Kshtriyas, Ramnavami and Meat Eating

By abhay mokashi

Several regions of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled states in the country will go vegetarian on Ramnavami this year (April 10, 2022), thanks to the ill-informed members of various fanatic Hindu-brigades, under banners of different organisations.

Ramnavami is the birthday of Lord Ram and many fanatic Hindu organisations, most of them owing allegiance to the BJP, have decided to ensure that meat shops are closed for the day. In fact, some such fanatics, including a few legislators elected to state legislatures as BJP members, have announced the ban on sale of meat in their constituencies, as Ramrajya (Lord Ram’s rule) has come to the BJP-ruled states, according to them.

Firstly, it is foolish to claim that just because the BJP has come to power, there is Ramrajya, unless the party claims that Lord Ram is a member of the party. It will not be surprising if such a claim is made as, a former judge of the Allahabad High Court and senior member of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Deoki Nandan Agarwal, had filed a case in the name of Ram Lalla Virajman (infant Lord Ram) seeking rights to a piece of the disputed land in Ayodhya, the birth place of Lord Ram, where once the Babri Mosque stood. Not only was the case admitted, but a ruling was also given on it by the courts, including the Supreme Court. In a country where majority of the people have lost their sensibility and scrapped their intellectual capacity, all this is not surprising.

Just as the BJP has not been able to bring in Ramrajya, with all its anti-people acts, one cannot even say that it has brought in Ravanrajya, as Ravan was a more devout Hindu than any of the BJP leaders living or dead or rather all of them put together.

Lord Ram, has been described as maryadaa purushottam meaning the perfect human or honorable and righteous. A perfect human cannot spread enmity or hatred among people, s/he cannot discriminate between the people or deprive them of their rights. That should be the case in Ramrajya too. But the ‘Ramrajya’ of the BJP does just the opposite and in the name of Lord Ram; by their acts, the BJP leaders, elected representatives and members of the fanatic organisations are doing grave dishonour to their deity. They are being amaryaadaa udham (the worst of human beings, if they can be called human beings).

It is a misnomer that Hindus have to be vegetarians. A large section of the Hindu population is traditionally non-vegetarian. Also, there are enough references in Hindu scriptures to beef eating by Hindus, including Hindu sages. But that is not the matter for discussion here.

Lord Ram was a Kshatriya by caste, that is he belonged to the warrior class. Kshatriyas were non-vegetarians and so was Lord Ram. There are references in the Ramayan that during his Vanvas (stay in the forest for 14 years), he had turned vegetarian, which means he was a non-vegetarian. There are several references in history describing how animals were slaughtered in the palaces on birthdays of Kshatriya kings and princes. That must have been the case with Lord Ram’s birthday, at least till his father, Dashrath, was alive.

The devout Hindus have not questioned the stand taken by the fanatics, which is primarily directed against Muslims, apart from discriminating against members of several castes in the Hindu faith. In many parts of the country these fanatics stopped the sale of non-vegetarian products during the Navaratri, culminating on the eve of Ramnavmi. The Navaratri coincided with the Ramzan fasting by Muslims. Often their meals during the holy month of Ramzan consist of non-vegetarian food and this is a cause of irritation for those playing politics in the name of Hinduism and spreading hatred against the Muslims.

Those who do not wish to consume non-vegetarian food on Ramnavami can do so, but they have no right to prevent others from having non-vegetarian food. The ban is as foolish as the ban on slaughtering on Mahavir Jayanti in Maharashtra. Jains are pure vegetarians, so it should not bother them if others consume meat on their festival.

By their behaviour, these fanatics are causing more damage to Hinduism, than the damage caused by some invaders of the country. There are claims of damage to some temples by invaders, but Hinduism does not reside in temples, it is in the numerous books of religion. No religion or thought can be destroyed by pulling down structures and statues, nor can it be destroyed by burning books of religion. All such experiments have failed the world over.

But damage is caused to a religion, when the followers commit crimes in its name.

Let us hope that better sense prevails on the true worshippers of Lord Ram, for them to oppose those spoiling the name of their religion and their god.