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Appendix IV PROHIBITION OF FLESH
EATING IN JAINISM
By H.R. Kapadia
Diet plays an important part in human life; for, not only does the physical constitution depend on it but even the mental equanimity and moral achievements are practically governed by it.
This seems to be the reason why Indian philosophers in particular have pronounced their judgement in favour of or against some of the eatables339 and drinks. Side by side, the time 340 when one should take one's meals and the quantity341 to be taken at the time are also specifically mentioned in Jainism. But this is not the place to deal with Jaina diet in all its details. The main object of writing this article is (1) to point out that the verdict of Jainism goes emphatically against flesh-eating and (2) to answer the question whether it is permitted under any special circumstances.
According to Jainism penance (tapas) is of two types: (1) the external and (2) the internal, the former being considered useful in preparing the ground for the latter. 342 The external penance like the
339 In Pravacanasāroddhāra (v. 1411-1412, p. 411), its author Nemicandra Sūri
II mentions 18 articles of food (bhaksya bhojana) current in the world. 340 Jainism advises us to refrain from taking meals after sunset. This rule is
to be scrupulously observed by Jaina saints for whom this is looked upon as the sixth vow, in addition to the five mahāvratas they are bound to
observe. See Daśavaikālikasūtra (IV, 8). 341 32 morsels are considered sufficient for a man and 28 for a woman, each
morsel being in size equal to that of the egg of a hen. See Haribhadra Sūri's comm. (p. 27) to Daśavaikālikasūtraniryukti (v. 47). -No one so far seems to have stumbled over the fact that the Jains, who allegedly never ate meat or eggs, express a mouthful of food just by means of a hen's egg, of all things, instead of a fruit, as could rather be expected. The same holds true for Jacobi's compromise of mamsa and maccha as a metaphorical
expression (see below; WB). 342 Compare the views of Mahātmā Gandhi on the observance of a fast
leading to ātmaśuddhi.
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