History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v1.c10.25

v1.c10.25

But the flesh of other animals was still permitted and probably even Brahmins and Kshatriyas ate mutton and venison as also fish. Besides during the Gupta supremacy Aśvamedha had been revived and at this sacrifice bulls and horses must have been slaughtered, the sacrificers taking refuge under the formula "slaughter for sacrifice was no slaughter." Such practices must have given offence to strong rulers of the Buddhistic faith and they must have used their political power for the suppression of all slaughter. Hiuen Tsang tells us of Śiladitya of Molapo prohibiting slaughter and animal food in his kingdom in the latter half of the 6th century. This king himself was so punctilious that he gave strained water to his horses and elephants lest insects might be killed (Life p. 148) The Rājataranginī (III 6) mentions the efforts which Meghavāhana made to prohibit slaughter in Kashmir. All such partial attempts were now cast ino shade by the systematic efforts of Harsha who wielded absolute power over the whole of Northern India. "He prohibited the taking of life under severe penalties and caused the use of animal food to cease throughout the five Indies." (Watters' Vol. I p. 344). Harsha was the master of four Indies only namely the middle, the north, the west and the east. But in the south probably his directions or requests must have been complied with by the several kings in the south, the people being already in favour of the prohibition of animal food. Harsha's efforts appear to have been successful and althongh there was a rebound for a time against Ahinsā after Harsha's death as we shall have to relate hereafter, it became finally fixed in the Hindu mind and strangely enough more completely in the south than in the north. At this day Brahmins of the south are total abstainers from flesh while in Northern India they are only generally so. The Kshatriyas of the whole of India who, it may be a surprise to read, are the most conservative people of the land, still use animal food but the prohibition of animals enumerated by Hiuen Tsang as above, is observed even by them. The Vaiśyas are total abstainers all over the country and other castes follow the Kshatriyas, but habit of centuries and example of Brahmins make them also generally abstainers from flesh. The non-slaughter of cows and bulls has, it may be added, become so completely the chief dogma of each and every follower of Hinduism that its contempt rouses them as is well known, even now, sometimes to the verge of religious frenzy.