beef eating in the Veda

keulrich at midway.uchicago.edu keulrich at midway.uchicago.edu
Wed Feb 12 01:00:15 UTC 1997


You might want to take a look at the following:

Brian K. Smith's article "Eaters, Food, and Social Hierarchy in Ancient
India: A Dietary Gyude to a Revolution of Values," Journal of the American
Academy of Religion LVIII/2 (Summer 1990): 177-205.

P.V Kane, "Bhojana," Chapt. 22 in HISTORY OF DHARMASASTRA, Vol II, Part 11,
2nd. ed. (Poona: Bhandarkar Oriental Research Inst., 1974).  See  esp. p.
772-82 (on sacredness of the cow and meat-eating) which includes copious
citations to the relevant primary sources about eating beef and other types
of meat.

D. Seyfort Ruegg, "Ahimsa and Vegetarianism in the History of Buddhism," in
the FESTSCHRIFT FOR WALPOLA RAHULA, pp. 234-41.

Francis Zimmermann, THE JUNGLE AND THE AROMA OF MEATS: AN ECOLOGICAL THEME
IN HINDU MEDICINE (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1987; first
published as LA JUNGLE ET LE FUMET DES VIANDES,  Editions du Seuil, 1987).

Bruce Lincoln, PRIESTS, WARRIORS, AND CATTLE: A STUDY IN THE ECOLOGY OF
RELIGIONS (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1981).  This includes
chapters on Indo-Europeans and cattle.

Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty, "Carnivorous Hunters and Vegetarian Sages,"
section in OTHER PEOPLES' MYTHS (New York: Macmillan, 1988): 89-93.

Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty, "Sacred Cows and Profane Mares," Chapt. 8 in
WOMEN, ANDROGYNES, AND OTHER MYTHICAL BEASTS (Chicago: Univ. of Chicago
Press, 1980): 239-80.

Om Prakash, FOOD AND DRINKS IN ANCIENT INDIA (FROM EARLIEST TIMES TO 1200
A.D.)  (Delhi: Munshi Ram Manohar Lal, 1961)

The full citation for the Alsdorf monograph mentioned in previous postings:
Ludwid Alsdorm, BEITRAGE ZUR GESCHICHTE VON VEGITARISMUS UND
RINDERVEREHRUNG IN INDIEN. (Mainz: Akademie der Wissenschaften und der
Literatur, Abhandlungen der Geistes-und Sozialwissenschagtlichen Klass,
1962).

>Recently I read Agehananda Bharati's _Great Tradition - Little
>Traditions_, in which he refers to Vedic passages which prove that
>beef was a common foodstuff among the Vedic people. Not being a Veda
>specialist myself, I want to ask: has anyone here on the list seen any
>such clear, unambiguous passages? (Please give references.)
>
>RZ.-








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