Mann himself has said that meat which is
sanctified with mantras and properly dedicated, according to the
ordinances of the Vedas, in rites performed in honour of the Pitris, is
pure. All other meat falls under the class of what is obtained by useless
slaughter, and is, therefore, uneatable, and leads to Hell and infamy.
One should never eat, O chief of Bharata's race, like a Rakshasa, any
meat that has been obtained by means not sanctioned by the ordinance.
Indeed, one should never eat flesh obtained from useless slaughter and
that has not been sanctified by the ordinance. That man who wishes to
avoid calamity of every kind should abstain from the meat of every living
creature. It is heard that in the ancient Kalpa, persons, desirous of
attaining to regions of merit hereafter, performed sacrifices with seeds,
regarding such animals as dedicated by them. Filled with doubts
respecting the propriety of eating flesh, the Rishis asked Vasu the ruler
of the Chedis for solving them. King Vasu, knowing that flesh is
inedible, answered that is was edible, O monarch. From that moment Vasu
fell down from the firmament on the earth. After this he once more
repeated his opinion, with the result that he had to sink below the earth
for it. Desirous of benefiting all men, the high-souled Agastya, by the
aid of his penances, dedicated, once for all, all wild animals of the
deer species to the deities.
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