Meat eating
and animal killing in Valmiki ramayan
By: Khurshid Imam
A. Introduction
Valmiki Ramayan happens to be the "Original
Ramayan" in Indian tradition. This is the book that introduced people
to the story of Shri Ram chandr ji. This great epic was written by Shri
Valmiki ji. Owing to the popularity of this book; several versions of Ramayana were
written afterwards. Several centuries later Ramcharitmanas written
by Tulsidas came into existence. Now days it is Ramcharitmanas that
is read widely. Valmiki Ramayan is not read as much, but thankfully it is
accessible and available to people.
To know about
some differences between Original Ramayana and the Ramayana that you know
- click here.
Our Hindu brethren
accuse muslims of meat eating and declare this act as inhumane and barbaric.
This issue of "meat eating" has even become a political tool for some
mischievous elements of society. However when we go through Sacred Books
of Sanatan dharma or Hinduism then we find several references
that not only permit or justify meat eating but also encourage in some case.
When killing of animal for sacrifice or eating is done by revered personality
or those who are worshipped then it poses a very big question mark over
the issue of meat eating. In this article we will look at very few such
references (7-8) wherein sacred personalities of Hinduism kill animal for
sacrifice and for eating purpose.
Kindly note: I am not
presenting research work on all references related to meat eating in Hindu
Scriptures but only showing very few references from one book only!!
Another important point
is that I would like to draw attention of dear readers of gross mistranslation
done by some publishers. It is not difficult to understand that there are
deliberate mistranslations done for some verses which speak about meat eating or
animal killing. Why this literal fraud? Of course; to conceal truth from the
common mass and let them not understand the reality of the issue.
For the ease of user we
are presenting at least 2-3 different translations for each shlok (Verse).
B. Glorification of
roasted meat for eating by Shri Ram chandr ji and others
1. Sanskrit text
तां तदा दर्शयित्वा तु मैथिली गिरिनिम्नगाम् ।निषसाद गिरिप्रस्थे सीतां मांसेन छन्दयन् ।।
इदं मध्यमिदं स्वादु निष्टप्तमिद मग्निना ।एवमास्ते स धर्मात्मा सीतया सह राघवः ।।
(वाल्मीकि रामायण, अयोध्या काण्ड, 96, 1 व 2)
Hindi Translation
अर्थात इस प्रकार सीता जी को (नदी के) दर्शन कराकर उस समय श्री रामचन्द्र जी उनके पास बैठ गए और तपस्वी जनों के उपभोग में आने योग्यमांस से उनका इस प्रकार लालन करने लगे, ‘‘इधर देखो प्रिये, यह कितना मुलायम है, स्वादिष्ट है और इसको आग पर अच्छी तरह सेका गयाहै।‘‘
===============================================================================
Word by word Sanskrit to
english translation:
मैथिलीम् princess of Mithila, तां सीताम् that Sita, तथा in that way, गिरिनिम्नगाम् mountain-river, दर्शयित्वा having shown, मांसेन with meat,छन्दयन् gratifying, गिरिप्रस्थे on the
mountain-slope, निषसाद sat.
धर्मात्मा righteous, स राघवः that Rama, इदम् this, मेध्यम् sacred
meat, इदम् this, स्वादु is savoury, इदम् this one, अग्निना with fire,निष्टप्तम् roasted, एवम् uttering this way, सीतया सह in the company of Sita, आस्ते was seated.
Having shown to Sita the mountain-river
Mandakini and gratifying
her with meat, Rama sat on the mountain slope. Righteous Rama
was seated in Sita's company and remarked saying "This meat is
sacred. This is savoury roasted in fire". (Valmiki Ramayan, Ayodha
Kand 96:1-2)
===============================================================================
The intentional mistranslation
by Geeta Press, Gorakhpur:
See the mistranslation done by Geeta press, Gorakhpur. Word
“meat” is mistranslated as fruit and plants parts!!Though Original Sanskrit
text is talking about meat that is meant for eating; meat that is roasted well
on fire but in hindi translation readers are told that fruits and plant parts
were meant for eating and cooked well on fire J
C. Shri Ram chandr ji
and Shri Lakshman killing animals for meat
2. Sanskrit text
तौ तत्र हत्वा चतुरो महामृगान् वराहमृश्यं पृषतं महारुरुम् ।
आदाय मेध्यं त्वरितं बुभुक्षितौ वासाय काले ययतुर्वनस्पतिम्
(Valmiki Ramayan, Ayodha
Kand 52:102)
Word by word Sanskrit to
english translation
बुभुक्षितौ being very hungry, तौ they, तत्र there, वराहम् a boar, ऋश्यम् a white footed male antelope, पृषतम् spotted
deer, महागुरुम् a great deer with black stripes, चतुरः four, मृगान् animals, हत्वा killed, मेध्यम् pure meat, त्वरितम् quickly, आदाय partaking as food,काले in the evening time, वासाय for rest, वनस्पतिम् under a
tree, ययतुः reached.
Being famished, Rama, Lakshmana hunted and killed a boar, a
Rishya animal (a white footed male antelope), a spotted deer and a great deer
with black stripes and quickly partaking the pure meat reached a tree by the evening to spend the
night. (Valmiki Ramayan, Ayodha Kand 52:102)
===============================================================================
See the intentional gross mistranslation
In the below photo taken from the site http://nyktrivedi.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/valmiki-ramayan-sanskrit-hindi-vol-02-ayodhya-kaand-purvardh1.pdf one
can see how readers are made to understand things wrongly.
The Sanskrit word HATWA (हत्वा) = after
KILLING. But it’s wrongly translated as “shikaar kheli” i.e. (they enjoyed
hunting???)
Similarly word Medhyam (मेध्यम्) = pure
meat here. But it is wrongly translated as “kand mul, phal” i.e. Plants, fruits
etc J
Can you see this open forgery?
The intentional
mistranslation by Geeta Press, Gorakhpur:
Yet again we can see entirely different translation. Text
says that Shri Ram chandr ji and Lakshman ji killed various animals and took
meat from it but translation says that they merely threw at animals and took
plant food for eating J Is not this
literal scam? People are being fooled.
D. Shri Ram chandr ji
and lakshman ji killing animals for sacrifice
3. Sanskrit text
ऐणेयं मांसमाहृत्य शालां यक्ष्यामहे वयम्।
कर्तव्यं वास्तुशमनं सौमित्रे! चिरजीविभि:। ।Valmiki Ramayan, Ayodha Kand 56.22।।
Word by word Sanskrit to
english translation
सौमित्रे! O Lakshmana, ऐणेयं मांसम् flesh of black antelope, आहृत्य having
brought, वयम् we, शालाम् this leafy
hut, यक्ष्यामहे will worship,चिरजीविभि: those who intend to live for long time, वास्तुशमनम् pacification by house-hold deity, कर्तव्यम् should to be done.
O Lakshmana! Those who intend to live for long
should pacify the deity residing over here.Therefore, we shall bring the
flesh of black antelope and offer sacrifice at the leaf hut.
(Valmiki Ramayan, Ayodha Kand 56.22)
===============================================================================
The intentional
mistranslation by Geeta Press, Gorakhpur:
The mistranslation is clear. Meat is again replaced with
some plant part; Nothing more to say.
4. Sanskrit text
मृगं हत्वाऽऽनय क्षिप्रं लक्ष्मणेह शुभेक्षण!।
कर्तव्य श्शास्त्रदृष्टो हि विधिर्धर्ममनुस्मर। ।Valmiki Ramayan, Ayodha Kand 56.23।।
Word by word Sanskrit to
english translation
शुभेक्षण one who has auspicious looking eyes, लक्ष्मण Lakshmana, मृगम् the antelope, हत्वा having killed, क्षिप्रम् quickly, इह here, आनयbring, शास्त्रदृष्ट: as prescribed by the
scriptures, विधि: rites, कर्तव्यः हि will have to be carried out, धर्मम् the tradition, अनुस्मर recollect.
O Lakshmana!, Kill
an antelope and bring it here
quickly. The rites as prescribed by the scriptures will have to be carried out.
You know and recollect that tradition also.
===============================================================================
The intentional
mistranslation by Geeta Press, Gorakhpur:
One can see the same trend here. Word “meat” being replaced
as plant’s part. Word “After killing” omitted.
5. Sanskrit text
भ्रातुर्वचनमाज्ञाय लक्ष्मण: परवीरहा।
चकार स यथोक्तं च तं राम पुनरब्रवीत्। ।Valmiki Ramayan, Ayodha Kand 56.24।।
Word by word Sanskrit to
english translation
परवीरहा slayer of enemy heroes, स लक्ष्मण: that Lakshmana, भ्रातु: brother' s, वचनम् words, आज्ञाय having understood, यथोक्तम् as told,चकार carried out, राम: Rama, तम् him, पुन: again, अब्रवीत् said.
Lakshmana who is slayer of enemy heroes having
understood his brother's words carried out
accordingly. Again Rama said to him.
===============================================================================
6. Sanskrit text
ऐणेयं श्रपयस्वैतच्छालां यक्ष्यामहे वयम्।
त्वर सौम्य! मुहूर्तोऽयं ध्रुवश्च दिवसोऽप्ययम्। ।Valmiki Ramayan, Ayodha Kand 56.25।।
Word by word Sanskrit to
english translation
सौम्य! O gentle Lakshmana, एतत् this, ऐणेयम् flesh
of antelope, श्रपयस्व cook, वयम् we, शालाम् hut, यक्ष्यामहे will offer
sacrifice, अयम्this, दिवस: day, अयम् this, मुहूर्त:अपि auspicious moment
also, ध्रुवश्च is firm, त्वर hasten up.
O gentle Lakshmana!, dress this meat. We will offer sacrifice to the presiding deity of this hut. This moment
indicates stability. Hasten up.
===============================================================================
7. Sanskrit text
स लक्ष्मण: कृष्णमृगं मेध्यं हत्वा प्रतापवान्।
अथ चिक्षेप सौमित्रिस्समिद्धे जातवेदसि। ।Valmiki Ramayan, Ayodha Kand 56.26।।
Word by word Sanskrit to
english translation
अथ then, सौमित्रि: son of Sumitra, प्रतापवान् valorous, स: लक्ष्मण: that Lakshmana, मेथ्यम् fit for sacrifice
pure, कृष्णमृगम् black antelope,हत्वा having killed, समिद्धे in a well-kindled, जातवेदसि fire, चिक्षेप offered.
Then, Lakshmana, the valorous son of Sumitra, having killed a black antelope pure enough for a
sacrifice, cast
it in a well-kindled fire.
===============================================================================
The intentional
mistranslation by Geeta Press, Gorakhpur:
Though Sanskrit text spoke about Lakshmana killing animal
and getting sacred meat but hindi translation is done in such a way that reader
will not have even glimpse of this fact!!!
8. Sanskrit text
तन्तु पक्वं परिज्ञाय निष्टप्तं छिन्नशोणितम्।
लक्ष्मण: पुरुषव्याघ्रमथ राघवमब्रवीत्। ।Valmiki Ramayan, Ayodha Kand 56.27।।
Word by word Sanskrit to
english translation
लक्ष्मण: Lakshmana, निष्टप्तम् roasted well, छिन्नशोणितम् drained the blood, तम् that, पक्वम् cooked, परिज्ञाय having
found, अथ then,पुरुषव्याघ्रम् tiger
among men, राघवम् Rama, अब्रवीत् said.
Having observed that it is well-boiled, drained off the blood and cooked
well, thus said Lakshmana to Rama, the best of men.
===============================================================================
The intentional
mistranslation by Geeta Press, Gorakhpur:
Once again this publication – Geeta press, Gorakhpur – has
made mockery of Sanskrit to hindi translation. Revered personality lakshaman
follows order of his elder brother Shri Ram chandr and got the meat drained off
blood; roasted it well and cooked it. But hindi translation is telling
different story about some plant / vegetable.
9. Sanskrit text
अयं कृष्ण स्समाप्ताङ्ग श्शृतो कृष्णमृगो यथा ।
देवतां देवसङ्काश! यजस्व कुशलो ह्यसि। ।Valmiki Ramayan, Ayodha Kand 56.28।।
Word by word Sanskrit to
english translation
समस्ताङ्ग: with all the limbs, अयम् this, कृष्णमृग: black antelope, सर्व: completely, मया by me, श्रुत: is well-cooked, देवसङ्काश equal to
devatas, देवता: devatas, यजस्व offer with
sacrifice, कुशल: असि हि you are proficient.
This black
antelope with all the limbs is completely and well-cooked.
As such O! devine sir, you may offer sacrifice to Vastu devata. You are
proficient in doing such acts.
===============================================================================
The intentional
mistranslation by Geeta Press, Gorakhpur:
Same story of literal fraud is repeated here. Sanskrit text
is openly abused and wrong translation is being presented to the innocent mass.
People are made to believe that Non-veg food is against their culture while
sacred books talk about “god” eating animal meat after killing them.
E. Shri Ram chandr ji
killing animals and bring meat
10. Sanskrit
text
समाश्वस मुहूर्तं तु शक्यं वस्तुमिह त्वया। ।Valmiki Ramayan, Aranya Kand 47.22।।
आगमिष्यति मे भर्ता वन्यमादाय पुष्कलम्।
रुरून्गोधा न्वराहांश्च हत्वाऽदायाऽमिषान्बहून्। ।Valmiki Ramayan, Aranya Kand 47.23।।
Word by word Sanskrit to
english translation
मुहूर्तम् for a while, समाश्वस take rest, त्वया you, इह here, वस्तुम् staying, शक्यम् it is possible, मे भर्ता my husband, रुरून् deer, गोधाःalligators, वराहांश्च hogs, हत्वा after killing, बहून् many of them, आमिषान् varieties
of meat, आदाय after fetching, पुष्कलम् in plenty,वन्यम् from the forest, आदाय getting, आगमिष्यति will come.
Take rest for a while staying here. It is hoped
that my husband will come
and be getting from the forest plenty of meat of many kinds on killing deer,
alligators and hogs.
===============================================================================
Source: http://nyktrivedi.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/valmiki-ramayan-sanskrit-hindi-vol-04-aranya-kaand.pdf
says:
The intentional
mistranslation by Geeta Press, Gorakhpur:
Geeta press, Gorakhpur – again misleads the common mass.
The Sanskrit text is talking about Shri ram chandr ji bringing meat of animals
after killing deer, alligators, hogs/pigs for purpose of eating; but the hindi
translation speaks about “fruit” for eating J. Fooling the common mass!!!
F. Conclusion
1.
Majority
of our Hindu brethren are made to believe that Non-veg food is against their
culture and tradition. They are told that Hinduism is against killing of
animals for food. However a careful study of their sacred scripture gives
entirely different picture.
2.
Valmiki
Ramayan not only speaks about shri Ram chandr ji – who is worshipped by
millions of Indians as ideal person – eating meat but gives the picture that he
was very fond of it.
3.
Shri
Ram chandr ji would kill animals, get meat to eat. He would order his brother
Shri lakshmana ji to do the same. They would offer animals for sacrifice also.
4.
Unfortunately
some Ramayana publications grossly mistranslate such sholkas of Valmiki Ramayan
that speaks about meat eating and animal killing. They not only mislead common
mass but also disrespect scripture by not giving its due.
5.
It’s
heartening to note that some translators DO have translated such sholkas
correctly and accepted meat eating and animal killing in Ramayana.
6.
When
Ramayana speaks about permissibility of meat eating then one should not lead
common mass into believing wrong thing.
7.
Intention
is not at all to hurt any of our brethren but to draw attention towards the
literary fraud done by some publications and wrong principles preached by some
people.
8.
We
have not speculated, assumed or guessed but presented correct translation of
such references done by learned Hindu Scholars.
9.
Also
its time for our Indian brethren to wake up and understand the tactics of some
elements of our society who use meat eating as a political tool to divide
people. Due to the sensitive nature of the topic some of our innocent’s
brethren get carried away in emotion and don’t look at facts. Let’s not be divided
and don’t let people polarize the society.
10.
Let
us not allow anti-social elements to spread hatred, create division and
polarize hearts of fellow countrymen in the name of meat and animals.
Note: Lets look at another source which
proves our point. Please find below translation of above mentioned verses from Scholars
of Hindu scriptures available at other site: http://www.valmikiramayan.net
Reference 1. Valmiki Ramayan, Ayodha Kand 96:1-2
तां तथा दर्शयित्वा तु मैथिलीं गिरिनिम्नगाम् |निषसाद गिरिप्रस्थे सीतां मांसेन चन्दयन् || २-९६-१
tathaa = thus; darshayitvaa =
having shown; girinimnagaam = the mountaneous river
Mandakini; taam siitaam = to that Seetha; maithiliim =
the daughter of the king of Mithila; niSasaada = sat; giriprashthe =
on the hill side; chhandayan = in order to gratify her
appetite; maamsena = with flesh.
Having shown Mandakini River in that manner to Seetha,
the daughter of Mithila, Rama set on the hill-side in order to gratify her
appetite with a piece of flesh.
इदं मेध्यमिदं स्वादु निष्टप्तमिदमग्निना |एवमास्ते स धर्मात्मा सीतया सह राघवः || २-९६-२
2. saH raaghavaH = that Rama; dharmaatmaa =
of righteousness; aaste = stayed; siitayaa sha =
with Seetha; evam = thus speaking; idam =
this meat; madhyam = is fresh; idam =
this; niSTaptam = was roasted; agninaa = in
the fire.
Rama, whose mind was devoted to righteousness stayed
there with Seetha, saying; "This meat is fresh, this is savoury and
roasted in the fire."
Reference 2. Valmiki Ramayan, Ayodha
Kand 52:102
तौ तत्र हत्वा चतुरः महा मृगान् |वराहम् ऋश्यम् पृषतम् महा रुरुम् |आदाय मेध्यम त्वरितम् बुभुक्षितौ|वासायकाले ययतुर् वनः पतिम् || २-५२-१०२
102.
hatvaa =
having killed; tatra = there; chaturaH = four; mR^igaan = deer
(namely); varaaham = Varaaha;R^ishyam = Risya; pR^ishhatam = PR^isata; mahaaruru = (and) Mahaaruru;
(the four principal species of deer); aadayaa = and taking; tvaritam = quickly; medhyam = the portions that
were pure; tou = Rama and
Lakshmana; bubhukshhitou = being hungry as
they were; yayatuH = reached; vanaspatim = a tree; vaasayaa = to take rest; kaale = in the evening.
Having hunted there four deer, namely Varaaha, Rishya,
Prisata; and Mahaaruru (the four principal species of deer) and taking quickly
the portions that were pure, being hungry as they were, Rama and Lakshmana
reached a tree to take rest in the evening.
Reference 3-9. Valmiki Ramayan, Ayodha Kand 56.22-28
ऐणेयम् मांसम् आहृत्य शालाम् यक्ष्यामहे वयम् |कर्त्व्यम् वास्तुशमनम् सौमित्रे चिरजीवभिः || २-५६-२२
22. saumitre = Oh; Lakshmana!; aahR^itya =
being; aiNeyam maamsam = bring meat of the antelope; vayam =
we;yakshyaamahe = shall worship; shaalaam = (this)
leaf-hut; vaastushamanam = purifactory ceremony on entering
the house;kartavyam = on entering the; chirajiivibhiH =
by those who wish to live long.
"Oh, Lakshmana! Bring the meat of an antelope. We
shall perform a purifactory ceremony while entering the house. Which is to be
done by those who wish to live long."
23. shubhekshaNa = Oh; large-eyed; lakshmaNa =
Lakshmana!; hatvaa = killing; mR^igam = the
antelope; kshhipram = quickly; anaya =
bring; iha = here; vidhiH = the prescribed
rite; shaastra dR^iSTaH = according to scriptural point of
view;kartavyaH hi = indeed is to be done; anusmara =
keep in mind; dharmam = the sacred obligation."
"Oh, large-eyed Lakshmana! Killing the antelope
quickly, bring it here. The prescribed rite according to scriptural point of
view indeed is to be performed. Keep in mind the sacred obligation."
भ्रातुर्वचन माज्ञाय लक्ष्मणः परवीरहा |चकार स यथोक्तम् च तम् रामः पुनरब्रवीत् || २-५६-२४
24. saH lakshmaNaH = that Lakshmana; paraviirahaa =
the slayer of enemies; aaJNaaya = understanding; bhraatruH =
his brother's; vachanam = words; chakaara =
acted; yathoktamcha = as instructed; raamaH =
Rama; abraviit = spoke; punaH = again; tam =
to him (as follows).
Lakshmana the slayer of enemies, understanding his
brother's words, acted as instructed. Rama spoke again to Lakshmana as follows.
25. saumya = Oh; great brother!; shrapayasva =
boil; etat = this; aiNeyam = antelope's
meat; vayam = we; yakshyaamahe = shall
worship; shaalaam = the leaf-hut; ayam =
this; divasaH = day; ayam = (and) this; muhuurtaH
api = instant also; dhruvaH= are of a distinctive
character; tvara = be quick.
"Oh, gentle brother! Boil this antelope's meat. We
shall worship the leaf-hut. This day and this instant also are of a distinctive
character. Be quick."
स लक्ष्मणः कृष्ण मृगम् हत्वा मेध्यम् पतापवान् |अथ चिक्षेप सौमित्रिः समिद्धे जात वेदसि || २-५६-२६
atha = then; saH lakshmaNaH =
that Lakshmana; prataapavaan = the strong man; saumitriH =
and son of Sumitra; hatvaa = killing; medhyam =
the holy; kR^iSNa mR^igam = black antelope; chikSepa =
tossed; jaata vedasi = in a fire; samiddhe =
ignited.
Then, Lakshmana the strong man and son of Sumitra,
killing a holy back antelope, tossed it in an ignited fire.
तम् तु पक्वम् समाज्ञाय निष्टप्तम् चिन्न शोणितम् |लक्ष्मणः पुरुष व्याघ्रम् अथ राघवम् अब्रवीत् || २-५६-२७
27. parijJNaaya = feeling certain; pakvam =
it is cooked; niSTaptam = and heated thoroughly; chinna
shoNitam = with no blood remaining; lakshmaNaH =
Lakshmana; atha = thereafter; abraviit =
spoke; raaghavam = to Rama; puruSa vyaaghram= the
lion among men (as follows).
Feeling certain that it is cooked and heated thoroughly
with no blood remaining, Lakshmana spoke to Rama the lion among man as follows:
अयम् कृष्णः समाप्त अन्गः शृतः कृष्ण मृगो यथा |देवता देव सम्काश यजस्व कुशलो हि असि || २-५६-२८
28. ayam = this; kR^iSNaH mR^igo =
black antelope; samaapta angaH = with its complete
limbs; shR^itaH = has been cooked; sarvaH =
completely; mayaa = by me; deva damkaasha =
Oh Rama; remsembling god!; yajasva = worship;devataaH =
the deities; asi ahi = you are indeed; kushalaH =
skilled (in such act)
"This black antelope, with its complete limbs, has
been cooked completely by me. Oh, Rama resembling God! Worship the concerned
deity, as you are skilled in that act."
Reference
10. Valmiki Ramayan, Aranya
Kand 47.22-23
समाश्वस मुहूर्तम् तु शक्यम् वस्तुम् इह त्वया || ३-४७-२२
आगमिष्यति मे भर्ता वन्यम् आदाय पुष्कलम् |रुरून् गोधान् वराहान् च हत्वा आदाय अमिषान् बहु || ३-४७-२३
आगमिष्यति मे भर्ता वन्यम् आदाय पुष्कलम् |रुरून् गोधान् वराहान् च हत्वा आदाय अमिषान् बहु || ३-४७-२३
22b,
23. muhuurtam samaashvasa =
for a moment, be comfortable; tvayaa iha vastum shakyam = by you, here, to
take rest, possible; me bhartaa = my, husband; ruruun = stag with black
stripes; godhaan = mongooses like
[civet-like mammals of the family Viverridae, esp. of the genus Herpestes,
Marathi manguus]; varaahaan
ca =
wild-boars, also; hatvaa= on killing; bahu amiSaan aadaaya = aplenty, meat, on
taking; puSkalam
vanyam aadaaya =
plentiful, forest produce, on taking; aagamiSyati = will be coming [soon.]
"Be comfortable for a moment, here it is possible
for you to make a sojourn, and soon my husband will be coming on taking
plentiful forest produce, and on killing stags, mongooses, wild boars he
fetches meat, aplenty. [3-47-22b, 23]
The article can be found
at: http://khurshidimam.blogspot.in/2013/03/meat-eating-and-animal-killing-in.html
The article can be
downloaded as pdf from: http://www.scribd.com/doc/132140971/Meat-Eating-and-Animal-Killing-in-Valmiki-Ramayan-and-the-literary-fraud
http://backtogodhead.in/did-lord-rama-eat-meat-by-vraja-bihari-dasa/
ReplyDeleteRead this but still you are free to interpret what u wish...
Dear brother / sister: I have just quoted VALMIKI RAMAYAN - thats it. I have not inserted my own meaning or interpretation. Now its upto you to accept or reject valmiki ramayana. If you feel valmiki ji wrote wrong about Ram ji eating meat - then no issue.
DeleteYes, It is VERY CLEARLY WRITTEN IN VALMIKI RAMAAYANA THAT RAMA IS THE AVATARA OF VISHNU.
DeleteVISHNU HIMSELF ANNOUNCES IT.
Valmiki Ramayana,Baala Kaanda Sarga 15 Versae 27 & 28;
'' Bhayam Tyajata Bhadram vO hitaartham yudhi Raavanam,
Sa putra Poutram Samaatyam Sa mitra Bhandhavam .!!...................verse 27
Hatvaa kruuram Duraatmaanam DeYvarsheenaamBhayaaqvaham,
Dasha varsha sahasraani dasha varsha shataanicha,
Vatsaami MaanusheY LokeY Paalayan Pruthiveemimaam !!.............verse 28.
Meaning; Leave the Fear 9 addressing the Gods and maharshis, Vishnu is telling). All of you will be safe. For the good of you all, I will take birth in the Human world, and after killing the Ravana, who is very cruel, and bad in charactyer, with all his Sons, grand sons, Ministers, freinds and cousins and in-laws in the battle,and rule the earth for Eleven thousand Years
Baalakanda ,Sarga 15 ,Verse 29;
'' YeYvam datvaa varam deYvO deYvaanaam Vishnuraatmavaan,
MaanusheY chintayaamaasa Janmabhoomi yadhatmanah. !!..........verse 29.
Meaning; The Vishnu Bhagavaan having given this boon to gods ,thought for a while where He shall take HIS birth in the Manushya loka (human world).
Read The Real Meanings of That verses here - http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/2012/11/did-lord-rama-eat-meat/
DeleteSri Rama Is Lord Himself How He Can Say/do That ? Let Haters Hate and Misinterpret them to satisfy their own bad agendas. Jay Sri Ram.
While stabilizing the original text of Ramayana, historians surmised that portions of two Books [Kaandas], namely Book I, Bala Kaanda and Book VII, Uttara Ramayana (not listed above) are later additions - "The first and the last Books of the Ramayana are later additions. The bulk, consisting of Books II--VI, represents Rama as an ideal hero. In Books I and VII, however Rama is made an avatara or incarnation of Vishnu, and the epic poem is transformed into a Vaishnava text. The reference to the Greeks, Parthians, and Sakas show that these Books cannot be earlier than the second century B.C......"[ The cultural Heritage of India, Vol. IV, The Religions, The Ramakrishna Mission, Institute of Culture ].reference-http://www.valmikiramayan.net/
DeleteIf eating animal meat is considered ok why not also eat human meat
ReplyDeleteAghoris are doing that.
DeleteAgoris are a deserted cult..they dont represent Hinduism or Hindu chore dcotrine....
DeleteDear Anonymous - Eating of meat AS PER GOD's instructions is permitted
ReplyDeleteDead meat, blood, flesh of swine and any food on which name other than God has been pronounced - is prohibited. Quran 5:3
Tayyab food i.e clean food is permitted.
Human meat is prohibited.
Vegetable or Non vegetable - eating is personal preferences, NO religion neither profess it nor ban it. ENon-Veg was prohibited in Hindu religion only in the medieval ages -could be a socio political reason- Which, we think it is our religion or culture bans it. But Mr.Khurshid - can you write wit the same mindset the marriage to a 7 or 9 years old? So instead or trying to find out and or show mistakes of other persons/religion- it is better to find the UN-narrated or biased opinions in one's own religion. Hindus are a friendly nature d people.
Deletedear brother salam!
DeleteThe Holy Qur'an and the other all holy books prohibit meat. Please read and think twice the holy verses again.
Dear brother did you know that Sri ram married sita devi at what age ? Sita Devi age at marriage is only 6 years.this is also mention in original Ramayana @ valmiki ramayana.please check.
Deletekhurshid sahab, how you can full your stomch by killing any animal, god gifted us many vegetables to take as food, than why we kill animals just for food. if you like flesh so mush, why you eat your own flesh.
ReplyDelete
DeleteDear, are plants non living? Are pests killed by farmers non living as well? Slaughter of plant, slaughter of animal, both are killing. We humans are heterotrophs i.e., we cannot synthesise our own food from sunlight like autotrophic plants. Hence, our survival depends upon killing. Your death, my life; this is the Mantra of mortal existence.
Rama ate meat because Vegetarianism was never a part of mainstream Vedic religion; it is a Jain influence. But we Bengali people remained unaffected and continue to consume fish and meat in accordance to Varnashrama Dharma. If you have some issues with meat, tell me; I will introduce you to Shaktism, where Devi Puja is not complete without animal sacrifice.
According to both Ramayana and Ramcharitmanas gods and rishis killed animals for their skins either for seating or for dress. If these annimals can be killed for hides what is wrong in killing them for food?
Deleteam happy that you are reading Hindu culture and tradition, that might also be prohibited for you though.
ReplyDeleteमैंने जब भी मुसलमानों के द्वारा कोई लिखा हुआ Article देखा है उसमे नफ़रत Unfaithful ही देखने को मिलता हे । पता नहीं तुम लोगों को तुम्हारे इमाम लोग असली ज्ञान क्यों नहीं देते ? खुदा क्या है ? कैसे मिल सकता है ? वास्तव में स्वर्ग और नरक क्या है । क्या स्वर्ग से ऊपर भी कुछ है ? स्वर्ग अगर मिल भी जाए तो कितने वक़्त के लिए मिलता है ? इत्यादि। अपने इमामों से असली सवाल करने में डरने की कोई जरूरत नहीं है । अपने इमामों के इलावा दूसरे लोगों को बेवखूप समझने से तुम्हारा अज्ञान कभी भी नहीं जायेगा ।
ReplyDeleteऔर हाँ, जो आपने ऊपर ये Article लिखा है, उसमें सन्दर्भ और प्रसंग भी बताओ। और मांसं का अर्थ सिर्फ मांस नहीं होता इसका अर्थ "गूदा" होता है जो किसी का भी हो सकता है, किसी फल का भी । "इति अम्र मांसा खांदा समर्पयामि ॥" मतलब मैं आपको ये आम का गूदा समर्पित करता हूँ ।
Khurshid Imam has clearly mentioned the references from your religious scriptures. please try to read and understand your own scriptures first. all indian should learn Sanskrit. that is the only way to clarify the misconceptions.
ReplyDeleteKhurshi imam ji is not the Authority !! Sanskrit Word Mamsa Has Many Meanings. Read The Real Meanings of That verses here - http://www.thespiritualscientist.com/2012/11/did-lord-rama-eat-meat/
DeleteSri Rama Is Lord Himself How He Can Say/do That ? Let Haters Hate & Misinterpret it to satisry their own bad agendas. Also Ramayana is not written in 400-500BC,See the Dating of Ramayana Here - https://www.quora.com/Was-there-a-Lord-Ram-in-reality-or-is-it-just-a-myth-as-Ramayan-is-called-a-mythology/answer/Manohar-Patil-13?srid=VJ01.
Jay Sri Ram.
Lolzz Kurshid Imam is Biggot who thinks Homosexuality is wrong just because it is written in Quran name book.
Deleteoh my God why don't these people learn Sanskrit and why don't they even read their very own scriptures!! i interact with a lot of hindu friends through an online game that i play and all of them that i interacted with havn't read any of their religious scriptures and all of them are above 20 years of age!!! this is near 100% ignorance. and by this pattern, even the people who are commenting here, m sure dont know Sanskrit. they blindly follow other people's interpretations!!
ReplyDeleteReligious guidance should not be taken as criticism! we should all be very thankful to Khurshid Imam for the time he spent on this research. can you do this those who have objections? if you dont agree with him then work hard and come up with better proofs!! anger just kills your wisdom!
religion is not anyone's property. islam is not for muslims only the same way as hinduism is not just for hindus. why people become so possessive and offensive about religion as if they themselves created it! you are just following what you are made to follow since childhood. this is a fact accept it and it applies to muslims as well! We research so much while buying clothes or anything of our interest so that we may find the best. then why do we become dumbs when it comes to religion. isn't following the correct religion our basic right? i am a muslim but i have read hindu scripture as well! how would i know m on the right path unless i research. just because your parents followed a religion you ll continue to do that. what if they were wrong!! do they have any certification of being on the right path from God?
this is a very important matter of your life. dont be angry or sarcastic. be patient and awakened and be respectful to those who research for you if you want to be guided. I pray for my and everybody's guidance :)
brilliant work ....it seems nobody has challenged your work......why blame one particular religion of eating meat when your own religion says the same...:-)
ReplyDeleteWas it meat ban or beef ban?
DeleteThe Truth
ReplyDeleteValmiki Ramayana, the original narration of Ramayana, has a total of 537 chapters, and over 24,000 verses, arranged into six kandas, or books. There are only two references to meat, and over a hundred references to a vegetarian diet. The Ayodhya kanda has 119 chapters. Chapter 20 describes Mother Kaushalya’s grievous lamentation on hearing from her son Rama that He has been banished to the forest. Rama tells her in verse 29, “I shall live in a solitary forest like a sage for fourteen years, avoiding meat and living with roots, fruits and honey.” Can we validly infer from this that Lord Rama ate meat while in Ayodhya, and now He promises to avoid it in the forest? The exact words used are hitva amisam. Amisam refers to “meat” and hitva refers to “disregarding” or “with the exception of” (Monnier Williams dictionary).
Traditionally, in Vedic culture, when a son leaves home to go to distant lands, he reassures his parents that he would abide by strict moral codes and never deviate from the religious principles. Imagine a student promising his parents when going to stay in the hostel, “I won’t drink alcohol while in the hostel.” Does this mean that he is drinking it while at home? Obviously not. Similarly it’s in this mood that Lord Rama assures His mother that He wouldn’t stoop low. In Chapter 26, Lord Rama tells Mother Sita of His decision to go to the forest and instructs her to stay in Ayodhya. There is no reference to any eating meat or otherwise in any verse of this chapter. Moreover in almost all the verses of chapter 94, Lord Rama glorifies the various fruits, trees, and flowers at the forest of Citrakuta, with absolutely no reference to any meat-eating whatsoever.
Did Mother Sita ask Lord Rama to kill the deer? In the third book, Aranya-kanda, Chapter 43, Mother Sita spots the golden deer and asks Lord Rama to fetch it. She asks, “O nobleman’s son, that delightful deer is stealing My heart. O dextrous one, bring it round; it will be our plaything.” [3-43-10]. In the next eight verses She rejoices at the prospect of taking the deer back to Ayodhya where the animal will delight all the palace residents. She clarifies that if the deer is to be killed at all (Lakshmana had earlier warned it to be a demon), then They could use the deerskin as a seat. (3-43-19, 20). The forest dwelling sages used kusa grass and deerskin as seats during the earlier ages when flora and fauna was in abundance. Here again there is not even a hint that Lord Rama or Sita wanted to eat the flesh of the golden deer. In the chapter 36 of Sundara-kanda, Hanuman assures Mother Sita that Lord Rama would cross over the ocean and defeat Ravana. He reveals that although Lord Rama is in great sorrow of separation from Mother Sita, He hasn’t fallen down to intoxicants or meat eating (verse 41).
Mamsa has another meaning, than meat the flesh of a fruit. In the South Indian temple town of Sri Rangam, when priests offer mango to Lord Ranganatha, they chant the prayer, iti amra mamsa khanda samarpayami: “I offer mango-mamsa (mango flesh) for the Lord to eat.” Thus even if there are occasional references to mamsa, we should know they refer to fruit pulp.
Good Spin ...
DeleteRead This Article And Be Happy !! Sri Rama is Lord Himself,How He Can Eat Meat ? He Have Taken Vow That I will Protect My Dharma. Just Read This Article & And understand the Real Meanings Of That Verses. Thank you.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thespiritualscientist.com/2012/11/did-lord-rama-eat-meat/
A very good article.Thank you for sharing. food was always a debate in religions; in Indian and middle-eastern religions as well. very few hindus, unlike me, try to understand that any religion made up of certain idea or schools (fitna/sampradaya) and different schools become dominant or recessive in certain times. Starting from Vedic times the central ritual was homa, where yajman(arya) use to sacrifice food to God (all sorts of food from fruits, flowers, liquor to meat)as gratitude. the emergence of Buddhism (1st millienium) had deep impact on hinduism and it become tyaga oriented (ascetic) from bhoga oriented (family bound). So animal sacrifices and meat-eating start becoming taboo. the effect also comes in religious scriptures; basically the most glorified divine book "ramayana", the meat-eating Rama-Sita-Lakshmana start being fruit-eating (as it fits change in culture). If someone observantly see, with change in culture in last 100 years, Ramayana has changed a lot. the animations, which are generally accepted as caricature, but positively accepted in ramayana, people have no problem Hanuman is flying like doremon or Sita is playing with kids. Ram has big fan following, but Ravana has bigger fan following; and actually nobody has problem with that. I have seen, the person leading the group of Ramlila more interested to taking the part of Ravana, but Ram (as if, please pardon me, Ram is sidekick character). But nobody has problem in that. Hinduism is such a vibrant religion, And I feel so proud to be a Hindu.
ReplyDeleteYou need to learn sanskrit. Some words have many meanings and you have to pick the right one depending on the situation.
ReplyDeleteDo You Know Sanskirit?
DeleteBTW,How Many Hindus Knows Sanskirit In India?
Dear Khurshid Imam Saheb,
ReplyDeleteYou have done your lot of research work. However the recent cancer researches have proved that meat eating is one of the major cause of Cancer, Obesity, Diabetes as every byproduct of meat is carcinogenic.
You have quoted Holy Quran, it is excellent.
Dead meat, blood, flesh of swine and any food on which name other than God has been pronounced - is prohibited. Quran 5:3
Learned scholar Dr.Zakir Naik Tells one must follow the scriptures to understand the religion, He is absolutely right and 100 marks for him.. Kindly note the following verses from Holy Quran and Hadith. If anyone is not a Muslim( Jews, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Jains, Sikhs) does he/She has no right to live. The Jihadis are exactly doing things written in Quran. Are the teachings appropriate logically from Humanistic point of view?
And when the sacred months have passed, then kill the polytheists wherever you find them and capture them and besiege them and sit in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they should repent, establish prayer, and give zakah, let them [go] on their way. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. ( Quran 9.5)
Fight them; Allah will punish them by your hands and will disgrace them and give you victory over them and satisfy the breasts of a believing people. ( Quran 9.14)
The Jews say, "Ezra is the son of Allah "; and the Christians say, "The Messiah is the son of Allah ." That is their statement from their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved [before them]. May Allah destroy them; how are they deluded? ( Quran 9.30)
The Verse:--"You (true Muslims) are the best of peoples ever raised up for mankind." means, the best of peoples for the people, as you bring them with chains on their necks till they embrace Islam. Sahih al-Bukhari Book 60 Hadith 80
Muslims often accuse other religions of idolatry. Yet Muslims bow down to a pagan temple called the "Kaaba" (which is what the pagans of Arabia did before the rise of Islam); they take a pilgrimage to the Kaaba (which is what the pagans of Arabia did before the rise of Islam); they walk circles around the Kaaba (which is what the pagans of Arabia did before the rise of Islam); and they kiss the black stone embedded in the corner of the Kaaba (which is what the pagans of Arabia did before the rise of Islam). Should our Muslim friends be accusing anyone of idolatry? Glass houses!
Surahs and Ayats. Do you agree with it Mr Khurshid?
Scholars and followers of Noble Islam kindly comment with logical interpretation and proof .
What you have (mis)quoted (Quran 9:5,9:14) are a war cry to boost the morale of the warriors in the battlefield. If you want to know the true meaning of that verse, go to the previous verses and the ones come after. You can't just take words out of context. Do you know the fact that similar, if not the same verses are existing in your own scriptures? I found tons of such verses of the same nature in Hindu scripture. Here are few for your kind perusal.
Delete"Kill the opponents of Vedas" - Atharva Veda: 20-93-12. "(O King!) you reach everyone who tells the evil (tells against Vedas) and kill Him - Atharva Veda::20-74-7. "O Indra ! Kill the sinful ass (a person who mocks Vedas)" - Atharva Veda: 20-74-5 . "Wage the religious war" - Gita: 2:32:34
"Slay each reviler and destroy him who in secret injures us" - Atharva Veda: 20-74-7. "Destroy this ass, O Indra, who in tones discordant brays to thee" - Atharva Veda: 20-74-7. "Display thy bounty.Thunderer, Drive off the enemies of prayer. Crush with thy foot the niggard churls who bring no gifts. - Atharva Veda: 29-93-1&2.
abdul wahid...you are right...everything should be read in the context....so better teach this to zakir naik and to this cynnical blog writer....who has hardly any knowledge on Sanskrit, telling that mamsa mean meat and amisha mean non-veg etc. The problem with you islamsists is that you guys only understand the language of hatred. Look at yourself how you are spreading lies...is ther anything like this in the Vedas or the Gita..can you cite the shloka....no ofcourse no...because you islamists are a bunch of stupid notorious goons who only understand the language of lies, deceit, falsehood, and hatred. Regarding quran,,,it is full of verses promoting, sex slavery, slavery, killing of non-muslims etc etc in all context....
DeleteNaveen Raghuvanshi " Imagine a student promising his parents when going to stay in the hostel, “I won’t drink alcohol while in the hostel.” Does this mean that he is drinking it while at home? Obviously not. Similarly it’s in this mood that Lord Rama assures His mother that He wouldn’t stoop low."....Does it imply that there were people eating meat at that time? and Rama promises not join them?
ReplyDeleteI still cant understand how they got deer skins and tiger skins without killing them?.....
Dear Priyankar, don't demean the position of God and say you are proud to be Hindu...
ReplyDeleteDear Khurshid, As regards interpretation of Sanskrit, pls understand that each word in Sanskrit has many meanings and then there is interpretation in context. To properly understand these things require many years (atleast 12 years) of rigorous study under guidance of an expert teacher.
Before commenting in the garb of secularism, a genuine process needs to be followed and then you can enter the spirit and understanding of the texts.
While the word Amish also mean high level of comforts, Mamsa also means fruit pulp.
So lets no hurry to brand a selfless translator as misleader. spend more time in understanding the scripture and the glories of Lord Rama.
May Lord Rama bless you with right consciousness.
movvamadhuri@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteValmiki Ramayana, the original narration of Ramayana, has a total of 537 chapters, and over 24,000 verses, arranged into six kandas, or books. There are only two references to meat, and over a hundred references to a vegetarian diet. The Ayodhya kanda has 119 chapters. Chapter 20 describes Mother Kaushalya’s grievous lamentation on hearing from her son Rama that He has been banished to the forest. Rama tells her in verse 29, “I shall live in a solitary forest like a sage for fourteen years, avoiding meat and living with roots, fruits and honey.” Can we validly infer from this that Lord Rama ate meat while in Ayodhya, and now He promises to avoid it in the forest? The exact words used are hitva amisam. Amisam refers to “meat” and hitva refers to “disregarding” or “with the exception of” (Monnier Williams dictionary).
ReplyDeleteTraditionally, in Vedic culture, when a son leaves home to go to distant lands, he reassures his parents that he would abide by strict moral codes and never deviate from the religious principles. Imagine a student promising his parents when going to stay in the hostel, “I won’t drink alcohol while in the hostel.” Does this mean that he is drinking it while at home? Obviously not. Similarly it’s in this mood that Lord Rama assures His mother that He wouldn’t stoop low. In Chapter 26, Lord Rama tells Mother Sita of His decision to go to the forest and instructs her to stay in Ayodhya. There is no reference to any eating meat or otherwise in any verse of this chapter. Moreover in almost all the verses of chapter 94, Lord Rama glorifies the various fruits, trees, and flowers at the forest of Citrakuta, with absolutely no reference to any meat-eating whatsoever.
Did Mother Sita ask Lord Rama to kill the deer? In the third book, Aranya-kanda, Chapter 43, Mother Sita spots the golden deer and asks Lord Rama to fetch it. She asks, “O nobleman’s son, that delightful deer is stealing My heart. O dextrous one, bring it round; it will be our plaything.” [3-43-10]. In the next eight verses She rejoices at the prospect of taking the deer back to Ayodhya where the animal will delight all the palace residents. She clarifies that if the deer is to be killed at all (Lakshmana had earlier warned it to be a demon), then They could use the deerskin as a seat. (3-43-19, 20). The forest dwelling sages used kusa grass and deerskin as seats during the earlier ages when flora and fauna was in abundance. Here again there is not even a hint that Lord Rama or Sita wanted to eat the flesh of the golden deer. In the chapter 36 of Sundara-kanda, Hanuman assures Mother Sita that Lord Rama would cross over the ocean and defeat Ravana. He reveals that although Lord Rama is in great sorrow of separation from Mother Sita, He hasn’t fallen down to intoxicants or meat eating (verse 41).
Mamsa has another meaning, than meat the flesh of a fruit. In the South Indian temple town of Sri Rangam, when priests offer mango to Lord Ranganatha, they chant the prayer, iti amra mamsa khanda samarpayami: “I offer mango-mamsa (mango flesh) for the Lord to eat.” Thus even if there are occasional references to mamsa, we should know they refer to fruit pulp.
have you reviwed islam
ReplyDeleteVery nice and eye opening article for blind Hindus. importantly one can believe your points because you have explained with comparing both true meaning of Sanskrit with misguiding false meaning done by so called fake Hindu propogadists who are backed up by political propogandists.
ReplyDeletehii, friend great article, proud of u, u r true Indian and intelligent human being, because humans are not plant eaters. In fact we are the only animal that cook our food.
ReplyDeleteAnimal like cow, buffalo, deer , goats are ruminants that is they have four stomach that is they have to first ingest the food ferment it inside the stomach then send the food back to mouth an then again ingest it.
Human can't digest plant based foods unless we cook it at high temperature in the presence of salt and ghee only after treating plant this way or say cooking it this way we can digest it.
The only reason that India has remain a slave country from last 1000 years is because we have stopped eating meat. Even today we are just population to serve the western nation with manpower, if we start eating meat atleast 3 a week we can again become global superpower.
Just one question what did tulsi das wrote
According to many Islamic scholars ISLAM is the only religion in the world and it glorifies establishing ISLAM worlwide by killing other religions. Then what moral right you have to speak on Hindus. Also for your information Asuras or Danavas ate animal flesh.
ReplyDeleteJai Shri Ram. Very well researched article and a good way to expose this vegetarian propaganda against us Hindus
ReplyDeleteMore than 70% Hindus eat meat. Our scriptures don't say anything against meat eating. Ayurveda recommends different type of meat based on our body type
It's these organisations like Iskcon and others who have their own vested interests and promote vegetarianism among Hindus to divide us further
माँस और मांस संस्कृत के दो भिन्न शब्द हैं|
ReplyDeleteमाँस = माम् + सम = myself(my body) + similar to.
मांस = मान् + सम = measuring(unit standard) + equivalent to.
So, don't fight and moot over the misinterpretation and printing mistakes and blunders. Please don't defend the foreign sophistry based arguments.
Yes Bhagwan Shri Ram did eat meat, but he ate meat of animals he hunted and then performed proper rituals before eating. He didn't eat any meat slaughtered in Islamic halal way. This post will backfire on you someday as Hindus start to wake up and accept meat eating of our gods and demand for animal sacrifices and jhatka meat
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