How did Hindus Become Vegetarians?

Re: # 91 kaal

I don't think Urstruly really has any difficulty in understanding hinduism - he is just being obnoxious and condensceding... this dude claims to be a "surya-vanshi" rajput - "suryvanshi" does not come from any bedouin text, does it?

The Hindu Angst:

I think that the point eklavya makes about 1947 is an important one and is behind the growing popularity of Modi. A growing number of hindus is starting to think that they were cheated in 1947; they thought that they had gotten a country of their own just as Muslims had gotten theirs. They expected any Muslims who remained in India to behave something like dhimmis in a Muslim country. But a small hindu elite cheated them and declared India to be a secular country which was no more of Hindus than it was of Muslims.

For a while, remaining Muslims who bore the blame for dividing the country, did act like 'dhimmis' and did not raise their voices. However, the new generation of Muslims does not carry any such guilt and is not afraid to show its allegiance to the ummah. This is creating anger among the hindus, especially the educated hindus, which really came into open after the Shah Bano case. Hindu nationalism has become a potent factor since then, and not only in the BJP. If Modi or someone else succeeds in making Ummah the issue in an election in the garb of terrorism/national security etc. the chances of his/her winning the election cannot be ruled out.

mohar, could be, but urstruly also genuinely likes to know things; he might not agree with us, but he will give us a fair hearing, methinks at least :)

---------

dm Sir, EVERYONE loses when people are thrown impossible and vicious challenges, particularly based on utter ignorance.

Modi is just an illegitimate child of Gandhi-Nehru who themselves failed. Of course, we should oppose him in whatever way possible.

Eklavya, GT:

Arre bhai, why do you people talk in riddles (surely, a hindu trait!)? Do you believe that, to impress, one has to first confuse and confound the innnocent? I like Urstruly, there is never any problem in understanding what he says.

Vengat.../Muzumdar
Ans: Indians (you call it Hindus) do not eat beaf apart from few abberations. This is my observation and experience. Please tell me a area where beaf eating is not considered a taboo and prohibited. The basic reason for cow worshipping (treating cow as mother) is cow milk is best substitute for mother's milk and widely used as baby food for 1000s of years. Initial eras of Vadas, people used to eat everything. During the period of Krishna, cow meat eating was prohibited. With Jainism/Budhdhism, meat eating stopped amongst upper caste people. Those who perform shakti puja (goddess Kali,Durga, Chandika), they eat meat. But vaishnavites and shivaites upper castes do not eat meat. The consumption of animal/bird meat increased in recent years.
I am not denying, early years of Vedas, even the rishis used to sacrifice animal and eat that.
Apart from occations, indians, by and large were mostly vegetarian and follow the tradition. Favourable climatic condition and developed agriculture is mainly responsible for this.

Eklavya#99:

I think that Modi will meet his well-deserved karmon-ka-fal sooner or later; but the phenomenon he represents is not going to go away.

I personally do not buy the “ummah” theory. The more we study the ongoing affairs of “Muslim” countries – the more mythical the concept of the ummah appears. In fact, the citizens of “Muslim” countries appear to be as much at war with themselves (usually propelled by a small section of the population and imposed on the vast (peaceful) majority) as with anybody else.

In any case, whether that argument (that large body of Indian Muslim sections would identify with the worldwide “ummah” more than with the country which gave them birth and sustenance) to me appears very dubious. It is also way off-topic for the current piece which makes an attempt to trace the origins of the “vegetarian” dietary habits of Hindus. Even those who consider that (other) topic legitimate should perhaps find some other forum (or UP) to discuss it, it makes no sense on this board.

#101 Posted by nkg on March 2, 2008 6:15:02 pm


The basic reason for cow worshipping (treating cow as mother) is cow milk is best substitute for mother's milk


doctors don't let you give newborns cow's milk before they're at least a year old..and how do you explain kids who are allergic to cow's milk? never heard of any kid being allergic to mother's milk...

Re: # 28
Bongdongs:

The deer was Sage Mareech in disguise of a golden deer. It looked so attractive, that Sita wanted that alive. I am not scholar of Ramayana. But these are the events, I can recollect from the Bengali varsion of it.
Bengali and Assemese people are shakti worshippers and generally sacrifice goat.

Re: # 104
I have told, cow's milk is best suppliment of breast milk. If breast milk is not available, then a child can survive on cow's milk. If you are from rural background, you will know this (until 20/30 years ago, when packaged baby food was not so popular), it was followed. That is the reason, cow is treted as mother.

#97 Posted by mohar11 on March 2, 2008 4:37:55 pm

urstruly is the one who told us it's ok for mo to get it on with a 9 year old child because it's been scientifically proven that older men are attracted to younger girls(ain't islamic science dandy)...wonder if it's ok for every 50+ year old men in detriot to get it on with his wife/daughter.

nkg, we can come up with all kinds of arguments, but ultimately it is just an emotional issue.

And that is why it is important both to Hindus and to Mr. Baig.

------------

dm #102,

That, sadly, is the reality. And, I think, specific people are irrelevant to this phenomenon, except the ones responsible for imagining and constructing it - Gandhi and Nehru.
-----------

It's a horrible thing to say (sorry, beej, please don't read further! :)) but Indian Hindus got some (lucky?!) breathing space and may be a few more years of break because our friends in Pakistan were not, yet, able to create as successful an experiment as they could have. If economic conditions reverse tomorrow, stresses and strains in Indian society will multiply.

#106 Posted by nkg on March 2, 2008 6:37:17 pm


If you are from rural background


So..presumably..if you're not a rural background and can get your milk from price club at a considerable discount, it should be ok to eat beef...since you've now admitted there is no religious sanction against it..

LOL @ 109

I'd better change that to: important to SOME Hindus :)

Re: # 98
Moslems and Indians were never socially coherent groups. The basic reason is mostly cultural. The country is getting richer day by day and more and more people are joining the (so called) mainstream. You will find more people from non-brahmin,baniya,kshatriya thronging to pilgrimage/temple than their upper caste breathren. The regional festivals ( like Durga Puja,Ganapati Festival, Ratha Yatra) are more popular now than even before.
I don't think, anybody wants India to be a Hindu country (even RSS people). But the way Indian constitution see the secularism (recent budget has set aside 1000crores for wel beings of moslems), it is mostly to appease largely moslem vote bank. It might be valid at the time of partition, but there is no point keeping this majority/minority stuff as every Indian is minority, in that trespect ( Tamil, Bengali, Bihari, Kannadiga, Punjabi...). Everybody is part of cultural/linguistic group, which is less than 10% of the total populatuion.
In modern day life, Islam, by its quality, can not create a positive passion (no positive contribution, that sets islam as role model).The UMMAH passion is mostly related to Arab Oil money. 1000s of crores are pumped into 3rd world countries like Afghanisthan,Pakistan, Bangladesh and India to whip up the passion. Madrassh/Mosques are the instruments for this. The same phenomenon is now observed in Europe (Italy, France, UK based mosques receives huge amount of donations from Middle East). The similar resentlent you may find in europe also.

nkg, why do you use 'Moslems' instead of 'Muslims'? Is that a payback for 'Hindoos'?