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CHAP.

V.

6

13.

Birds, that strike with their beaks, webfooted birds, the coyashti, those, who wound with strong talons, and those, who dive to devour fish; let him ' avoid meat kept at a slaughter-house, and dried 6 meat,

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14. The heron, the raven, the c'hanjana, all amphibious fish-eaters, tame hogs, and fish of every sort, but those expressly permitted.

15. 6 He, who eats the flesh of any animal, is called 'the eater of that animal itself; and a fish-eater is an eater of all flesh; from fish, therefore, he must diligently abstain :

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16. Yet the two fish, called páť'hína and róhita, may be eaten by the guests, when offered at a repast in honour of the gods or the manes; and so may the rájíva, the sinhatunda, and the sasalca of every species.

17. Let him not eat the flesh of any solitary animals, nor of unknown beasts or birds, though by general words declared eatable, nor of any creature with five claws;

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18. The hedgehog and porcupine, the lizard gódhá, 'the gandaca, the tortoise, and the rabbit or hare, 'wise legislators declare lawful food among five-toed 'animals; and all quadrupeds, camels excepted, which have but one row of teeth.

19. The twice-born man, who has intentionally

• eaten

' eaten a mushroom, the flesh of a tame hog, or a CHAP. 'town-cock, a leek, or an onion, or garlick, is de

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graded immediately;

20. But having undesignedly tasted either of those

'six things, he must perform the penance sántapana,

or the chándrayana, which anchorets practise; for

' other things he must fast a whole day.

21. One of those harsh penances, called prájápatya, the twice-born man must perform annually, to purify him from the unknown taint of illicit food; but he 'must do particular penance for such food intentionally

' eaten.

22. BEASTS and birds of excellent sorts may be slain by Bráhmens for sacrifice, or for the sustenance of those, whom they are bound to support; 'since AGASTYA did this of old.

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men,

23. No doubt, in the primeval sacrifices by holy and in oblations by those of the priestly and 'military tribes, the flesh of such beasts and birds, be legally eaten, was presented to the

may

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' deities.

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24. That, which may be eaten or drunk, when fresh, ' without blame, may be swallowed, if touched with

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oil, though it has been kept a whole night; and so may the remains of clarified butter:

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25. And every mess prepared with barley or wheat, or with dressed milk, may be eaten by the twice

born, although not sprinkled with oil.

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V.

CHAP.

V.

26. Thus has the food, allowed or forbidden to a 'twice-born man, been comprehensively mentioned: I will now propound the special rules for eating and for avoiding flesh-meat.

27. He should taste meat, which has been hallowed for a sacrifice with appropriated texts, and, once only, when a priest shall desire him, and when he is performing a legal act, or in danger of losing life.

28. For the sustenance of the vital spirit, BRAHMA' created all this animal and vegetable system; and all, that is moveable or immoveable, that spirit ' devours.

29. Things fixed are eaten by creatures with lo'comotion; toothless animals, by animals with teeth; 'those without hands, by those to whom hands were given; and the timid, by the bold.

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30. He, who eats according to law, commits no 'sin, even though every day he tastes the flesh of 'such animals, as may lawfully be tasted; since both animals, who may be eaten, and those who eat them, were equally created by BRAHMA'.

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31. It is delivered as a rule of the gods, that

meat must be swallowed only for the purpose of

sacrifice; but it is a rule of gigantick demons, that it may be swallowed for any other purpose.

32. No sin is committed by him, who, having honoured the deities and the manes, eats flesh-meat, ⚫ which

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' which he has bought, or which he has himself ac- CHAP.

quired, or which has been given him by another:

33. Let no twice-born man, who knows the law, ' and is not in urgent distress, eat flesh without ob'serving this rule; for he, unable to save himself, will be devoured in the next world by those animals, whose flesh he has thus illegally swallowed. 34. The sin of him, who kills deer for gain, is 'not so heinous, with respect to the punishment in another life, as that of him, who eats flesh-meat in vain, or not previously offered as a sacrifice:

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35. But the man, who, engaged in holy rites according to law, refuses to eat it, shall sink in 'another world, for twenty-one births, to the state of a beast.

36. Never let a priest eat the flesh of cattle unhallowed with mantras, but let him eat it, observing 'the primeval rule, when it has been hallowed with 'those texts of the Véda.

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37. Should he have an earnest desire to taste flesh-meat, he may gratify his fancy by forming the image of some beast with clarified butter thickened, or he may form it with dough; but never let him

indulge a wish to kill any beast in vain:

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38. As many hairs as grow on the beast, so many 'similar deaths shall the slayer of it, for his own 'satisfaction in this world, endure in the next from 'birth to birth.

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CHAP.
V.

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39. By the self-existing in person were beasts 'created for sacrifice; and the sacrifice was ordained for the increase of this universe: the slaughterer, therefore, of beasts for sacrifice is in truth no slaugh" terer.

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40. Gramineous plants, cattle, timber-trees, amphibious animals, and birds, which have been destroyed for the purpose of sacrifice, attain in the next world exalted births.

41. On a solemn offering to a guest, at a sacri'fice, and in holy rites to the manes or to the gods, but on those occasions only, may cattle be slain: this law MENU enacted.

42. The twice-born man, who, knowing the mean

ing and principles of the Véda, slays cattle on the 'occasions mentioned, conveys both himself and those cattle to the summit of beatitude.

43 Let no twice-born man, whose mind is improved by learning, hurt animals without the sanction of scripture, even though in pressing distress, 'whether he live in his own house, or in that of his ' preceptor, or in a forest.

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44. That hurt, which the scripture ordains, and which is done in this world of moveable and im'moveable creatures, he must consider as no hurt at all; since law shone forth from the light of the scrip

ture.

45. He, who injures animals, that are not injurious, 'from

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