History of Brahmin diet

Vegetarianism is an integral part of most schools of Hinduism although there are a wide variety of practices and beliefs that have changed over time. By one estimate, 30% of all Hindus are ovo-lacto vegetarians, most of the surveys including one by the Office of Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India shows that 60 to 70%, or even more, of Indians as non vegetarians. Since Hindus constitute almost 80% of Indian population, considering the above surveys, including the one from an official government source, it is mathematically improbable that 80 to 90% of the Hindus are vegetarians. Most sects of Hindus do not observe vegetarianism.

Dietary habits and dietary customs were factors that have played roles in the formation, evolution and development of the Indian caste system. Mahabharata says that Rantideva, a king, was a generous donor of grains and cow to Brahmins. Taittirīya Brāhmaṇa contains the line "Verily the cow's milk and it's products is food" (atho annam via gauh).. Manusmriti contains strictures against beef eating.

Aryans of the Rig Veda did kill cows for purposes of food and ate beef is abundantly clear from the Rig Veda itself. In Rig Veda (X. 86.14) Indra says that twenty bulls were cooked for him. The Rig Veda (X.91.14) says that for Agni were sacrificed horses, bulls, oxen, barren cows and rams. From the Rig Veda (X.72.6) it appears that the cow was killed with a sword or axe.

Fifteen in number, then, for me a score of bullocks they prepare,
And I devour the fat thereof: they fill my belly full with food. Supreme is Indra over all.

— Rig Veda X. 86.14., Ambedkar On Beef-Eating And Hinduism, 2015, Counter-Currents Publishing

Dietary habits in Hindu scriptures

From the Vedic age up to the earlier times of the Dharma sutras, the four Varnas had no difference regarding their food and conduct. All Varnas had similar food habits,and both vegetarianism and non-vegetarianism were very popular.

Vedas

No strict dietary laws have been mentioned in Vedas,but Hindu dietary laws were made,when the Dharma sutras were being written.Beef was not forbidden in the Vedas,and the sacrificial animals which were often cows which were often eaten by the Brahmins.It was extremely difficult, in fact almost impossible, to have been a vegetarian in Vedic times anywhere in the world. Almost all the fruits and vegetables, so commonly available today, had not been domesticated to be fit for human consumption while cereals, the only vegetarian food that could be stored to eat at a later time, were very scarce till about 4,000 years ago when they first appeared with the Harappans and then slowly spread to other areas. The Harappans only had barley, millets and a little wheat. Rice only came to India from south East Asia very much later. Tenth mandala of the Rigveda mentions cows being slaughtered in honour of Indra and other deities.It also mentions butcher houses that were erected to slaughter cows.Further Yajurveda mentions Ashvamedha or the horse sacrifice, and even Purushamedha or the Human sacrifice(Yajurveda (VS 30–31)).The flesh of the sacrificial animals was partaken by the sacrificer.Eating of sacrificial human was later abandoned by the Brahmins,at the cost of logic inconsistency. The custom of animal sacrifice still continued in the remote villages.

The earliest Hindu scriptures belong or refer to the Vedic period which lasted till about 500 BCE according to the chronological division by modern historians. In the historical Vedic religion of Hinduism, following references exist for meat consumption.

The Rig Veda (10.87.16-19) speaks about the flesh of the cattle and the horses: In therapeutic section of Charak Samhita (pages 86–87) the flesh of cow is prescribed as a medicine for various diseases. It is also prescribed for making soup. It is emphatically advised as a cure for irregular fever, consumption, and emaciation. The fat of the cow is recommended for debility and rheumatism.

The fiend who smears himself with flesh of cattle, with flesh of horses and of human bodies,
Who steals the milch-cow's milk away, O Agni,—tear off the heads of such with fiery fury.

The cow gives milk each year, O Man-regarder let not the Yātudhāna ever taste it.
If one would glut him with the biesting, Agni, pierce with thy flame his vitals as he meets thee.

Let the fiends drink the poison of the cattle; may Aditi cast off the evildoers.
May the God Savitar give them up to ruin, and be their share of plants and herbs denied them.

Agni, from days of old thou slayest demons never shall Rākṣasas in fight o’ercome thee.
Burn up the foolish ones, the flesh-devourers let none of them escape thine heavenly arrow.

— Rig Veda (10.87.16-19)

Most consider this as a disapproval of the cow slaughter and meat eating in general. Others put it in the context of demons and evil spirits (Yātudhāna) stealing the cattle and the milk. Though alternative translations by Swami Dayananda Saraswati reject such claims and give the 'correct' interpretations and translations in the light of the Brahmanas and Vedangas. According to Dayananda and Yaska, the author of Nirukta (Vedic Philology), Yātudhāna means Cattle -eaters (Yātu - Cattle / flesh of Cattle + Udhāna - eaters/ consumers).

In Magha days are oxen slain, in Arjuris they wed the bride.

— Rig Veda (10.85.13)

When thrice the men lead round the Steed, in order, who goeth to the Gods as meet oblation,
The goat precedeth him, the share of Pūṣan, and to the Gods the sacrifice announceth.

— Dirghatamas, Rig Veda (10.162.4)

What part of the Steed's flesh the fly hath eaten, or is left sticking to the post or hatchet,
Or to the slayer's hands and nails adhereth,—among the Gods, too, may all this be with thee.
Food undigested steaming from his belly, and any odour of raw flesh remaining,
This let the immolators set in order and dress the sacrifice with perfect cooking.

— Dirghatamas, Rig Veda (10.162.10)

They who observing that the Horse is ready call out and say, the smell is good; remove it;
And, craving meat, await the distribution,—may their approving help promote labour.
The trial-fork of the flesh-cooking caldron, the vessels out of which the broth is sprinkled,
The warming-pots, the covers of the dishes, hooks, carving-boards,—all these attend the Charger.

— Dirghatamas, Rig Veda (10.162.12-13)

The Atharva Veda bans only the eating of the raw flesh, human flesh and fertilized eggs:

Those who eat flesh uncooked, and those who eat the bleeding flesh of men,
Feeders on babes unborn, long-haired, far from this place we banish these.

— Atharva Veda (8.6.23)

The Yajurveda mentions Ashvamedha or the horse sacrifice, and even Purushamedha or the Human sacrifice(Yajurveda (VS 30–31)). The Purushamedha or Human sacrifice was purely ritualistic, and there is no proof of a human ever being sacrificed.

Later texts

Several highly authoritative scriptures also bar violence against domestic animals except in the case of ritual sacrifice. This view is clearly expressed in the Mahabharata (3.199.11-12; 13.115; 13.116.26; 13.148.17), the Bhagavata Purana (11.5.13-14), and the Chandogya Upanishad (8.15.1). For instance, many Hindus point to the Mahabharata's maxim that "Nonviolence is the highest duty and the highest teaching," as advocating a vegetarian diet. It is also reflected in the Manu Smriti (5.27-44), a particularly renowned traditional Hindu law book (Dharmaśāstra). These texts strongly condemn the slaughter of animals and meat eating.

Brahmanas

Aitareya Brahmana of the Rigveda, mentions the rules for distribution of the different parts of the sacrificial animals among the priest.

“ ... two jawbones with the tongue are to be given to the Prastotar, the breast in the form of an eagle to the Udgatar,the throat with the palate to the Pratihartar... ”

Further it again mentions that a Kshatriya sacrificer is not allowed to eat sacrificial food (sacrificed animals and other food items), but the Brahma priest eats his portion for him.

Sutras

Baudhayana says (Baudhayana Dharmasutra), carnivorous animals, tamed birds, pigs, and cocks should not be eaten. Five-toed animals, animals with cloven hoofs, birds that feed scratching with their feet, etc. may be eaten. Apastamba (Apastamba Dharmasutra) gives another list of animals not to be eaten. He also mentioned that during Shraddha, meat should be offered to the ancestors.

Brahmins of South India

Some of the south Indian Brahmins during the sutra period, like those of North India were meat eaters. Kapilar(Puṟanāṉūṟu, poems 113,119), a poet in ancient Tamil Country, says:

“ ..My hands have become soft because they do know of no harder work than eating rice and meat boiled with tamarind. The sweet smell of its smoke might counteract the smell of the pieces of meat. ”

There is a dispute as to all early Brahmins of Kerala were vegetarians in those days.Kurumthokai and Perumpanattuppatai give details of vegetarian food and not meat dishes. But the above mentioned poet Kapilar is seen to extol the non- vegetarian dishes and liquors and hailed from part of Tamil country which is now known as state of Kerala.

Impact of Buddhism and Jainism

From the early centuries of the Christian era, Buddhism and Jainism contributed much to the crescent belief that nonviolence is supremely valued which stimulated growing hostility to the slaughter of live animals. Due to the sacrifice of cattle, there was a big famine in most parts of the country. People who were forced by Brahmins to provide them whatever they want, slowly started drifting towards other religions which were by that time following non-violence. Priests who participated in sacrifices and eating the flesh of the animals were degraded. To protect their community and its existence the Brahmins stopped sacrifice and replaced it with coconut. For the same reasons, high proportion of Brahmins gave up partaking flesh and fish.

In 4th and 5th century CE. in the Tamil country the cults of Vishnu and Shiva, had to fight against those of the Jains. The Vaishnava and Shaiva could not make much headway against the Jains (who believed in non-violence and vegetarianism), if they did not give up eating of flesh. Hence they adopted abstention from meat and liquor as one of their fundamental principles.

Recent research indicating pre-Śramaṇa origins

While the yogasutras of Patanjali are dated somewhere between 500 BCE and 400 CE, Patanjali was not the founder of the yogic school of philosophy. Rather, Patanjali drew upon the vedantic literature Like the Upanishads and Samkhya philosophy both of which have Vedic roots. The influence of Samkhya on yogasutras is so great that some scholars preferred not to distinguish yoga as separate from Samkhya, rather presented it as another form of Samkhya. More recent scholarship establishes the origins of Samkhya in the vicinity of 1500 BCE noting its influence on Buddhist and Yoga schools of Indian philosophy.

Present

Vegetarian brahminical Hinduism is mostly a Hindi belt phenomenon, even though former PM and UP brahmin Atal Bihari Vajpayee was famously nonvegetarian. Maharashtrian brahmins who founded RSS may be strictly vegetarian but Maharashtra as a whole is almost entirely meat and fish eating. Bengali Brahmin and Kashmiri brahmins are nonvegetarian as are coastal brahmin castes like the fish eating Saraswats.

References

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