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HISTORY OF VEGETARIANISM IN INDIA
Thus a Brāhmaṇa must avoid agriculture since it involves doing injury to living beings: ‘But a Brāhmaṇa or a Kșatriya, living by a Vaiấya's occupation, shall avoid with care agriculture which consists mainly in doing injury and depends on others. People think that agriculture is good, (but) this occupation is blamed by the virtuous: (for) the wooden (implement) with iron point injures the earth and the (creatures) living in the earth."227 The fact that the Kșatriya is here mentioned along with the Brāhmaṇa can hardly be interpreted in that way that the Kșatriya, too, must abstain from agriculture because it involves himsā. Most probably the Kșatriya is to avoid agriculture since it depends on others (parādhīna).
According to Gautama a śrotriya, a Brāhmaṇa well-versed in the Veda, is the final authority in doubtful law-suits ‘since he is incapable of injuring or favouring living beings'.228
In older times agriculture was not forbidden for Brāhmaṇas, and this rule is preserved by Manu 10, 82. But Gautama gives a restriction: 'agriculture and trade (are allowed to the Brāhmaṇa) if he does not do the work himself.129 The motivation for this rule is presumably that being engaged in worldly affairs would impede his proper occupation, the study of the Veda. But the idea of ahimsā comes in when Gautama mentions cattle for slaughter among the goods not to be sold by a Brāhmana living by the Vaisya's mode of subsistence.230 16331
Baudhāyana declares that, if a Brāhmaṇa is unable to attend to both, the study of the Veda and agriculture, the latter must be given up.231 For the Brāhmaṇa it is preferable to be poor in worldly possessions but rich in the knowledge of the Veda, and a verse praising ascetic ideals is added:
A fat roaring humped bull who does not restrain himself, who strikes moving beings, is violent, speaks as he likes, does not attain (the world of) the gods; but those who are emaciated and (small like) atoms, go there.232
227 M 10,83 vaisyapravrttyäpi jīvams tu brāhmaṇaḥ kṣatriyo'pi vā, himsäpräyām
paradhīnām kļşim yatnena varjayet. 84 krsim sādhv iti manyante să vșttiḥ
sadvigarhitā, bhūmim bhūmiśayāmś caiva hanti kaştham ayomukham. 228 Gaut 28, 51 yato 'yam aprabhavo bhūtānām himsānugrahayogeşu. 229 Gaut 10,5 krşivānijye căsvayamkyte. 230 Gaut 7, 13 pašavaś ca himsāsamyoge. 231 Baudh 1, 5, 10, 30. 232 Baudh 1, 5, 10, 31 na vai devān pīvaro 'samyatātmā rorūymanah kakudi
samaśnute, calattundi rabhasah kāmavādī kyśāsa ity anavas tatra yānti.
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