Beef Eating

[GANESANS at cl.uh.edu]

3/2/97
   
                   Re: Beef
                  ----------

V. P. Subramania Mudhaliar, Principal, Madras Vetenary College, Madras
wrote in Tamilian Antiquary, vol. 2, 1909

"vEta kaalattil carva aariyarum maaTTu maamicam pucittavarkaLEyaayinum
ikkaalattil mun^tiyavaruL (vaTa aariyaruL) cila vakuppaarE maamicam
pucippOr. pintiyavaruL (tennintiyaaviRku vantu tiraaviTarOTu kalan^tirukkiRa
aariyaruL) evvakuppaarum yaakavaayilaaka anRi maamicam puciyaar. vaTatEcattil
piraamaNar mikun^ta tiraLaay irun^tatanaal taangkaL maamicam tinnum pUrva
vazakkattai maRRaic caatikalin avamatippukku anjcik kaiviTavillai.
ten tEcattilO, piraamaNar tokai kuRaivaay irun^tatanaal maRRaic caati 
canangkaLin pazippukkup payappattup pulaal uNavaik kaiviTTanar. Aayinum
'pazakkam koTitu'. Aatalaal maamica paTcaNattai maRukka valiyaRRavarkaLaay
avarkaL, pulaaluNNaamaiyai inRiyamaiyaata uyarkula ozukkamaakak koNTa
mElcaatit tiraaviTaratu ikazcciyininRu tappum upaayattai n^aaTi, yaakamennum
viyaacattaal EkatEcamaaka maamicam pucippaaraayinar".

******************************************************
* Tamil Transliteration:                             *
* vowels, a aa/A i ii/I u uu/U e ee/E ai o oo/O au   *
* consonants, k ng c nj T N t n^ p m y r l v z L R n *
* Aytam, ah                                          *
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One Translation:


"Even though in the Vedic period, all aryans were meat-eaters, nowadays,
among the former (Aryans of the north), only a few groups eat meat. Among the
latter (those who came to south India and mixed with the Dravidians), no
group will eat meat except through the performance of Vedic sacrificicial
ceremonies. 

As the brahmins lived in large numbers in north India, they did not have to
fear the low esteem in which they would be held by other castes if they ate
meat, and so did not abandon the habit of meat-eating. However, since the
number of brahmins was low in south India, they feared the abhorrence 
of other castes and gave up meat-eating. But "habit is cruel" (hard to break).
Therefore, as people unable to give up non-vegetarian food, seeking a ruse 
to escape disrespect from those upper caste Dravidians who always have 
vegetarianism as a necessary behavior of the high-born, they became 
occasional meat-eaters through the exercise called Vedic sacrifice."