beef-eating and cow-slaughter amounts to striking a lethal blow to a Hindu’s soul. google_color_text = ["6F6F6F","6F6F6F","333333","333333"]; google_ad_width = 160; Let us go through some of the mantras in the Vedas which unambiguously says a big "no" to killing animals for food. Ancient Hindu scriptures clearly permit the consumption of meat, even of cows. | Muslim Educational Loan Aid The farmer prayed for increase of cattle; the warrior expected cattle as booty; the priest was rewarded for his services with cattle. google_color_link = ["0000CC","0000CC","000000","000000"]; greeting cards, Privacy google_ad_client = "pub-7987110916974009"; These are specifically meant for you. People in India's rural areas are very sensitive about this animal as they look upon the cow as "gaumata" (mother). And, all the political parties, irrespective of their ideological differences are striving hard to get political mileage from the beef row. Opinions of Some Hindu Scholars on Beef Eating But the theory that in Vedic times there was no cow slaughter is historically inaccurate,as beef was offered as food to guests and persons of high status. He believed and propounded that Vedas belong to all living beings in the universe. To conclude my article establishing that the Vedas and the subsidiary texts permit beef eating as well as sacrificing animals, I will post the testimony of renowned classical Hindu scholars, besides the other notale scholars I have already quoted. The need of the hour is to democratise the Vedas and propagate the culture of peaceful coexistence. No, meat and fish eating is not explicitly forbidden in the Vedas. Additional reports of communal tension in the name of cow are expected to continue to trickle in. Rigveda, Manusmiriti sanction beef-eating. The honest question, however, is whether the Vedas offer evidence about cow slaughter and beef-eating, and if not, how the controversy arose in the first place. There was no 'Vedic beef-eating'. Us One can assume all the four roles in a single life. After the Islamic invasion in India, the communal Muslim rulers tried to hurt and demean the Hindu sentiments through cow slaughter. Respect for cow forms a core tenet of Hinduism. Let leave that now and come back to Narayanan's article. Online According to Dayanand, even the most celebrated Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita and epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana have relevance till they support the concepts in the Vedas. It was basically an ancient stratification of society and later misinterpreted as the root cause of caste discrimination in India. Once you are able to convince him of flaws in the foundation of this core tenet and make him feel guilty, he becomes an easy prey for the predator faiths. It says the four-fold order was created according to the divisions of quality and work, and birth has nothing to do with it. In India, issues around the cow, or "Gau" in Sanskrit, has been sensitive since the times of foreign invasion. google_color_bg = "FFFFFF"; Read books on Indian Muslim Islamic topics only on MG bookstore ! Also read: Why Hindus stopped eating beef and began to worship cows. Respect for cow forms a core tenet of Hinduism. The later Vedic period lies between 1000 BC to 600-700 BC. There are about 300 million cows in India which produce useful commodities like milk and dung cakes and promise capacity addition by giving birth to more calves. "Those who see all beings as souls do not feel infatuation or anguish at their sight, for they experience oneness with them. Baby Names | OutreachIndia google_color_border = ["A8DDA0","DDB7BA","B0E0E6","CCCCCC"]; google_ad_height = 600; Many Hindus follow a vegetarian diet (that may or may not include eggs and dairy products), that they believe is in sync with nature, compassionate, respectful of other life forms. Saying that the Vedas permit beef-eating and cow-slaughter amounts to striking a lethal blow to a Hindu’s soul. Diet in Hinduism varies with its diverse traditions. 32 Dayanand was a champion of promoting vegetarianism, women empowerment, child education and fight against untouchability. The term religion itself was alien to ancient Indians and the label "Hindu" was equated with the common culture of the people living here. The translation or interpretation of Vedic scripts demands expertise in Vedic vocabulary, philology and grammar. (RNI DELENG/2000/930; ISSN 0972-3366), Cartoons . The Tirukural, a 2,200-year-old masterpiece of ethics, states, "When a man realizes that meat is the butchered flesh of another creature, he will abstain from eating it" (257). However, not everyone agrees the poetic language of the Vedas to be an outright condemnation of the consumption of meat. A study, conducted by economists Santosh Anagol of the University of Pennsylvania, Alvin Etang of Economic Growth Center, Yale University, and Dean Karlan of department of Economics, Yale University, two years back, states that as an investment instrument, cow is a bad option, though it can boost the savings of people in rural India. Cartoons Respect for cow forms a core tenet of Hinduism. You eat rice, you eat barley, you eat gram and you eat sesame. News . 2 MG print edition As an academic and historian, he put forward some ambiguous points sans valid proof to claim that eating cows was popular in the Vedic period. Matrimonials Several Hindu scriptures forbid the eating of flesh, such as the Rig Veda. Saying that the Vedas permit beef-eating and cow-slaughter amounts to striking a lethal blow to a Hindu’s soul. Respect for cow forms a core tenet of Hinduism. Letters Cattle were in fact a sort of currency, and values were reckoned in heads of cattle," eminent indologist AL Basham stated in his much-acclaimed work The Wonder That Was India. Community Certainly, his views should be counted. But Western indologists like Max Müller, Griffith, Wilson, and Williams tried to interpret the Vedas with their little knowledge in Vedic Sanskrit. Latest Indian Muslim Statements If Rigveda (6/17/1) states that “Indra used to eat the meat of cow, calf, horse and buffalo.” Vashistha Dharmasutra (11/34) writes, “If a Brahmin refuses to eat the meat offered to him on the occasion of ‘Shraddha’ or worship, he goes to hell.” Also, comments of some great scholars of Hinduism … google_color_link = "000000"; And the foundation of Hinduism is that Vedas are supreme. Yajna and animal sacrifices In Hinduism, Yajna is a ritual of sacrifice derived from the practice of Vedic times. //-->. Science has also proved this. Now, let me come to the issue of beef-eating by brahmins.   Pharos Media & Publishing Pvt Ltd, New Delhi, Adi Shankaracharya. Even now many non-Hindu do not eat Beef. you haven't seen the print edition, Why Hindus stopped eating beef and began to worship cows The aggressive projection of Hindu identity has significantly influenced politics in India during the 20th century. "The Aryans followed a mixed pastoral and agricultural economy, in which cattle played a predominant part. The problem lies with spreading awareness on Vedas and the inability to interpret the gem of knowledge in the correct sense owing to the lethargy of Indians. So because still substantially there were people who were Hindus and they were saying that the Vedic literature tell us to eat meat so therefore we have to eat meat. Hinduism says eating beef brings roughness in Human behaviour. google_color_text = "333333"; As a part of it, consumption of beef has taken place in Southern India. True scholars know this. Book Store He's widely acclaimed as one of the eminent historians in Kerala and had graced the chairman's post at the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR). Scholars have known for centuries that the ancient Indians ate beef. Saying that the Vedas permit beef-eating and cow-slaughter amounts to striking a lethal blow to a Hindu’s soul. However, if the discussion is about practical spirituality, then the issue is not if eating the beef is right or not. Hindu scriptures never says the slaughter of cows ( Kamdhenu ) , Some Hindu Philosophers have told that Hinduism permit meat eating Fact:- Many people quote those, who may be good though one subject (like Yoga) but may not have credible understanding of the Vedas. 1. A condemnation is also found in the Atharva Veda, while in Yajurveda scripture, curiously enough, there is a mention of preparation of beef. Poignant scriptural citations counsel against eating meat. missed it ALL But, the Hindus were tuned to toe the lines of Semitic theory under the aegis of the British. to the Editor  Here's The Unpalatable Truth About Beef And Hinduism. Subscribe Vedas, the most ancient scriptures readable to present-day man, never promote animal slaughter. Lacto-Vegetarianism is an integral part of most schools of Hinduism although there is a wide variety of practices and beliefs that have changed over time because with the spiritual practices satvik food is more recommended by saints. send Once you are able to convince him of flaws in the foundation of this core tenet and make him feel guilty, he becomes an easy prey for the predator faiths. E-Greetings After the fourth century B.C., when the practice of vegetarianism spread throughout India among Buddhists, Jains and Hindus… Book Store ++, About Once you are able to convince him of flaws in the foundation of this core tenet and make him feel guilty, he becomes an easy prey for the predator faiths. | Muslim  Islamic google_color_url = "666666"; pages, Twice a month. This article was originally published in Hindu Voice UK in September 2006. Saying that the Vedas permit beef-eating and cow-slaughter amounts to striking a lethal blow to a Hindu’s soul. That's the economics of cows. B) Rigveda (6/17/1) states that “Indra used to eat the meat of cow, calf, horse and buffalo.” (translation by Avatar Gill and group) Fact : The mantra states that brilliant scholars enlighten the world in the manner that wood enhances the fire of Yajna. In a recent book in Malayalam titled Arshabharathathile Gomamsabakshanam, Acharya MR Rajesh, an ardent follower of Dayanand and the founder of Kasyapa Veda Research Foundation (KVRF), candidly states the vegetarian aspects of the Vedas and how misinterpretation of beef-eating gained momentum in the country. google_ad_width = 728; __________________, , Rejoinder The society in ancient India was based on four varnas, (the term "varna" means character, quality or nature. Here's what Vedas say on killing cows The problem lies with the inability to interpret the ancient texts in the correct sense. The fundamentals of Hindu culture lie in the Vedas. google_color_url = ["008000","008000","336699","666666"]; But if we go by astronomical dating of some of the hymns, we get a period of 7000 BC for a portion of the Vedas. © Copyright Reports . Let us now look at the evidence from Hindu texts, which proves that Hinduism not only permits beef eating but also requires its folowers to institute certain cow sacrifices. After the fourth century BC, when the practice of vegetarianism spread throughout India among Buddhists, Jains and Hindus, many Hindus continued to eat beef. Beef and cow hog the headlines these days. It's been a trend to oppose Hinduism and its beliefs in India by Communists. By one estimate, 30% of all Hindus are ovo-lacto vegetarians. google_ad_client = "pub-7987110916974009"; . ", Another mantra in Atharvaveda says, "It is definitely a great sin to kill innocents. Once you are able to convince him of flaws in the foundation of this core tenet and make him feel … India,