is beef prohibited in hinduism

Eaters of clean animals like goats and sheep are considered higher compared to those who consume unclean animals like pigs and domesticated fowl. The Madhya Pradesh Agricultural Cattle Preservation Act, 1959 governs the slaughter of cattle in Madhya Pradesh. Now its spirit has gone to hell, whereas had it been killed in the approved Muslim manner, its spirit would have gone to paradise. Cattle became essential in India, just like dogs or cars became essential in other human cultures, states Harris. Possession, sale and/or transport of beef and beef products is prohibited. [63], The Mahabharata debate presents one meat-producing hunter who defends his profession as dharmic. The Hindu Tradition. The protection of cattle and prevention of cattle slaughter is not limited to Buddhists in India, but found in other Theravada countries such as Sri Lanka, Myanmar and others. Prasad is closely linked to the term Naivedya (Sanskrit: ), also spelt Naivedhya', naibedya or Naived(h)yam. [106][107][note 2] In present-day Punjab, a Hindu delegation to the 9th Sikh guru Guru Tegh Bahadur requested him to ban cow slaughter and told him "Cows are everywhere being slaughtered. [164], According to Judith Walsh, widespread cow protection riots occurred repeatedly in British India in the 1880s and 1890s. On 25 July 1947, in a prayer meeting, Gandhi opposed laws that were derived from religion. According to legend, the Christian faith was introduced to India by Thomas the Apostle, who supposedly reached the Malabar Coast (Kerala) in 52 AD. The Journal of Asian Studies, 53(3), 779-803. doi:10.2307/2059730. [69][70], In the Jain tradition, neither monks nor laypersons should cause others or allow others to work in a slaughterhouse. Earlier, "The Punjab Prohibition of Cow Slaughter Act, 1955" was the law governing the slaughter of cattle in Haryana has the same provisions as that in Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. ", "HJS: Ban cow slaughter in Goa Times of India", "Gujarat Assembly passes Bill on cow slaughter", "7 years jail for cow slaughter in Gujarat? [203] This "does not include flesh of cow contained in sealed containers and imported", meaning that restaurants in the states can serve beef, if they can prove its meat has been imported into the state. The certificate can be issued if the animal is deemed "uneconomical for purposes of milking, breeding or draught/agricultural operations." Buffaloes that can not produce milk or reproduce are also exempted. [45][46] India produced 3.643 million metric tons of beef in 2012, of which 1.963 million metric tons was consumed domestically and 1.680 million metric tons was exported. The law defines "beef" as the flesh of cow and of such bull or bullock whose slaughter is prohibited under the Act, but does not include such flesh contained in sealed containers and imported into Uttar Pradesh. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007, Williams, Raymond. According to the National Commission on Cattle, the definition of a calf being followed in Maharashtra, by some executive instructions, was "below the age of 1 year".[194][195]. It read, "This House directs the Government to ensure total ban on the slaughter of cows of all ages and calves in consonance with the Directive Principles laid down in Article 48 of the Constitution as interpreted by the Supreme Court, as well as necessitated by strong economic considerations based on the recommendations of the Cattle Preservation and Development Committee and the reported fast by Acharya Vinoba Bhave from 21st April, 1979". The pains of disease dwell with him who eats excessively. Panchayat laws permit slaughter only in approved slaughter houses. The Bill, however, lapsed on account of dissolution of the Sixth Lok Sabha. [60] Many ancient and medieval Hindu texts debate the rationale for a voluntary stop to cow slaughter and the pursuit of vegetarianism as a part of a general abstention from violence against others and all killing of animals. Willard G. Oxtoby and Alan F. Segal. In addition to being an indication of poor social, economic, and ritual status, eating carcasses is considered to be eating impure meat because death makes the animal impure. If you can do that while eating meat, so be it. Cattle that farmers are unable to sell are eventually abandoned. The export of cattle for slaughter and the sale of beef are both illegal. He adds that the endearment and respect for cattle in Hinduism is more than a commitment to vegetarianism, it has become integral to its theology. A recent photograph of some Hindu protesters demanding a ban on beef and other non-vegetarian food made me sit and take notice of WebThere should be no banning of beef. (1980), Common disease conditions among cattle slaughtered in Trichur municipal slaughter house a preliminary study, Kerala Journal of Veterinary Science, Vol.11, No.1, pages 159163. The legislation seeks to ensure that permission for slaughter is not granted to areas that are predominantly inhabited by Hindu, Jain, Sikh and other non-beef eating communities or places that fall within a 5-km radius of a temple, satra and any other institution as may be prescribed by the authorities. not even a fly, or a flea, or a louse, Anyone violating the law can be punished with imprisonment up to a maximum of 3 years and fine of 5,000 or both. [120][122], Queen Victoria mentioned the cow protection movement in a letter, dated 8 December 1893, to then Viceroy Lansdowne, writing, "The Queen greatly admired the Viceroy's speech on the Cow-killing agitation. India has over 5 million stray cattle according to the livestock census data released in January 2020. Subsequent heat processing during the bone removal operation is believed to be sufficient to kill the virus causing foot and mouth disease. But the war on beef has intensified since Prime Minister Narendra Arunachal Pradesh, Kerala, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Lakshadweep, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have no legislation. The law requires custody of seized animals to be given to any recognized voluntary animal welfare agency failing which to any Goshala, Gosadan or a suitable person who volunteers to maintain the animal. WebWe would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us. Up to 2020 anyone violating the law could be punished with imprisonment up to maximum of six months or fine of up to 1,000 or both. [52][53], Hindus prepare special dishes for different festivals. [131] In the same year, the Hindu organisations started an agitation demanding a ban on the slaughter of cows. [202], In 1981, the question of amending the Constitution by introducing a Bill was again examined by the Government, but, in view of the sensitive nature of the issue and owing to political compulsions a "wait and watch" policy was adopted. [235] The consumption of beef, however, has been historically rather limited due to religious and cultural reasons given that the erstwhile Princely State of Tripura used to be under the rule of the Hindu Manikya Kings during the British Raj and emerged as an overwhelmingly Hindu-majority state after the partition of Bengal into East Bengal (now Bangladesh) and West Bengal, India. The Goa, Daman & Diu Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1978 governs the slaughter of cattle in Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. [45] London: Reaktion Books. For example, some Hindus refrain from eating beef and pork, which are strictly prohibited in the Hindu diet code, but do eat other meats. Transport of cow outside the State for slaughter is not permitted. [49][50] Grihya sutra recommends that beef be eaten by the mourners, after a funeral ceremony as a ritual rite of passage. Hindu texts often praise vegetarianism, and hindus may avoid beef because Muslims then flay it, cut it in pieces and carry it away. (Yajurveda 3.91), Oh men! Is eating beef prohibited in Hinduism? Such people may have regarded beef -eating in the light of what the historian Romila Thapar describes as a matter of status the higher the caste, the greater the food restrictions. Columbia University Press.pages=137-139. B. van Buitenen and Daniel Sheridan state that the theology and the most popular texts related to Krishna, such as the Bhagavad Gita was composed by about 2nd century BCE,[152] and the Bhagavata Purana was composed between 500 and 1000 CE. [163], The Supreme Court of India, in February 2017, ordered a state governments to stop the illegal slaughterhouses and set up enforcement committees to monitor the treatment of animals used for meat and leather. Slaughter of bulls or bullocks of over 15 years of age or permanently incapacitated for work or breeding due to injury, deformity or any incurable disease is permitted. [202], Recognizing that the problem basically arose on account of inaction or obstruction on the part of a few States and large scale smuggling of cows and calves from a prohibition State to a non-prohibition State like Kerala was taking place, a suggestion was made that this problem be brought to the notice of the Sarkaria Commission, which was making recommendations regarding Centre-State relations, but this idea was dropped as the commission was then in the final stages of report-writing.[202]. According to the Jaina sutras, humans must avoid all killing and slaughter because all living beings are fond of life, they suffer, they feel pain, they like to live, and long to live. A Concise History of India, Barbara Daly Metcalf, Thomas R. Metcalf, p151/152, Prabhakaran, P.; Soman, M.; Iyer, R. P. and Abraham, J. Historical evidence does not support this claim, state Claude Levy-Straus and Brigitte Sebastia. The anti-Cow Killing riots of 1893 in Punjab caused the death of at least 100 people. [76][77] The Buddhist texts state that killing or eating meat is wrong, and they urge Buddhist laypersons to not operate slaughterhouses, nor trade in meat. According to a 2012 report, India ranks fifth in the world in beef production and seventh in domestic consumption. [165][166] The 1893 cow killing riots started during the Muslim festival of Bakr-Id, the riot repeated in 1894, and they were the largest riots in British India after the 1857 revolt. [143][144], According to the Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star, some of cattle theft operations move the cattle stolen in India across the border into Bangladesh, ahead of festivals such as Eid-ul-Azha when the demand for meat increases. [207] The transport or export of cattle for slaughter is also prohibited. Madan, Muslim groups have been accused of stealing cattle as a part of their larger violence against non-Muslims. [74][75], The texts of Buddhism state ahimsa to be one of five ethical precepts, which requires a practicing Buddhist to "refrain from killing living beings". "VHP demands ban on cow slaughter in Tripura, threatens stir", "Cattle smuggling, slaughter in UP now punishable under National Security Act", Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Report of the National Commission on Cattle (July 2002), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cattle_slaughter_in_India&oldid=1157094626, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English, Articles needing additional references from December 2020, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from December 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from December 2020, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from December 2020, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from September 2022, Wikipedia neutral point of view disputes from October 2020, All Wikipedia neutral point of view disputes, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Protect the cattle or animals. The sale of beef obtained in contravention of the above provisions is prohibited. 1 (1978): 86108. "[55], The cow has been a symbol of wealth in India since ancient times.[56]. Hindus are forbidden to eat most animal-based foods, such as eggs, fish, poultry or beef. The Matsya Purana contains a dialogue between sages who disapprove of violence against animals, preferring rites involving oblations of fruits and vegetables. [201], Vinoba Bhave went on an indefinite fast from 22 April 1979 demanding that the Governments of West Bengal and Kerala agree to enact legislation banning cow slaughter. [171][172], Cow slaughter in contemporary India has triggered riots and violent vigilante groups. Preserving cattle by opposing slaughter has been and remains an economic necessity and an insurance for the impoverished. Calves of cows and of she buffaloes. But Indira Gandhi did not accede to the demand. [64][65] The sections that appeal for vegetarianism, including abstention from cow slaughter, state that life forms exist in different levels of development, some life forms have more developed sensory organs, that non-violence towards fellow man and animals who experience pain and suffering is an appropriate ethical value. Leaders of Swaraj movement Assurance to the public)", "Compilation of Gandhi's views on Cow Protection", "203. The common and disastrous misconception of cow being a mother and ancient Indians not consuming beef has not been addressed properly. WebMany butcher houses were banned and restrictions were put on the slaughter of cow and sale of beef in the Sikh Empire, as following the traditions, cow was as sacred to the [2], Vegetarianism is a dietary ideal among many Hindus, based on the concept of ahimsanon-violence and compassion towards all beings. Most Hindus are vegetarian. 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