Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

Regarding your comments on Aryan outsiders, I wish to direct you to Wiki
The so-called Aryan Y-DNA paternal marker is R1A
The Indian version of R1A found heavily among Brahmins and Upper castes is M17
and is dated to 15000 years ago
The European version of R1A , found heavily among the Slavs of Eastern Europe is M458
and is dated to 12000 years ago
There is no trace of M458 in India, whereas DNA has found that M458 is descended from M17
and among European languages, Lithuanian is the closest to Sanskrit

The Kshatriya caste is allowed to eat meat, since it meant getting used to bloodshed

The Buddhist Jataka tales specifically labeled meat eaters and killers of animals and hunters as sinners
and in Buddhist countries, they often outsource killing of animals to outcaste groups like Burakumin in Japan

Several Buddhist Kings and Jain kings banned animal killing, all this filtered into Hinduism
At the time of the Buddha, Brahmins were beheading thousands of goats in fire ceremonies
whereas today, only backward caste Kali temples do animal sacrifice
The Buddha preached against animal killing and when the Buddha got made a Hindu avatar,
a lot of his teachings were also incorporated

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

Ramesh thank you for sharing that. The last part is particularly interesting to me, about changing of traditions over the years. I wonder what changed it... Anyone have any thoughts on that?

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

Buddhism preaches animals have souls

Jainism preaches Insects and Plants also have souls and humans could get re-incarnated into low levels
Jains dont eat root plants wherein you have to kill the plant such as potatos
Whereas a Jain could eat a fruit such as coconut, where the tree is not killed

Brahmanism is only part of the total religious sects in India

In the Buddhist Jataka tales, Brahmins who behead goats in fire yagnas are condemned

Jains and Buddhists got the ear of Kings and Merchants and Brahmins had to compete
and so they also took up Vegetarianism

In contemperory yagnas, goats are replaced by rice flour mini-mountains
and you sacriifce the rice mini-mountain instead of a goat

The Mahabharata is also a much revised document
The first version was called Jaya, the second version was called Vijaya and the Third version
is the Mahabharata

Lots of things got added on as needed

The Bhagvat Gita is a later period add-on to refute Buddhism
The Gita focused on doing your duty even if unpleasant
whereas the Buddha on his way to nirvana is tempted by the devil Mara,
who poses on why the Buddha is abandoning his dharma of being a king

Much of the vegetarian texts of the Mahabharata are added on to the words
of Bhishma as he lay dying for months and is a later add-on

In Hinduism cutting green trees is not a good act
So to some extent even wantonly destroying plant life is not accepted

So ultimately once you accept that all living things have a soul,
you have to minimize your eco-foot print as much as possible

The loophole in Hinduism is that people like Kshatriya warriors
need to be mentally immune to bloodshed and cruelty and so they are allowed to hunt and eat meat

Untouchability started only around 400 AD, and was due to Buddhists outcasting
killers of animals. This is well documented by Chinese Buddhist Pilgrims

Jainism was once very popular in South India

To compete with Jainism and Buddhism, Brahmins started to modify Hinduism
a lot of Buddhist and Jain doctrines were incorporated into Hinduism


Elephants were used in the army and so killing Elephants was a capital offense


The Brahmin - Aryan Y-DNA marker R1A is also associated with Lactose tolerance for adults
In Indo-European for the English 'daughter', the Sanskrit equiv is 'Duhitar'
Duhitar in Sanskrit also means milk-maid

Eating and drinking dairy products is 4 times more efficient than eating beef
and hence killing milking cows was banned

The holy cow has a different history
In Indian agriculture, the cow has the same function as a horse in western countries
and horse meat is abhorred in the USA
Cow dung is the main cooking fuel in rural India, so even old cows and oxen are useful
and Indian cows dont need corn or wheat, just grass or hay or surplus vegetables

Given widespread illiteracy in olden times
it was easier to mark certain animals and plants as holy for sound
economic or ecological reasons


Because so little meat is eaten in India, the huge Indian population does not cause much
global warming

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

Oops,
I forgot to add, Thirukural was Jain document, and has a vested
interest in Vegetarianism
But like so many other things, Hindu doctrine has absorbed this too

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

Ramesh Thank you for taking the time to share all this here. Much appreciated.

"In contemperory yagnas, goats are replaced by rice flour mini-mountains
and you sacriifce the rice mini-mountain instead of a goat"

I have participated in Pujas using this rice-flour mound. Very interesting how things evolve.

Thirukkural is a Jain document? Even more curious. Was Thiruvalluvar a Jain?

It's really interesting to note how Hinduism changed and became more 'strict' due to influence from Jains and Buddhists who are now-a-days considered more strict than Hindus over all- and in fact subsects of Hinduism. Interesting what they conveniently leave out of books on the history of Hinduism, not only written by Americans, but Indian authors in India too. Is there a taboo against admitting these things?

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

I don't think that there is any taboo in admiting. In fact Hindus were very proud of assimilating various good ideas. But it is not correct to credit the ideas of ahimsa to Buddhists/Jains. The Rig Vedic sages expressed unease about horse sacrifices and hoped that the horse is not really killed but just pacified ("shanthi") and they further prayed that the horse that was sacrificed was made whole in the other world. Since that time this unease about violence to animals was further developed in the Brahmanas and the Upanishads. So there was a lot of intellectual churning happening at that period 400BCE - 200BCE. And Buddhists and Jains contributed their ideas as well. The Buddha did not explicitly banned eating meat and to this day even Buddhist monks, nuns and the dalai lama eat meat. The Jains articulated complete abstinence from meat eating. Their monks carry a peacock broom to wipe the path in front of them while walking so that they may not kill any minute organisms. Of course, this became impractical for commoners. The approach suggested by Hinduism was following one's own dharma/guna. The sattvic people ("brahmins") will abstain totally since their passion is intellectual pursuit. The rajasic people ("Kshatriyas") will eat meat since their duty is to defend and rule. The kshatriyas are further not allowed to hunt for fun as it is considered a vice. The other folks are allowed to eat meat as well.

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

Thank you for sharing that alternative view point, Anand.
Very interesting to learn different thoughts/viewpoints. Opens my mind.

On a similar topic- anyone know if vegetarians in India eat items with yeast or cook with yeast? Is yeast considered vegetarian? I know things that get fermented like dosa/idli have no yeast.

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

Thiruvalluvar was a Jain

The daily lives of Hindus are / were governed by Smritis
These include Manusmriti or the smriti of Yajnavalkya
These were periodically updated every few hundred years
and they would have a paragraph which said 'The following practises in the scriptures are not allowed from now on "
Hinduism is a constantly evolving with times religion, just because something happened in
the scriptures 5000 years ago, is no reason to automatically do it if it is abhorrent today



The Greek mathematician Pythagoras, visited India and on his return to Greece, started a new religion called
Pythagoreanism which had as its tenets Vegetarianism and Transmigration of souls

The muslim invasions wiped out Buddhism and a lot of the Indian history has gaps

The initial version of Buddhism - Theravada, has Pali ( Hindi of 2500 years ago ) as its scriptural language
The next version Mahayana, has Sanskrit as its sacred language and added on dozens of Hindu gods
and Hinduism also took on Buddhist tenets as ban on animal sacrifice and added the Buddha as an avatar and they both gradually merged

Regarding yeast
As a practical matter, there is yeast, there is bacteria everywhere and it is impossible to be a pure vegetarian
What most Brahmins do is to stop at the animal kingdom
Yeast is OK, Mushrooms are Ok,
Insects and worms are not OK
The borderline is eggs, many eat eggs as it does not directly involve killing

Many castes become vegetarians to raise their status, this process is called Sanskritization
About 95% of vegetarian castes are upper castes
While military castes are upper caste non-vegetarian, of the rest, 75% of non-vegetarian castes are lower castes
and many people wanting to politely check caste of a stranger, simply ask about his diet

Bengali Brahmins are allowed to eat fish and are considered lower caste by mainstream Brahmins, who will not marry them

Among Nairs, since they are a soldier caste, they are allowed to eat meat, but many religious Nairs are
vegetarian by choice
Similarly Amritdhari Sikhs ( religious sikhs ) are vegetarian and the Namdhari sect of Sikhs is vegetarian

The Nairs used to have a matrilineal system and had a series of temperory husbands
For over a 1000 years, many of these temperory husbands were Kerala Nambudiri Brahmins,
with the result Nairs look identical to Kerala Brahmins

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

The mahabharata has conflicting information on meat eating

Bhishma advised against it
However the hero Bhima ate deer and goats
The King Nala was an expert cook of meat dishes

If you look at paintings of Hindu Rishis,
you will find that they sit on tiger skin or deer skin
and unlikely these animals died naturally

The rishi Agastya ( Indo-European Augustus ) ate goats

Many Jains run free animal hospitals and it is recorded by the British soldiers
that they offered to pay the British soldiers money to stop shooting wild birds

Many Hindus and Sikhs also run Goshalas or cow shelters for old cows
In America, many people run horse shelters

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

Ramesh, I really appreciate you spending time to type and share all that information.

I am particularly interested in the comparison of cows and horses. Until you bought it out, I never thought of it. Of course no one in America would say 'holy horse' as people say 'holy cow' in India, but it is true horses in American culture do have an exhaulted status and I have yet to hear people eat horse.

I have seen those images of sages/rishis sitting on skins. I guess it's true - they couldn't be killed naturally to have such beautiful, unmarred skin. If it was killed by other animals the skin would not be so flawless. So would sages/rishis who sit on such skins kill the animals or have someone do it? It's also interesting to note that 'pure vegetarians' in US try to avoid all animal products even leather, etc. But in India it's not always true- it's more based on diet (though it's changing among some). So, in India the ladies who carry leather purses- where does that leather come from? And people are well known for wearing silk saris which many vegetarians in US are against silk. Again I know some Indians who refuse to wear silk.

The third point that is most intriguing is your observation on people asking each other their diets to assess caste. This is a unique cultural note. It is kind of like learning an Indian language and rather than ask 'nalla irrikiya' (how are you in Tamil), many instead ask 'sappitteyaa?' (have you eaten) as a greeting. This is not taught in books, but insiders to the culture know it.

Why is it only upper castes are vegetarian? I know lower caste that become vegetarians and they are of course not doing as a family and the individual is scoffed at.

Another is the use of curds in Tamil Nadu. Among my friends who weren't Brahmins they rarely ate curd rice- it was a special dish on special occasions, and when I told them the friends houses I stayed at had curd rice daily they said to me, "Daily curd rice eaters are Brahmins.'

(I also personally feel uncomfortable using the terms 'upper and lower caste' but don't know other ways to say it.

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

There are a lot of grey areas

Hindus wear silk sarees and silk is made by killing millions of moths
Food grains are grown in farms where pesticide is used

People wear leather shoes
80% of Indian leather traders are Hindus

People do kill cockroaches and termites

In my house, non-lethal mouse traps were used and the trapped mice released a mile away
whereas in other brahmin households, the mice were killed

Almost no Indian is a vegan and are lacto-vegetarians and the way dairy
farming is practised needs a lot of improvement

In practise, Ahimsa is limited to vertebrates - mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

Per my understanding,
Higher levels of caste are awarded to groups who adhere more closely
to the rules
These rules include Diet, Alcohol, Free sex etc

By becoming vegetarian, a lower caste becomes upper caste
since it is now more closely adhering to the rules
This process is called Sanskritisation ( brahminisation )
Usually it is a 2 step process
By giving up beef a caste moves from Untouchable to
Touchable lower caste
And by becoming vegetarian it moves from lower caste to upper caste

Of course there is always the exemption for military castes


In India, in Hindu kingdoms, Cow kiling was banned and most cattle
died a natural death. Even today about 30% of cattle die a natural death
in cow shelters
The cattle disposal was done by untouchable castes
They would be in the leather trade and use the skin
Historically using leather was Ok as shoes, since most of the leather came from natural causes
Unlike today

Brahmin food uses a lot less masala
and curd rice is the main part of brahmin diet and rarely eaten by non-brahmins
I dont know why

Religious individuals in lower castes are vegetarians,
but many others in the caste dont want to give up chicken, mutton and fish

Many low caste people who have become vegetarians have become
famous gurus with a huge upper caste following
such as Mata Amritanandamayi of kerala

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

Regarding books

Most books are written by people who have an agenda

such as British colonialists, Christian misisonaries and Communists
who would like to paint Hinduism in adverse manner

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

Hinduism also has a concept called Apa-Dharma
meaning all rules can be broken in an emergency

In famines it is OK to eat dogs
It would be unrealistic to expect Eskimos to be vegetarians

In 1947, partition riots, millions of Hindus in Pakistan were forcibly fed beef
to try to make them convert to islam
but they simply went to India and stayed Hindu, since the beef-eating
was involuntary

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

Rishis on skins do make me feel uncomfortable and most people dont let their minds dwell on that
Brahmin carnatic music drummers do drum on cow skin

In olden times, water bags were made of leather

Initially there was a vedic human sacrifce, google up 'Shunahshepa'
humans got replaced by goats and goats by rice mounds

Even goat sacrifice makes current Brahmins sick

so it is an evolving process

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

Among vegetarian households, there is a concept called
'Purity of the Kitchen',
and non-vegetarians are not allowed into the kitchen
for fear of ritual pollution

This is often the main reason behind opposition to inter-caste marrriages

However, in extremis, Tamil Brahmins will prefer a non-brahmin vegetarian bride
to a fish eating Bengalii Brahmin bride

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

Vedic Hinduism is extremely pro-Nature, unlike Abrahamic religions, where Yahweh
asks man to fully exploit nature
But actual vegetarianism is hard to find until Jainism and Buddhism circa 500 BC

Thanks to Jainism and Buddhism, the goat beheading brahmins of 500 BC, had become fully vegetarian by 500 AD

http://www.hindu-blog.com/2008/04/hinduism-and-nature-today-is-earth-day.html

* One should not destroy the trees. (Rig Veda Samhita vi-48-17)
* Plants are mothers and Goddesses. (Rig Veda Samhita x-97-4)
* Trees are homes and mansions. (Rig Veda Samhita x-97-5)
* Sacred grass has to be protected from man's exploitation (Rig Veda Samhita vii-75-8)
* Plants and waters are treasures for generations. (Rig Veda Samhita vii-70-4)

* Earth, atmosphere, sky, sun, moon, stars, waters, plants, trees, moving creatures, swimming creatures, creeping creatures all are hailed and offered oblations. (Taittiriya Samhita i-8-13)

* One should protect the habitation. (Rig Veda Samhita vi-71-3)
* Waters as friends of man give full protection to his progenies. (Rig Veda Samhita vi-50-7)

* One shall take care of quadrupeds. (Taittiriya Samhita iv-4-10)
* One shall be auspicious to animals. (Taittiriya Samhita ii-3-14)

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

Thiruvalluvar himself became a vegetarian who was originally an untouchable

Thiru means respected
Valluvar means he is from Valluvan caste,
which is the priestly caste for the Untouchables

The valluvans are said to be the result of a brahmin rishi mating with an untouchable woman

Valluvans are vegetarians for 4 months of the year and the rest of the year
they eat mutton, fish and chicken
They dont eat beef

They run their own temples where they sacrifice goats

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

The story oif Dharma Vyaddha in the Mahabharata
( This type of story will not be found in Buddhism or Jainism )

The Vyadha Gita (meaning, teachings of a butcher) is a part of the epic Mahabharata and consists of the teachings imparted by a vyadha (Butcher) to a brahmin sannyasin (monk). It occurs in the Vana Parva section of Mahabharata and is told to Yudhisthira, a Pandava by sage Markandeya.[1] In the story, an arrogant sannyasin is humbled by a Vyadha, and learns about dharma (righteousness). The vyadha teaches that "no duty is ugly, no duty is impure" and it is only the way in which the work is done, determines its worth.

The surprised sannyasin asks the vyadha as to how he could became illumined by doing a "filthy, ugly work". The vyadha says that his past karma placed him in these circumstances. The vyadha further advises, "no duty is ugly, no duty is impure"[12] and it is only the way in which the work is done, determines its worth.[13] The vyadha advises that all work must be done by "dedicating to God"[13] and by sincere and unattached performance of the alloted duty one can become illumined.

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

Dharma Vyaddha continued

When the Brahman expresses surprise that one so advanced in spirituality should follow so brutal and disgusting an occupation, the butcher points out that absolute abstention from taking life, knowingly or unwittingly, is impossible, as all life lives upon other life. Even ascetics who make a vow of ahimsa cannot completely eschew himsa, all that they can do is to limit it to the barest limits possible.

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

I appreciate your time and enthusiasm to share your knowledge, Ramesh. I am sure it will enrich others who come to read this page.

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

The story of Raja Shibi

This story appears in the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Buddhist Jataka tales
Buddhist monasteries even as far as China have this episode as paintings on the walls

One day, Indra and Agni decide to test Shibi

As Shibi is doing his vedic sacrifice, a pigeon flies to his lap seeking protection
And Shibi agrees
Next minute an eagle flies in after the pigeon and demands that Shibi hands over the pigeon
Shibi refuses saying that the pigeon is under his protection

The eagle says that he and his chicks also have to eat
and demands meat equal to the weight of the pigeon

A weighing scale is brought in with the pigeon on one side
on the other side, Shibis servants offer to put in a goat

Shibi refuses the goat, saying the life of the goat is as valuable as the pigeon
Shibi then slices off meat from his own body,
but the pigeons weight keeps on increasing

Finally Shibi jumps on the scale himself at which point the gods reveal themselves and
reward Shibi

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

"How can the drunkard be truthful or the flesh-eater compassionate?" runs a Sanskrit verse which appears in the anthologies. It reveals a climate of opinion, continental in its provenance, which links up vegetarianism with a superior ethic. Its emergence can be traced back to the mediaeval ages, if not earlier.

Fa-hsien (7th century A.D., Chinese buddhist pilgrim) reported that "no respectable person ate meat, the consumption of which was confined to the lower classes." This ethical attitude was the result of a long evolution

In some Hindu and Jain texts, preventing the killing of animals is considered better than telling the truth

The Thirukural has a chapter on honesty
In one of its verses, it says that lying is Ok if done for a good cause
In its commentaries, the example given is deliberately lying to a hunter about the location of an animal

In the Hindu context, there is the story of Satya vrata, a Rishi who only spoke the truth

( The story of Satya-Vrata in the Devi Bhagavafa (Third Skanda) )

One day, he sees a wild boar bleeding from an arrow shot by a hunter and feels compassion for the animal
The hunter soon arrives and demands to know where the animal went and the Rishii deliberately gives a wrong answer

--

A hindu vegetarian farmer caste or artisan caste is considered Vaishya, and eligible for sacred thread ( poonal )
whereas a mutton-chicken-fish eating farmer or artisan caste is considered Shudra
( low caste touchable ) and not eligible for sacred thread

--

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

Historically the Ashvamedha yagam involved a horse sacrifice
These days a modified vegetarian version is done

October 2005
By Syed Akbar
Hyderabad, Oct 20: Come December 11 and Hyderabad will witness the revival of a rare Vedic ritual that was practised by saints and kings thousands of years ago.
City-based Aananda Aashramam will organise the "Ashwamedha Yagam", a quite popular Vedic ritual in ancient India but gradually lost patronage about 2000 years ago. Being performed for the first time in modern India, Ashwamedha Yagam is aimed at achieving world peace,

"It is once in a life time opportunity. Ashwamedha Yagam is of two types - Snarta Ashwamedha Yagam and Srouta Ashwamedha Yagam. Kings who performed Srouta Ashwamedha Yagam used to sacrifice a horse at the end of it. The Snarta Ashwamedha Yagam was performed by saints and divine personalities without involving animal sacrifice. We are going to observe the Snarta variety in Hyderabad, reviving the tradition that had become extinct long ago," says organiser (Yaga Kartha) Dr PV Sesha Sai.

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

Tamil brahmins at Kut

Several Tamil Brahmins were members of the British Indian Army medical staff
ear;y 20th century

Then WW1 broke out, and a British Indian army was sent to invade Iraq,
then ruled by the Turks

This expeditionary force was besieged at the town of Kut in Iraq
and the siege lasted for months
These former vegetarians ate cows, donkeys, horses, dogs and cats to avoid
starvation

Then the British finally surrendered and these Tamil brahmins with the rest of POWs
were sent to filthy POW camps where they had to eat meat mixed meals

After WW1 ended, they returned home and had to perform a purification ceremony
before being re-admitted into their homes

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

The rishi Agastya was a noted goat eater
But in the Smritis, it is written that meat eating is no longer allowed for brahmins

Agastya is said to have "dedicated" all the forest animals to the deity Rudra hence making them fit for eating if killed while hunting

Vathapi legend

Another story has it that two demon brothers, Ilvala and Vathapi, used to kill people who were passing by the forest in a special manner. Vathapi was good at changing to other life forms and the other, Ilvala knew the supernatural slogan Sanjivani mantra which, when invoked can bring back a dead person to life. They hatched a plan against Agastya that Vathapi would turn into a goat and be killed and fed to Agastya. After Agastya had eaten the meat, Ilvala would invoke the Sanjivani mantra to bring back his brother Vathapi to life, who in turn would rend Agastya's stomach and come out thereby killing him. By the plan, one changed into a goat and the other disguised himself as a Brahmachari who invited Agastya to a meal. Agastya knew beforehand about the plan due to his immense Vedic powers, but he resolved to teach both a lesson. After the meal, Agastya simply rubbed his stomach saying Vathapi JeerNo bhava; literally may Vathapi be digested, while the other demon tried to bring his brother to life in vain. Agastya plainly informed the demon that his brother has been digested and could no longer be brought back to life.

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

The greening of the Rajasthan deserts

About 500 years ago, there was a severe drought and famine in Rajasthan in which millions of people
died
The local holy man, Jambuji, noticed that first the plants died, next the animals died and then the people died
and eating animals put more stress on the environment

He ordered his followers to follow 29 rules, hence the name Bisnoi ( means 29 in Rajasthan )
Among the rules were to be vegetarian, to plant trees on the desert, to create sanctuaries for wild life
To stop poachers, not to cut down green trees and only use wood from dead trees

The net effect is that wherever the bisnois abound, the desert has been rolled back
In the bisnoi areas, you can see semi-tame deer in their temples where they are fed as a holy act

Their lifestyle has helped the bisnois become a very prosperous community

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

In Hindu tradition, killing animals is considered an unavoidable evil,

and it is considered mandatory to give the animal a quick death

In Hindu / sikh texts it is forbidden to eat halal / kosher meat
where the animal dies a slow death

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

About 250 years ago, the Patel caste in Gujurat were mutton eating Shudra caste

They then decided to raise their caste level

They then decided to follow Swami Narayan sect which preached vegetarian diet
and now the Patels are Vaishya caste

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

http://ecocean.org/forum/index.php?topic=120.0;wap2

Spiritual guru’s word saves hundreds of whale shark in Gujarat

(1/1)

Steve Fox:
From http://www.indianexpress.com/story/21555.html

VERAVAL, JANUARY 22: For a fisherman, nothing is perhaps more painful than to let go of a big catch with his own hands, especially if it happens to be a 30-ft whale shark that would fetch at least Rs 80,000.

But that’s exactly what fishermen of Saurashtra are doing — often cutting their expensive nets and releasing the whale shark they once butchered by the hundreds as the gentle giants came to breed in the warm waters of the Arabian Sea.

On the face of it, behind this change of heart is a ban on hunting whale sharks. But the fishermen couldn’t have cared less for the law if not for one man’s word of faith, Morari Bapu’s.

One day in 2003, the guru ventured into the sea off Dwarka and blessed a whale shark entangled in a net and said he wished the creature was left alone. The killings stopped almost immediately.

This was two years after the Central government ban on killing whale shark in 2001, and the forest department was struggling to implement it. Every year, at least 250 whale sharks were killed along the Saurashtra coast.

But Morari Bapu, famous for his Ram kathas, knew that in spite of a large following among the fishing communities even his word was not enough. He decided to combine his preaching with the strict laws for whale shark protection to convince the fishermen against hunting.

“Whale sharks come to Saurashtra coast to give birth and end up getting brutally killed. I reasoned with the fishermen by comparing the whale shark with a daughter who comes home to give birth. Instead of death we should give them respect,’’ the soft-spoken guru told The Indian Express.

The whale shark, protected and classified as a vulnerable species world wide, migrates from as far as the waters of Australia and Mexico to give birth in the warmth of the Arabian Sea along the Saurashtra coast. They are often found just 1-2 km off the fishing ports of Veraval, Dwarka, Diu, Mangrol and Porbandar.

The rare guests were hunted in the hundreds every year by fishermen who modify their normal fishing boats, arming them with harpoons weighing 8 to 10 kg and ropes tied to half a dozen empty plastic barrels. “The worst part is they would start cutting it alive. The waters of Veraval and Bhidiya harbour used to turn red,” says K Babariya, Veraval range forest officer.

Agents of fish processing and export firms would pay up to Rs 1 lakh for a 40-foot whale shark weighing 8 to 10 tonnes. Its fins, liver from which oil is extracted, and meat has great demand and fetch a heavy price in the international market. In the coastal fishing towns, it is said that if a fisherman netted two whale sharks in a season he could afford to sit at home the rest of the year.

As the whale shark fetch such a huge price, I felt there was jealousy among a majority of fishermen. Some were angry too. That is when I felt I should tell them about the strict laws against killing this whale,” Morari Bapu said.

“Till then I did not know why and under what laws the whale shark was protected. I learnt a little bit, like the maximum jail sentence if one is caught, why the whale shark is an endangered species, and started spreading awareness, he said.

“A couple of corporate houses also approached me and I joined their efforts.” Besides the International Fund for Animal Welfare and Wildlife Trust of India, Tata Chemicals and Gujarat Heavy Chemicals have also joined the campaign to save the rare breed.

“Morari Bapu being a respected spiritual leader, his word has provided us a positive inputs in the campaign to save the whale shark,” said Pradeep Khanna, chief conservator of forest (wildlife).

The holy man’s words have indeed tamed greed. The powerful Kharwa community, which dint care for the laws, has also fallen in line. “We used to get good money but after the ban and with Morari Bapu appealing, most fishermen have stopped catching that fish,” said Narsinh Dholki, president of the Kharwa Association. The Kharwas worship whales, which are mammals, as an incarnation of Lord Hanuman but since the whale shark is classified as a fish they have been hunting it without religious qualms.

Several fishermen who cut their nets that often costs up to Rs 10,000 to release trapped whale sharks have been felicitated by Morari Bapu on several occasions.

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

Wiki
Origin of the Bishnois

The sect was founded by Guru Jambheshwar (b. 1451) after a drought in the Marwar region of India. He made a community having 29 principles to follow thus Bishnoi translates as Twenty-niners. Further, the Guru directed the worship of lord Vishnu (Bishnu). Killing animals and the felling of trees was banned. One of his 29 principles states "jeev daya palni, runkh lilo nahi dhave" which means to protect trees and animals, thus trees and animals are considered to be sacred by the Bishnois.

Bishnois are strong lovers of wild animals. It is because of their protection that in Bishnoi-dominated areas, deer and antelope (such as blue bulls, black bucks, chinkaras and chowsinghas) are seen grazing peacefully in their fields despite the fact that the State of Rajasthan where the Bishnois mainly live, faces severe water shortages.

In recent years, the Bishnoi community has launched strong protests against the killing of black bucks by Salman Khan, a Bollywood film star and Mansur Ali Khan of Pataudi, a former Indian cricketer

On a Tuesday (the 10th day of the month of Bhadrapad, according to the Indian lunar calendar, in 1730 AD, Amrita Devi, a Bishnoi woman was at her home with her three daughters, Asu, Ratni and Bhagu bai, when she learned that a number of people had descended on their otherwise sleepy village of Khejarli, named after "Khejri" (Prosopis cineraria) trees, found in abundance in the village. The people were a party of men sent by Maharaja Abhay Singh, the ruler of the kingdom of Jodhpur, in the Marwar region; their mission was to fell green Khejri trees to burn lime for the construction of the Maharaja's new palace and there was a lot of greenery in the Bishnoi villages even in the middle of the Thar Desert.
[edit] The martyrdom of Amrita Devi

Amrita Devi protested against the Maharaja's men who were attempting to cut green trees as it was prohibited according to Bishnoi principles. The malevolent feudal party told her that if she wanted the trees to be spared, she would have to give them money as a bribe. She refused to acknowledge this demand and told them that she would consider it an act of insult to her religious faith and would rather give her life to save the green trees. At that point she spoke these words:

Sar santey rookh rahe to bhi sasto jaan
(If a tree is saved even at the cost of one's head, it's worth it)

Having said these words she offered her head. The axes, which were brought to cut the trees, severed her head. The three young girls Asu, Ratni and Bhagu were not daunted, and offered their heads too.
[edit] The Khejarli Massacre

The news spread like wildfire. The Bishnois of Khejarli gathered and sent summons to their counterparts in eighty-three Bishnoi villages in the vicinity to come and decide on the next course of action. Since the supreme sacrifice by Amrita Devi and her daughters had not satisfied the royal party, and the felling of green trees was continued, it was decided that for every green tree to be cut, one Bishnoi volunteer would sacrifice his/her life. In the beginning, old people voluntarily started holding the trees to be cut in an embrace (as in the 20th century Chipko Movement).

Despite many valiant old persons sacrificing themselves, the Hakim (the royal party's leader), Girdhar Das Bhandari, taunted the Bishnois that they were offering unwanted old persons. Soon, young men and women (including the recently married) and children were sacrificing themselves in a similar manner.

There was pandemonium. The tree-felling party was badly shaken. With their mission unfulfilled, they left for Jodhpur to relay these events to the Maharaja. As soon as he learned about it, he ordered the felling of trees to be stopped.

By that time, three hundred and sixty three (363) Bishnois, young and old, men and women, married and unmarried, rich and poor had already become martyrs.
[edit] Khejarli Massacre aftermath

Honouring the courage of the Bishnoi community, Maharaja Abhay Singh apologised for the mistake committed by his officials and issued a royal decree, engraved on a copper plate ordering the following:

* All cutting of green trees and hunting of animals within the revenue boundaries of Bishnoi villages was strictly prohibited.
* It was also ordered that if by mistake any individual violated this order, he would be prosecuted by the state and a severe penalty imposed.
* Even members of the ruling family would not shoot animals in or near Bishnoi village

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

Jainism teaches to have tremendous respect for all of life. Prohibitions for hunting and meat eating are the fundamental conditions for being a Jain.

The first Precept of Buddhism is the respect for all sentient life. The general approach by all Buddhists is to avoid killing any living animals. The Buddha explained the issue by saying "all fear death; comparing others with oneself, one should neither kill nor cause to kill".

Indian social norms are generally antagonistic to hunting, while a few sects like the Bishnoi lay special emphasis on the conservation of particular species like the antelope. India's Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 bans the killing of all wild animals.

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

Prince Siddhartha's ( Buddha ) Kindness

One day he was walking in the woods with his cousin Devadatta, who had brought his bow and arrows with him. Suddenly, Devadatta saw a swan flying and shot at it. His arrow brought the swan down. Both the boys ran to get the bird. As Siddhartha could run faster than Devadatta, he reached the swan's injured body first and found, to his surprise, that it was still alive. He gently pulled out the arrow from the wing. He then got a little juice from cool leaves, put it on the wound to stop the bleeding and with his soft hand stroked the swan, which was very frightened. When Devadatta came to claim the swan, Prince Siddhartha refused to give it to him. Devadatta was very angry to see his cousin keeping the swan away from him. "Give me my bird! I shot it down," said Devadatta.

"No, I am not going to give it to you," said the Prince. "If you had killed it, it would have been yours. But now, since it is only wounded but still alive, it belongs to me."

Devadatta still did not agree. Then Siddhartha suggested, "Let us go to the court of the Sage and ask him who really owns the swan." Devadatta agreed, so off they went to the court of the Sage to tell him about their quarrel.

The Sage, hearing both boys' version of the story, said, "A life certainly must belong to he who tries to save it, a life cannot belong to one who is only trying to destroy it. The wounded swan by right belongs to Siddhartha."

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

The story of Muruga and the cat

One day, Muruga takes an iron nail and scratches the face of a stray cat

When he returns home, he sees the scratch on the face of Parvathi, his mother

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

Buddhist Jataka Tales

The Laughing and Crying Sheep

In those days, there was a brahman master. He ordered his students to catch and kill a sheep for feasting brahmins and donate on behalf of passed away relatives.

After being catched, a sheep laughed and cried. The students asked the sheep “Why did you laughed and cried ?”

The sheep replied “Do you really want to know ? If you want to know, bring me to see your master.”

With curiousity, the students brought the sheep to see their master. The master asked the sheep “Why did you laughed and cried ?”

The sheep replied “In those days, I’ve been a brahman master like you. I killed a sheep and donate on behalf of died relatives. After that, I’ve been beheaded for five hundred lifes. I laughed because my sin will be paid off today. I cried because I take a pity on you that you will receive punishment like me.”

Being scared, the brahman master said that “Mr. sheep, Don’t be scared, I will never kill you.”

“Whether you kill me or not, I will die today.” The sheep said.

The brahman master consoled the sheep, “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you from everyone. No one can hurt you.” and then free the sheep.

The brahman master, along with his students, followed the sheep to protect it from being hurt. Minutes later, the sheep raised it’s head up to eat a leaf which is stick to a wall. Suddenly, a thunderbolt stoke the sheep at it’s neck and the sheep was beheaded.

A tree god appeared and said “If you know that birth is a cause of suffering, you shouldn’t kill anyone; because killing suffers others, and you will be punished forever.”

The tree god finally reincarnated as the Buddha.

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

Jains pay religious beggars who allow bed bugs to suck their blood
Brahmins will kill bedbugs and termites and cockroaches and flies and mosquitos and other pests
happily

Animal sacrifice still happens in Shakti temples
1500 years ago, at the Kanchi Kamakshi temple, animal sacrifices were taking place
and the Shankaracharya prayed to the devi to reduce her fierceness and animal sacrifices were stopped

In the Sati myth, the body of sati is cut up into pieces and each piece falls at a different Shakti site
At Hinglaj in Baluchistan the toe, At Dacca in Bangladesh the eye and at
Kamakhya in Assam, the vagina
Kamakhya is actually a narrow cave between 2 hills and filled with shrubs

At all the shakti sites, animal sacrifce still happens

On youtube, they show goats beheaded at kamakhya
I have never seen an animal sacrifice before
The head is severed in half a second like a guillotine
And it is much more humane than Halal or Kosher

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

Regarding Brahmins and curd rice

Here is my explanation
It has to do with lactose tolerance for adults

It has been noticed that the Paternal Y-DNA marker, R
is associated with Adults being able to eat milk products

For Brahmins and upper castes, about 50% carry the R marker
( R1A and R2 ),
East Europeans about 50% carry R1A and west Europeans about 50% have R1B

Lower castes on the other hand have only about 10% R marker
Their main marker at about 40% rate is H

So being unable to digest milk. they would not have milk in their diet

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

i find that many of ur comments factually & historically incorrect.
dont take it in bad taste . its just my opinion on ur comments

Re: Vegetarianism: Non-violence as Daily Practice

Hi Iyer, thank you for your valuable insight. I am happy to hear other views. Yes, it is true we all experience life differently and understand facts/situations differently. Even two people who experience the same event will remember it differently.

I am again always happy to hear other views, thoughts, opinions, expressions, including yours!

Thank you for spending time on my website.