For it completely marks off the Touchables from the Untouchables. Before closing the subject it may be desirable to dispose of possible objections to the thesis. THE stoppage of beef-eating by the Brahmins and the non-Brahmins and the continued use thereof by the Broken Men had produced a situation which was different from the old. The only way to beat the Buddhists was to go a step further and be vegetarians. The cow was sacred, living or dead. Buddhism had made so deep an impression on the minds of the masses and had taken such a hold of them that it was absolutely impossible for the Brahmins to fight the Buddhists except by accepting their ways and means and practising the Buddhist creed in its extreme form. As to why they did not imitate the Brahmins and the non-Brahmins the answer is two fold. If the Brahmins had acted from conviction that animal sacrifice was bad, all that was necessary for them to do was to give up killing animals for sacrifice. The Broken Men were a community of paupers with no means of livelihood and entirely dependent upon the Settled Community. That the cow is venerated in the Rig Veda is of course true. The clue to the worship of the cow is to be found in the struggle between Buddhism and Brahmanism and the means adopted by Brahmanism to establish its supremacy over Buddhism. It is unnecessary to enlarge upon the subject further. Obviously, it cannot be. The hatred and contempt preached by the Brahmins was directed against Buddhists in general and not against the Broken Men in particular. Excerpted from Chapters 9 to 14 (Part IV and V) of B.R. Clearing distortionary theories and unravelling the truth behind Brahmin vegetarianism. It attacked Brahmanism on all sides as no religion had done before. [...] The adjective Aghnya applied to the cow in the Rig Veda means a cow that was yielding milk and therefore not fit for being killed. Beef-eating was not merely a crime. Even this explanation does not fit in with facts. One is that religion is inseparable from sacred things. Were the Untouchables given to beef-eating from the very start? Let the Brahmins answer that question. In the second place, carrying the dead cow had become an obligation though originally it was a privilege. There must therefore be some special reason why in India the difference between the Settled Community and the Broken Men in the matter of beef eating created a bar between the two. A one-stop-shop for seeing the latest updates, and managing your preferences. Surely not. Unfortunately beef-eating, instead of being treated as a purely secular matter, was made a matter of religion. To put it slightly differently, there are two elements in every religion. At the outset I would say that Brahmins of yore did eat, rather taste, meat, even beef, as part of Vedic rituals; not as food for breakfast, lunch or dinner; never for pleasure. The second is why did they not give up beef-eating when the Brahmins and the non-Brahmins abandoned it. The interdictions relating to the sacred are not open to discussion. These animals are given antibiotics to prevent disease caused by their living conditions and to promote weight gain. The evidence consists of facts which relate to the Mahars of the Maharashtra to whom reference has already been made. It attacked Brahmanism on all sides as no religion had done before. This difference lay in the face that while in the old situation everybody ate beef, in the new -situation one section did not and another did. For instance, the Veda must be uttered only by the Brahmin and not by the Shudra. upholds the doctrine of transmigration (VI.2) and yet recommends that if a man desires to have a learned son born to him he should prepare a mass of the flesh of the bull or ox or of other flesh with rice and ghee. In Rig Veda (X. But there is nothing surprising in it. Why did they, as an extreme step, give up meat eating altogether and become vegetarians? That the Aryans of the Rig Veda did kill cows for purposes of food and ate beef is abundantly clear from the Rig Veda itself. It divides Hindus into vegetarians and flesh eaters. Ambedkar asks in this excerpt from ‘Beef, Brahmins and Broken Men: An Annotated Critical Selection from The Untouchables’ It divides Hindus into those who eat cow’s flesh and those who do not. *Our Digital Subscription plans do not currently include the e-paper, crossword and print. Yuan Chwang, the Chinese traveller was aware of this and spoke of the pure kinds of flesh as San-Ching... As the Buddhist Bhikshus did eat meat the Brahmins had no reason to give it up. To my mind, it was strategy which made the Brahmins give up beef-eating and start worshipping the cow. If the Hindus were eating beef, when did they give it up? Once the cow became sacred and the Broken Men continued to eat beef, there was no other fate left for the Broken Men except to be treated unfit for association, i.e., as Untouchables. What one likes the other dislikes and yet this difference does not create a bar between the two. Printable version | Dec 12, 2020 2:37:26 PM | https://www.thehindu.com/books/why-did-the-brahmins-become-vegetarian-br-ambedkar-asks-in-this-excerpt-from-beef-brahmins-and-broken-men-an-annotated-critical-selection-from-the-untouchables/article30208983.ece, Dubai-based Indian-origin writer Avni Doshi, who was shortlisted among the final six authors for her debut novel ‘Burnt Sugar’, lost out on the top prize, Neither grey cells nor lustrous moustache have at all dimmed in glory. Subscribe to The Hindu now and get unlimited access. Asoka had therefore no particular reason to make a law to save the cow. One is the general atmosphere of scorn and contempt spread by the Brahmins against those who were Buddhists and the second is the habit of beef-eating kept on by the Broken Men. The fundamental question remains if he was so influenced by Brahmin Kautilya, why did he choose to become Jain? The answer is that the Brahmins had to suspend or abrogate a requirement of their Vedic religion in order to overcome the supremacy of the Buddhist Bhikshus. Without the realization of this fact, it is impossible to explain some of the features of Hinduism. Vegetarians are “pure”. What made the Brahmins become vegetarian? Everybody could see it. The answer is that without becoming vegetarian the Brahmins could not have recovered the ground they had lost to their rival namely Buddhism. I shall come to that with the intro below. The sacred and the profane do not belong to the same class. Are IT project managers facing an existential crisis? The analysis of the working of the laws of the sacred which is the core of religion should enable any one to see that my answer to the question why beef-eating should make the Broken Men untouchables is the correct one. The interdiction on contact rests upon the principle that the profane should never touch the sacred. The giving up of the yajna system and abandonment of the sacrifice of the cow could have had only a limited effect. As the French author, Gabriel Tarde has explained that culture within a society spreads by imitation of the ways and manners of the superior classes by the inferior classes. Assuming that they were given by the King of Bedar, the King obviously did not create them for the first time. What could the Brahmins do to recover the lost ground? We must however refuse to enter into this discussion as it is unnecessary for the immediate purpose we have in mind. Slowly the people who have been practicing the vegetarian food have become complete vegetarians and made it a rule that Brahmins cannot eat vegetarian food. Ambedkar’s 1948 work The Untouchables: Who Were They and Why They Became Untouchables? It is a sacrilege. He felt his duty to prohibit the taking of life where taking of life was not necessary. Anyone who treated the cow as profane was guilty of sin and unfit for association. When Did Broken Men Become Untouchables? It can therefore be taken for granted that in the ancient past when both the Settled Community and Broken Men did eat beef the former ate fresh beef and the latter of the dead cow and that this system represented a universal state of affairs throughout India and was not confined to the Maharashtra alone. One reason people decide to become vegetarian is they learn how animals raised for food are treated in life and death. Lastly the interdictions relating to the sacred are binding on all. But to counter the so-called theory of violence of Buddhists, Shankaracharya started a vegetarian campaign among Brahmins … One may eat meat when it has been sprinkled with water, while Mantras were recited, when Brahmanas desire (one’s doing it), when one is engaged (in the performance of a rite) according to the law, and when one’s life is in danger. The objection to the sacrifice of the cow had taken a strong hold of the minds of the masses especially as they were an agricultural population and the cow was a very useful animal. That this was the object of the Brahmins in becoming vegetarians can be proved in various ways. What can that be? At the most it would have put the Brahmins on the same footing as the Buddhists. It could not have given the Brahmins the means of achieving supremacy over the Buddhists which was their ambition. In the first place, imitation was too costly. That most often they fell on deaf ears is proved by the conduct of Yajnavalkya, the great Rishi of the Aryans. As the Buddhist Bhikshus did eat meat the Brahmins had no reason to give it up. The Buddha countered the argument by listing acts which cause real moral defilement (i.e. Theravada Buddhist tradition interprets the last meal of Buddha offered by Cundato be pork, to which they attach no stigma or see n… Buddhism was at one time the religion of the majority of the people of India. Move smoothly between articles as our pages load instantly. 6 years ago. That this was a revolution is beyond question. Prof Vincent Smith regards it as surprising. Unfortunately students of Indian history have entirely missed the importance of this strife. To go one better than the Buddhist Bhikshus not only to give up meat-eating but to become vegetarians – which they did. This is a matter of such common knowledge that hardly any individual can be found to question its validity. Why then did the Brahmins give up meat-eating and become vegetarians? The Vedanta Sutra which proclaims the doctrine of oneness of life does not prohibit the killing of animals for sacrificial purposes as is evident from II.1.28. But they seem to be entirely unaware of the struggle for supremacy in which these creeds were engaged and that their struggle, which extended for 400 years has left some indelible marks on religion, society and politics of India. The law made by the Gupta Emperors was intended to prevent those who killed cows. Indeed the cow was killed because the cow was regarded as sacred. 34 comments. All the same, this difference need not have given rise to such extreme division of society as is marked by Untouchability. For the Buddhist Bhikshus were not vegetarians. They knew there was Brahmanism. For the scorn and contempt for Buddhists spread by the Brahmins was too general and affected all Buddhists and not merely the Broken Men. As they could not escape carrying the dead cow they did not mind using the flesh as food in the manner in which they were doing previously. [...]The Census Returns [of 1910] show that the meat of the dead cow forms the chief item of food consumed by communities which are generally classified as untouchable communities. The co-relation between untouchability and the use of the dead cow is so great and so close that the thesis that it is the root of untouchability seems to be incontrovertible. Why then did the Brahmins give up meat-eating and become vegetarians? Not only did the Brahmins decide to become vegetarians, they also declared the cow sacred. 11: Did the Hindus never eat beef? This feature lies in religion being a unified system of beliefs and practices which (1) relate to sacred things and (2) which unite into one single community all those who adhere to them. If they had been stopped from eating beef there would have been no Untouchability. There need be no hesitation in returning an affirmative answer to this question. But the way they are maligning the greatest emperor in the history of the world, Ashoka, it must be something that he might have done to irritate Brahmins so much. As a subscriber, you are not only a beneficiary of our work but also its enabler. It was because they did not want to put themselves merely on the same footing in the eyes of the public as the Buddhist Bhikshus. At the outset I would say that Brahmins of yore did eat, rather taste, meat, even beef, as part of Vedic rituals; not as food for breakfast, lunch or dinner; never for pleasure. Why … To achieve their purpose the Brahmins had to adopt the usual tactics of a reckless adventurer. Unfortunately, students of Indian history have entirely missed the importance of this strife. Again, how is it that this doctrine which is propounded in the Upanishads did not have any effect on the Brahmins up to the time of the Manusmriti, a period of at least 400 years. On this reasoning it is possible to conclude that one of the roots of untouchability lies in the hatred and contempt which the Brahmins created against those who were Buddhist. The objection to the sacrifice of the cow had taken a strong hold of the minds of the masses especially as they were an agricultural population and the cow was a very useful animal. Religious interdicts take multiple forms. That is why he prohibited slaughtering animal for sacrifice which he regarded as unnecessary and of animals which are not utilised nor eaten which again would be want on and unnecessary. Why Should Beef-Eating Make Broken Men Untouchables? It’s a support for truth and fairness in journalism. those acts in opposition to Buddhist ethics) and then stating the mere consumption of meat is not equivalent to those acts. As a result of the spread of Buddhism, the Brahmins had lost all power and prestige at the Royal Court and among the people. An exceptionally intimate contact is the one resulting from the absorption of food. ... After listening to the exhortation this is what Yajnavalkya said : "I, for one, eat it, provided that it is tender". They, in their turn, built temples and installed in them images of Shiva, Vishnu and Ram and Krishna etc.— all with the object of drawing away the crowd that was attracted by the image worship of Buddha. That he did not prohibit the slaughter of the cow in specie may well be taken as a fact which for having regard to the Buddhist attitude in the matter cannot be used against Asoka as a ground for casting blame. B.R. They wanted to oust the Buddhists from the place of honour and respect which they had acquired in the minds of the masses by their opposition to the killing of the cow for sacrificial purposes. Couples are meat eaters in about 65% of the surveyed households and vegetarians only in 20%. In this connection it must be remembered that there was one aspect in which Brahmanism suffered in public esteem as compared to Buddhism. Gods and spirits are not the only sacred things. Reasons for Going Vegan . August 9, 2020 Leave a Comment. But that doesn’t last long. The Broken Men being guilty of sacrilege necessarily became beyond the pale of society. This statement might surprise many people owing to the popular belief that the connection between Ahimsa and Buddhism was immediate and essential. The scale on which the slaughter of cows and animals took place was collosal. Were all the brahmins always Vegetarian? To achieve their purpose the Brahmins had to adopt the usual tactics of a reckless adventurer. In this context it is not far-fetched to suggest that those who have a nausea against beef-eating should treat those who eat beef as Untouchables. It is to beat extremism by extremism. They only ate the dead cow. In the second place, if the transformation was due to the desire to realize the ideal of Advaita then there is no reason why it should have stopped with the cow. All one can do is to mention a few salient points. To go one better than the Buddhist Bhikshus not only to give up meat-eating but to become vegetarians — which they did. That such an arrangement should grow up is certainly most natural. Buddhism could not itself influence its followers to adhere to the idea of total ahimsa as most Buddhists from the times of the Buddha until today are meat eaters. 14: Why should beef-eating make Broken Men Untouchable? We brief you on the latest and most important developments, three times a day. We promise to deliver quality journalism that stays away from vested interest and political propaganda. The dictum of Veda Vyas must close the argument. This imitation is so regular in its flow that its working is as mechanical as the working of a natural law. For generations the Brahmins had been eating beef. As has already been pointed out, the Mahars of the Maharashtra claim the right to take the dead animal. Official data clearly show that the demography of IISc has changed little. Another explanation more ingenious than the first, is that this transformation in the life of the Brahmin was due to the rise of the doctrine of the Transmigration of the Soul. The Yajna of the Brahmins was nothing but the killing of innocent animals carried on in the name of religion with pomp and ceremony with an attempt to enshroud it in mystery with a view to conceal their appetite for beef. They were smarting under the defeat they had suffered at the hands of Buddhism and were making all possible efforts to regain their power and prestige. The answer is that if beef-eating had remained a secular affair – a mere matter of individual taste – such a bar between those who ate beef and those who did not would not have arisen. That was the practice of animal sacrifice which … Secondly, it was unnecessary for them to become vegetarians. It shows that the Smritikars knew that the origin of untouchability is to be found in the eating of beef. The flesh of the dead cow was their principal sustenance. Contact may be established in a variety of ways other than touch. A Brahmin can meat under certain circumstances, and he has to only consume the meat that has been duly sprinkled with mantra-infused water. They partake of the nature of a categorical imperative. Examining the legislation of Asoka the question is: Did he prohibit the killing of the cow? That is why a Brahmin should take veg food. Two such objections to the thesis appear obvious. There is one universal feature which characterises all religions. That notwithstanding these exhortations cow-killing and beef-eating continued. The answer is that without becoming vegetarian the Brahmins could not have recovered the ground they had lost to their rival namely Buddhism. What that circumstance could have been? This statement might surprise many people owing to the popular belief that the connection between Ahimsa and Buddhism was immediate and essential… This is an error. That this was the object of the Brahmins in becoming vegetarians can be proved in various ways. Vaidikas, who migrated from Kannauj, follow the same dietary rules as Brahmins in the rest of the country. The same would have been the case if they had followed the rules observed by the Buddhist Bhikshus in the matter of meat-eating. It continued to be the religion of the masses for hundreds of years. If the Brahmins had acted from conviction that animal sacrifice was bad, all that was necessary for them to do was to give up killing animals for sacrifice… That they did go in for vegetarianism makes it obvious that their motive was far-reaching. Without the realisation of this fact, it is impossible to explain some of the features of Hinduism. They are obligatory but not in the ordinary sense of the word. This is an error. Human body has a tendency towards adjusting to the situation, nothing happens. The fact is that the Buddhist Bhikshus were permitted to eat three kinds of flesh that were deemed pure. All one can do is to mention a few salient points. Non Brahmins who became Brahmins: “While it was the intention of the scheme to develop the requisite spirit and tradition in the members of the classes by a proper employment of the forces of heredity and education, it was not viewed in a rigid way. as reprinted in Volume 7 of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Writings and Speeches. The Broken Men could not for they had none. The reason for the relaxation of rules among the indigenous brahmins was Kulinism, introduced by King Ballal Sena (1160–1179). The only way to beat the Buddhists was to go a step further and be vegetarians. On the other hand, there is no community which is really an Untouchable community which has not something to do with the dead cow. Vegetarianism evolved in India slowly and it was not an original part of Hinduism. For the Buddhist Bhikshus were not vegetarians. That was the practice of animal sacrifice which was the essence of Brahmanism and to which Buddhism was deadly opposed. If Untouchability is a reflex of the nausea of the Hindus against beef-eating, how long after the Hindus had given up beef-eating did Untouchability come into being? To turn to the second objection. It is not possible to give a total of such slaughter on all accounts committed by the Brahmins in the name of religion... Why did non-Brahmins give up beef-eating? If it was only a crime it would have involved nothing more than punishment. The sacred is "untouchable" in the sense that it is beyond the pale of debate. Your support for our journalism is invaluable. Brahmanism was on the wane and if not on the wane, it was certainly on the defensive. 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So, did Brahmins of yore in India eat beef? Find mobile-friendly version of articles from the day's newspaper in one easy-to-read list. That is why the sight of sacred things is forbidden to the profane in certain cases. It has helped us keep apace with events and happenings. Two explanations are offered. The practice of eating the flesh of the dead cow therefore was allowed to continue. I became a vegetarian firstly for health purposes, and because my conscience at the time (I was about 18..so that was some 36 years ago.) The giving up of the Yajna system and abandonment of the sacrifice of the cow could have had only a limited effect. It was a means adopted by the Brahmins to regain their lost position. If the Broken Men were eating beef from the very beginning, then obviously the theory cannot stand. The strife between Buddhism and Brahmanism is a crucial fact in Indian history. 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