foreign travel by a sanyasin (forwarded message)

[Rajesh Venkataraman]

--- Ashish Chandra <ramkisno at HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
>
> Refer to the quotes from Manu Smriti that I had
> provided in an earlier email
> in this thread. The areas where Varnaashrama dharma
> (henceforth dharma) is
> followed i.e. Brahmavarta, Aryavarta etc. are
> described as being suitable
> for residence of those who follow this dharma. The
> *and* I provided was an
> "also" condition. I did not mean Saranga deer AND
> the areas mentioned for
> dharma. Also refer to Kartik's quote from Vishnu
> Purana describing the area
> of Bharat Varsha where the dharma is followed and
> where the cycle of yugas
> takes place.
>

I was actually referring to the mail which started
this thread viz. foreign travel by a sanyasin. There
it is the *and* condition.

Also the manu smriti which you have quoted viz.

24. Let twice-born men seek to dwell in those
(above-mentioned countries);
but a Sudra, distressed for subsistence, may reside
anywhere.

says that "Let twice-born men *seek* to dwell in
those(above-mentioned countries)" which seems to mean
*desirable* and not absolutely essential.

I was just trying to find out how rigid we should be
in following the shastras.


>
> Shastras cannot exist in vacuum. As Vidyasankar
> pointed out a few days back,
> we must look at the conduct of men who are versed in
> the Shastras.

Perfectly true.

>
> According to the late Paramaachaarya of Kanchi, in
> his book Hindu Dharma, he
> writes that other jatis (besides Brahmins) were
> allowed to eat meat.
> Kshatriyas, for example, were traditionally
> non-vegetarians. According to
> the late Paramaachaarya, the sway vegetarianism has
> taken is because of the
> conduct of the priestly class. Ditto for the
> tradition of vratas and other
> fasts. People engaged in physically exertive
> activities are in fact exempt
> from these body-taxing fasts. However, observing the
> conduct of Brahmins,
> people took to these traditions. Someone also
> pointed out here that even
> after sacrifices wherein an animal was sacrificed,
> the priests traditionally
> swallowed a tiny piece of the animal for prasad
> purposes.
>

Actually I brought this Brahmin vegetarianism into
picture because when we can say that

> > > That term " where the Saaranga deer wanders
> freely "
> > > taken in a broader
> > > sense  means the land where " Ahimsa " is
> > > considered a parama dharma and where each and
> every
> > > animal is looked
> > > upon as a manifestation of Brahman and not as a
> > > piece of meat to be
> > > consumed.

it(true Dharma Prachaara) would not have been possible
even in the olden days when even if they had "looked
at animals as a manifestation of Brahman and not as a
piece of meat to be consumed", they were still killing
them!! It is actually worse than killing them without
knowing that they are manifestation of Brahman! And
also Brahmins are said to have been part of that!!

Regards

Rajesh

=====
Rajesh Venkataraman
1501 Decoto Road,
Parkside Apartments #264
Union City CA 94587
Phone: 510 471 2240 (Home)
       510 543 4211 (Cell)
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