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MATERIAL CULTURE
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believed that even the Vedas enjoin meat-diet in order to save one's own life rather than starving unto death.1 The rich, sumptuous feasts of this time were known as saṁkhadı because of the fact that a large number of animals were killed on such occasions.2 People from all strata of the society partook in these feasts;& evidently, they had no objections to meat-eating. There was a section of people who even believed that “there is no fun in taking wine without eating meat, and they propounded the theory that "there is nothing wrong in taking meat of the animals killed by others."4
Meat had three main varieties—meat of the aquatic animals like fish etc., meat of the birds, and that of the beasts.5 Fish was largely taken by the people, and the fishermen used to go out for fishing early in the morning with fishing hooks in their hands.? Fish was even dried and stored at a place called maccha-khala. The hunters were regularly paid by their masters for bringing meat.' It could be easily acquired from the market as well.10 Meat of buffa
in exceptional circumstances. The sages Vāmadeva, Bharadvaja and Visvamitra are mentioned to have saved their life by eating the flesh
of a dog and a cow.-Manusmrti, 10. 106. 1. NC. 3, p. 527. 2. Fafe fr—37TE3TfOT AFFA au pielessità Ft Feet-NC. 2, p. 206. 3. NC. 2, p. 207. 4. eta Hegyi for factTTATET T HÈ aat-NC. 3, p. 521.
The author here seems to refer to the Buddhist theory according to which a Buddhist monk is allowed to take meat which is not purposely killed for him. I-Tsing clearly states that "the three kinds of meat that are pure are ordained as meats that can be eaten without incurring guilt" (Takakusu, op. cit., p. 58). Three kinds of pure meat were the meat which is not seen (drsta), heard (sruta) and suspected (parisankita) to have been expressly killed for him.
(Mahāvagga, VI. 31. 14. 2). 5. NC. 2, p. 238. 6. NC. 3, pp. 222, 271. 7. NC. 2, pp. 9, 281. 8. NC. 3, p. 222. 9. NO. 4, p. 280. 10. NC. 1, p. 55.
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