Q: mArjArahatyA

[Narayan S. Raja]

> >Further regarding the "sin of killing a cat" issue, the following 

> >B [a certain Bapa Rao] says:
> >
> >> p.s. about the cats, I based my statement on my upbringing, which
> >> held that it was a special sin to kill cats, as opposed to the
> >> generic sin incurred by killing anything. No one around me
> >> particularly liked cats, it was just held sinful to kill one. Don't
> >> know much more about it, I'm afraid.


This must be quite a widespread belief, then.
I happen to know that Bapa Rao is Telugu, while,
as I recall, someone from Maharashtra also referred
to such a belief.  In my own family (we are Tamil),
my mother and grandmother warned me that if a cat 
"lost even one single hair" because of me, I would have 
to go to "narakam" (i.e., hell. but temporary).  Why 
cats in particular?  Don't know.

Regards,


Raja.