Studies in the Bhagavati Sutra

Author(s): J C Sikdar
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

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STUDIES IN THE BHAGAWATI SÜTRA
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and heat. And "those eaters of meat and fish (marsāhārā, macchahārā), honey-drinkers (Khoddähārā), and eaters of the dead body (kuņimāhārā), will be born in hell'”.
In connexion with the holy teachings of explanation of Lord Mahāvīra on the doctrine of "Karma' there is another instance of meat-eating found in this canonical work where it is said that the hunter and fowler earned their livelihood by the occupations of hunting deer with the bow and arrow and net, and killing birds etc. in different places and then selling them to the other peoples of the society.
"Purise ņam bhaste kacchaṁsi vā da hamsi vā 2 udagassi vā.................. miyavittie miyasamkappe miyapaņihāņe miyavahāe gamtā ee mietti-kāum...uddāi''. "Purise miya. vittie miyassa vahāe usum nisirai''. "Ye miyam mārei"4.
The above evidences of taking fish and flesh of tortoise make it known that the people had to sustain their lives with them for a long time under the economic distress, because sometimes famine visited this land of Bläratavarsa in the distant past, as it is evidenced by one incidental reference to the meal taken in famine (dubbhikkhabhatta), occurring in the Bhs.
The mention of the egg of hen (kukkuļi-andaga) suggests that perhaps the eating of eggs was prevalent in the society, but it is not evidently clear whether they were actually taken by the people of that period. Vānaprastha Monks and Meat-eating
There is a direct evidence that a class of forest ascetics called Vānaprastha Hastitāpasas (Hatthitāvasā)? used to live on the elephant's flesh as explained by Sri Abhayadeva Sūri in bis commentary.
The practice of fish and meat-eating by the people is also corroborated by other Jaina texts. They give a full account of the preparation of various kinds of flesh, such as, those of
i Bhs, 7, 6, 288. ? 16, 1, 8, 65. 3 16, 1.8, 67. 4 1b, 1, 8, 68. 61b, 5, 6, 210.
16, 7, 1, 269. 7 16. 11. 9. 471. 8 Vivāga Suya 2, p. 14; 3, p. 22; it refers
to different kinds of cooking of meat, such as, frying (taliya), roasting (bhajjiya), drying (parisukka), etc. See Life in Ancient India' by Dr. J. C. Jain, p. 126. f. n. 46.