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Truth is always bitter to hear, it's a myth buster with a high pitch of materialistic view. Jolt of progressive thinking just passes through the minds of who ever reads this book.
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The Myth of the Holy Cow
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Hugely controversial upon its publication in India, this book has already been banned by the Hyderabad Civil Court and the author’s life has been threatened. Jha argues against the historical sanctity of the cow in India, in an illuminating response to the prevailing attitudes about beef that have been fiercely supported by the current Hindu right-wing government and the fundamentalist groups backing it.
120 pages, Paperback
First published June 1,2002
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Quiet an eye opener.
Hard to read as it reads like a phd thesis / research article rather than a book!! Go to last chapter to get a summary of the whole thesis.
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The book deals with an issue which is of great relevance in our country today. Given the spate of lynchings, beatings and rioting being done in the name of the 'holy cow', the question of the cow's status in Hinduism and when it became 'Holy' assume importance. Has the cow been for all history been held as sacred by the Hindu religion and thus protected from being killed as food untill the muslim rulers came in and started killing 'our mother' as the Hindutva brigade would have you believe? When did the cow become holy and why? What protections did the Hindu religious texts offer the cow and what punishments did it prescribe for the abhorrent beef eaters? The book attempts to shed light on these and other related questions.
The book traces the consumption of beef from the early Aryan arrival in India as a semi nomadic people with a dominantly pastoral economy where beef was not just eaten, but considered as a food above all other, all the way to today's India, where the mere suspicion of having beef can get you and your family lynched. It talks about evidence in the vedas and the other holy books including the Rig veda, the Atharvaveda and the Manusmriti as well as other works including the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Charaka and Sushrutha Sanhithas of consumption of beef not just by the Muslims or the untouchables, but also and preferentially by the Brahmins.
It fittingly ends with one of Dr. Ambedkar's essays on Beef and its evolution from preferred food to a sin which is comparable to Brahmahatya, the most abhor able of practices. This is particularly welcome in light of the Hindutva brigade's attempts to water down Dr. Ambedkar's association with Buddhism and incorporate him into their folds.
While the book is informative and well researched and referenced, the writing style and the overall readability of the book is far from perfect. It seems to be written keeping in mind only the Indian Hindi/Sanskrit speaking reader and no explanation is provided either for some of the Hindi/Sanskrit phrases that he quotes from several sources, nor is the meanings of several customs such as the Ashwameda or the concept of twice born etc. been explained. For all its faults, it makes for an informative and undoubtedly interesting read.
The book traces the consumption of beef from the early Aryan arrival in India as a semi nomadic people with a dominantly pastoral economy where beef was not just eaten, but considered as a food above all other, all the way to today's India, where the mere suspicion of having beef can get you and your family lynched. It talks about evidence in the vedas and the other holy books including the Rig veda, the Atharvaveda and the Manusmriti as well as other works including the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Charaka and Sushrutha Sanhithas of consumption of beef not just by the Muslims or the untouchables, but also and preferentially by the Brahmins.
It fittingly ends with one of Dr. Ambedkar's essays on Beef and its evolution from preferred food to a sin which is comparable to Brahmahatya, the most abhor able of practices. This is particularly welcome in light of the Hindutva brigade's attempts to water down Dr. Ambedkar's association with Buddhism and incorporate him into their folds.
While the book is informative and well researched and referenced, the writing style and the overall readability of the book is far from perfect. It seems to be written keeping in mind only the Indian Hindi/Sanskrit speaking reader and no explanation is provided either for some of the Hindi/Sanskrit phrases that he quotes from several sources, nor is the meanings of several customs such as the Ashwameda or the concept of twice born etc. been explained. For all its faults, it makes for an informative and undoubtedly interesting read.
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3.5
The book does not live up to the potential offered by its captivating title. "The Myth of the Holy Cow" has no dearth of references and examples of animal sacrifice and non-vegetarianism from various holy books and legal scriptures of Hinduism. As I am unfamiliar with most of these referenced texts, I cannot vouch for the objectivity/lack of internal bias.
Where it fails terribly is in its structure. The first few chapters are bound to overwhelm lay readers with its scrambled excess of examples. The main argument this book puts forth is the claim for supremacy by Hindus over Buddhists in the society. Jha proposes that the concept of ahimsa (non-violence) towards all living entities preached by the Buddhists was gaining popularity, and they strongly condemned the pointless sacrifices by the Hindus, even when they allowed consumption of meat in practice. This in turn forced Hindus, especially Brahmins, to give up meat altogether and adopt vegetarianism for Hinduism to regain foothold as a revered religion. This argument, however interesting, is not central to the book as it should have been, and is only dealt with in the last few pages in a cursory fashion. Also, it fails to answer with certainty why and when the cow was anointed holy.
But do read it, for it presents intriguing examples and anecdotes of animal sacrifices and non-vegetarianism prevalent in the Vedic times, the central tenets of Budhhism and Jainism dealing with animals and treatment of animals, and of course, the ever contradictory injunctions in most (or all. Probably all) holy texts.
The book does not live up to the potential offered by its captivating title. "The Myth of the Holy Cow" has no dearth of references and examples of animal sacrifice and non-vegetarianism from various holy books and legal scriptures of Hinduism. As I am unfamiliar with most of these referenced texts, I cannot vouch for the objectivity/lack of internal bias.
Where it fails terribly is in its structure. The first few chapters are bound to overwhelm lay readers with its scrambled excess of examples. The main argument this book puts forth is the claim for supremacy by Hindus over Buddhists in the society. Jha proposes that the concept of ahimsa (non-violence) towards all living entities preached by the Buddhists was gaining popularity, and they strongly condemned the pointless sacrifices by the Hindus, even when they allowed consumption of meat in practice. This in turn forced Hindus, especially Brahmins, to give up meat altogether and adopt vegetarianism for Hinduism to regain foothold as a revered religion. This argument, however interesting, is not central to the book as it should have been, and is only dealt with in the last few pages in a cursory fashion. Also, it fails to answer with certainty why and when the cow was anointed holy.
But do read it, for it presents intriguing examples and anecdotes of animal sacrifices and non-vegetarianism prevalent in the Vedic times, the central tenets of Budhhism and Jainism dealing with animals and treatment of animals, and of course, the ever contradictory injunctions in most (or all. Probably all) holy texts.
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The issue of beef consumption is a pretty inflammatory and divisive topic in India currently. Mohammad Akhlaq, a Muslim, was killed by a mob in September 2015 (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_Da...) for allegations that he had kept beef in his refrigerator. The repercussions of this case are far-reaching. Laws against eating beef, especially meat from cows, have been included in Directive Principles of State Policy in India. Many states have passed laws prohibiting beef consumption.
India is a Hindu-majority (~80%), but secular country. States which have passed the above laws have done so due to the influence of Hindu organizations, most notablyt RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad). These organizations revere Cow as a goddess and therefore, advocate for the ban on beef.
So, amidst all these events, the central question is: What is the evidence for the claim that Hindus always revered Cow, and never ate beef? The answer, lucidly provided in this short but powerful book, is in negative. With considerable backing of sources including some of the holiest Hindu scriptures, the author demolishes this claim.
I cannot recommend this book more strongly to any Indian interested in knowing Hindus' "beefy" past :)
India is a Hindu-majority (~80%), but secular country. States which have passed the above laws have done so due to the influence of Hindu organizations, most notablyt RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad). These organizations revere Cow as a goddess and therefore, advocate for the ban on beef.
So, amidst all these events, the central question is: What is the evidence for the claim that Hindus always revered Cow, and never ate beef? The answer, lucidly provided in this short but powerful book, is in negative. With considerable backing of sources including some of the holiest Hindu scriptures, the author demolishes this claim.
I cannot recommend this book more strongly to any Indian interested in knowing Hindus' "beefy" past :)
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This is not a commentary on the beef politics in India, but a look back at the history of meat eating habits in ancient Indians that included apart from cows, at one point consumption of peacocks, leopards, bears...you name it! A must read in the climate of culinary lies that have recently deitified the cow.
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A factual account of the history of meat (esp. beef) eating in India. Unbelievably true. How the Vedic brahmins had the 'privilege' getting to eat beef every day, how the issue is politicised and much more.
Must read for beef-haters and religious fundamentalists. All the more relevant now since MP govt banned and Karnataka govt plans to ban beef eating itself (earlier only cow slaughter was banned).
Must read for beef-haters and religious fundamentalists. All the more relevant now since MP govt banned and Karnataka govt plans to ban beef eating itself (earlier only cow slaughter was banned).
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Written in 2002 , this book and the author had to face various hurdles before getting published.From the printers backing out for fear of facing the wrath of Hindu hardliners and months of legal wrangling.The problem - it repeats what scholars have known for a long time - early Hindus (including Brahmins) ate beef.
Thoroughly researched ,this book offers quotes from the Vedic texts to show how cow slaughter and consumption was quite common and how only in recent history has the cow been venerated.
The book goes on to destroy some cherished views of right wing political narratives which is why it irked them about this book in the first place
The sayings and beliefs of religious fundamentalists are often taken at face value. As fervent believers, they seem not to have any truck with rational politics. But it is important to realise how pathetically little they know about the religious and spiritual traditions that supposedly inform their political beliefs.An absolute must read for the times we live in.
Thoroughly researched ,this book offers quotes from the Vedic texts to show how cow slaughter and consumption was quite common and how only in recent history has the cow been venerated.
The book goes on to destroy some cherished views of right wing political narratives which is why it irked them about this book in the first place
The sayings and beliefs of religious fundamentalists are often taken at face value. As fervent believers, they seem not to have any truck with rational politics. But it is important to realise how pathetically little they know about the religious and spiritual traditions that supposedly inform their political beliefs.An absolute must read for the times we live in.
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