The Myth of the Holy CowHugely controversial upon its publication in India, this book has already been banned by the Hyderabad Civil Court and the author’s life has been threatened. Jha argues against the historical sanctity of the cow in India, in an illuminating response to the prevailing attitudes about beef that have been fiercely supported by the current Hindu right-wing government and the fundamentalist groups backing it. |
Contents
Preface to the Verso Edition | ix |
Abbreviations | 13 |
Note on Transliterations | 16 |
Introduction | 17 |
Animals are verily food but Yajnavalkya Favours Beef | 27 |
The Rejection of Animal Sacrifice An Assertion of the Sacredness of the Cow? | 61 |
The Later Dharmasastric Tradition and Beyond | 90 |
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Common terms and phrases
2nd edn A.B. Keith according ahimsā Ancient India animal food animal sacrifice Aryans aśvamedha Atharvaveda Avesta beef eating Brāhmaṇa Brāhmaṇical Brockington Buddha Buddhist buffalo bull Calcutta Caraka century Chap Chowkhamba cited in Kane commentary cow killing cow protection cow slaughter Culture deer Delhi Dharmaśāstra Dharmasūtra Dictionary dietary early medieval eat meat eaten Einoo evidence fish flesh eating goat Gṛhyasūtra guest Hanns-Peter Schmidt Hindu Hinduism honour Ibid Indian rpt Jain Jaina Jainism Jātaka John Brockington Kali killing of animals king later Vedic law books lawgivers madhuparka Mahābhārata Mahāvīra Manu meat eating Medhātithi mention monks Motilal Banarsidass Munshiram Manoharlal non-vegetarian Om Prakash Oxford University Press P.V. Kane Pāli pañcagavya Pāṇini passage Poona pork practice Prakash Purāṇa Purāņas R.S. Sharma Rāma Rāmāyaṇa references Religion religious Rgveda rites ritual Samhitā Śankha Sanskrit Smṛtis Soma śrāddha Suśruta Sūtra Sutta tathā Upanisads Varanasi Vedas Vedic texts Yājñavalkya