THIRUKKURAL-ABSTINENCE FROM MEAT


Hello Reader,
I'm really glad to meet you in this post after a long break. I observed that almost all of my posts in this blog had a strong religious affirmation throughout the article. So I wanted to give you a common, global perspective of veganism in this post. To be common to all religions, I found, Thirukkural as the perfect source. Also referred to as divine text and universal veda, Thirukkural is an uncomparable masterpiece of 1330 Golden rules for a human being to follow. Right from "Ploughing a field", "Having education at right time" to "Ruling a country" all kinds of human morals are categorized in this book into 133 various topics.

What does the Thirukkural says about eating meat? I was really surprised to find these 10 universal rules that goes with all religions and ethics indiscriminantly, including Islam's Halal hinduism's exceptions of god's blessing etc.

In the Adhikara(Chapter), :::ABSTINENCE FROM FLESH::: 10 Kurals(verses) explains the golden rules for humans which really coincides with our current state of humanity in common public.

Here it goes:::

Kural 251:

What graciousness can one command
Who feeds his flesh by flesh gourmand

Meaning:
This kural well explains that, one cannot be gracious and humane if he feeds his flesh with another being's flesh.

Kural 252:

The thriftless have no property
And flesh eaters have no pity

Meaning:
This kural, if not taken literally, means that for the one who is careless about his properties, there will be no property at all. Likewise, for the one who doesn't cares about his fellow beings will have no pity or empathy.

Kural 253:

Who wields a steel is steel hearted
Who tastes the body is hard hearted

Meaning:
Like a person who uses weapons to kill has a killing intention in his mind throughout,
a person who tastes the body of a dead animal has a cruel hard intention in his mind. The author also tends to explain the intention of an incest rapist who always have a taste towards women's body.

Kural 254:

If merciless it is to kill,
To kill and eat is disgraceful

Meaning
If you ask, "What is kindness and what is unkind?"
It is not killing and killing. Thus, eating flesh is never virtuous.

Kural 255:

Off with flesh; a life you save
The eater hell's mouth shall not waive!

Meaning:
Life is perpetuated by not eating meat.
The clenched jaws of hell hold those who do.

Kural 256:

None would kill and sell the(ir) flesh
For eating it if they don't wish

Meaning:
The core meaning of this verse is,
If the world did not purchase and consume meat,
There would be none to slaughter and offer meat for sale.

Kural 257:

For eating flesh men must abstain
If they but feel the being's pain

Meaning:
When a man realizes that meat is the butchered flesh
Of another creature, he must abstain from eating it. (THIS REMINDS ME OF PeTA's POSTER REAL MEN ARE KIND TO ANIMALS. QUITE TRUE HUH?)

Kural 258:

Whose mind from illusion is freed
Refuse on lifeless flesh to feed

Meaning: 
This kural well explains the addiction we've got in our mind towards meat eating.
Perceptive souls who have abandoned passion
Will not feed on flesh abandoned by life.

Kural 259:

Not to kill and eat, truly 
excels thousands of sacrifices a man can do.

Meaning:
This needs no explanations literally. Thousands of sacrifices, will not equal a vegan lifestyle. Best explained in accordance with those who take up fasting(viradham), cleanliness etc to show their devotion towards god.. eg. Ayyappa bhakthas and islamic people during their ramadan fasting. Even without doing a fasting or sacrifices like skipping your meals for days, you can excel in your path to god by just abstaining from meat. Simple.

Kural 260:

All lives shall lift their palms to him
who eats not flesh nor kills with whim.

Meaning:
All that lives will press palms together in prayerful adoration
Of those who refuse to slaughter and savor meat. So if you really believe humans are supreme creatures, then you must really abide by this. If human supremacy isn't a myth for you, God is more supreme than you and I and he doesn't slaughters and eats us. So to prove yourself that you(human) are supreme, then all lives must praise you and raise their arms to adore you. This meaning may be controversial with human supremacy but even if humans are supreme or not, we shall believe GOD is the supreme and he never slaughters us cruelly. Enough said. 

Leave your Ego, hesitation and ignorance. Learn and Evolve. That is what we can call really an evolution. Thank you.

With love,
[To read the tamil version click here]


[தமிழில் படிக்க இங்கே சொடுக்கவும்]




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