Tamil Heritage

[Vishal Agarwal]

Mr. Swaminathan Madhuresan wrote:
"Kapilar, a brAhman, enjoys eating meat and drinking liquor while
partyingwith Kings. He sings about these parties several centuries
beforeThiruvalluvar.
Comparable with Yajnavalkya relishing fatty beaf in SB."

Vishal replies: Clearly, Mr. Madhuresan is referring to Shatpatha Brahman
3.1.2.21 ("Asnamyeva aham amsalam chedabhavati iti")
In their 'Vedic Index', MacDonnel and Keith mistranslate it (as is usual
with most of their works) and state--"The great sage Yajnavalkya was wont to
eat the meat of milch cows and bullocks if only it was amsala ('firm' or
'tender')"
The translation and its interpretation is totally wrong and a look at the
context (and also the Sayana Bhashya) suggests that Yajnavalkya meant milk
and milk products, not meat.
For details, refer pg 212-214 of the following anonymous work : "A review of
'Beef in Ancient India' " published by Geeta Press, Gorakhpur (1971)
Many similar passages in the Vedic literature are considered in this booklet
and their correct meaning ascertained with the help of Vyakarana, Ayurveda
etc.

As the situation stands today, surveys show (quoting from memory--no
references available) that of all the Indian states, Gujarat and Uttar
Pradesh have the highest proportion of Vegetarians. Tamil Nadu comes way
behind after several other states.

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