03.THE TRAGIC END OF THE MEAT EATER KING BAK

THE TRAGIC END OF THE MEAT EATER KING BAK
The downfall of King Bak due to meat eating Oh! humans! he, who kills any livingbeing undergoes great sufferings for as many thousand of years as the number ofpores on the body of the killed living being.

(Manusmriti)

Bak was a prince; he was the only son of King Bhupal and his beloved queen Laxmivati. If it happens to be only child in a family, who ever he or she might be, the child receives utmost affection of the parents; if the child is born in a royal family, the amount of affection it receives is unending. This is what happened with prince Bak. He was extremely loved by his parents during his childhood. Unfortunately Bak became a victim of evil company. Companion or Society is the real architect of thoughts and activities as well as the fortunes of a man. Evil company opens the door of hell whereas good company takes him to heavens. The ethical doctrines also maintain that one should prefer to live in the company of one good and moral person and leave that of hundreds of wicked persons. One's well being or w elfare does not depend on the number of companions but it depends on the quality or goodness there of.Bak started meat eating. Initially he took it as a fashion and out of zest; but after some time it developed into an evil habit. He started MEAT EATING & CONSEQUENCES meat eating everyday. The Royal cook used to prepare different varieties of meat of various kinds of animals and birds every day and try to please to the prince. This practice continued for long uninterruptedly.

According to shastras, a religious festival is an occasion to purify "Athma" -the soul ."Ashtanika” is one such festival. At the very outset of this festival of “Ashtanika" a Royal proclamation was issued by the King to the effect that no one should either kill or injure any living being during the holy eight days of ashtanika. Nor should anyone eat meat or purchase and sell living beings i.e. animals and birds: and persons found guilty of such offences would be punished with capital punishment. The people having listened to this proclamation immediately stopped trading in meat. It placed prince Bak in great difficulties. So he immediately rushed to the King and pleaded loudly but in a humble manner for exemption. He argued out that he could not survive even for a day without eating meat; hence he should be permitted to eat meat during "Ashtanika" also. The King gave him a patient hearing and pursued him to the best of his ability to abstain from meat eating during “Ashtanika" days; but he utterly failed in his attempts. Bak continued to insist for exemption. As the saying goes: “Given to sense pleasure all the fine attributes or merits relating to the thoughts and deeds of a man are lost. As a result of Bale’s repeated requests the King ordered him not to involve more than one living being per day and Bak promised to obey faithfully.

People generally talk about and believe that time is a great factor. They illustrate it by quoting the death of egoist Ravana and benovolent good natured Rama. If Ravana and Rama could not escape from the clutches of time as those mighty people also died, how could Bhupala escape? The day came when Bhoopala expired and Bak succeeded him as a King.

Then came the festival of “Ashtanika’’ and as usual Bak also got the proclamation declared everywhere in the state, prohibiting meat eating etc. He himself started taking the meat of one living being per day according to the promise given to his late father. Fortunately, or unfortunately, one day a cat entered into the royal dining room and stealthily ate all the meat kept ready for Bak. Some times later the cook came. He noticed that the meat was missing in the kitches. He was shocked. Fie could not kill another animal as it would amount to violation of the King's proclamation: and on the contrary, meat was an indespensable item of food for King Bak. Under these circumstances, the cook found a new way out; the idea was to prepare the meat of a dead animal. Hence he went to the cremation ground to bring a dead animal for that purpose. After digging the ground, he came across a dead body of a small child; he brought the body secretly to the palace kitchen and prepared the meat making it more tasty by applying all his talents. The. meat, cooked so carefuly pleased Bak very much. The King asked the cook about the secret of its fine taste: the cook in the beginning did not disclose the fact and tried to evade giving a specific

answer. This did not satisfy the king ; he threatened the cook with dire consequences .even death sentence in case if the cook hide the truth. Finally the trembling cook told everything, King Bak was pleased ; instead of condemning the cook for serving such an item prepared from a dead child, he appreciated his ingenuity: he instructed him to prepare henceforth such item only and granted permission to spend as much amount as needed.

The cook out of greed started visiting various play grounds in the city where the children played. He used to distribute sweets to innocent children and take one of them to some solitary place and abducted to the palace. Then the child was killed and the meat was skill fully prepared ; the king enjoyed it as a delicacy. This process continued for some days with out any hindrance. But the disapperance of some children in the city shocked the parents who lost their children and it soon became a subject of common discussion; the cruel action of the cook was soon discovered by some intelligent citizens. The cook was caught and badly beaten by the people who were extremely angry; repeated threats and blows forced the cook to disclose the matter and the involvement of the King in it. When people came to know about the heinous offence commited by King Bak, they decided to dethrone him; the decision was soon implemented. Bak was no more a king and he was driven out of the palace.

This insult and deprivation turned ' Bak* into a monster; wandering here and there like a demon he forgot all about his high status as a King .All the time he was in the jungle searching for dead bodies. At times, he used to lie down in dirt or mud ;he killed indiscriminately living beings which he noticed and eat everything irrespective of whether it was clean or unclean, fit or unfit.

Once when he was wandering, he saw Vasudev who was all alone. As usual Bak tried to sieze Vasudev, but Vasudev was not an ordinary man. Bak was no match to him. Consequently a fight ensued in between the two, resulting in the death of "Bak”. After his death, Bak was born in the hell and suffered such agonies which can not be described in words.

Oh brothers! having seen the plight of King Bak and the miseries he experienced, you must give up meat eating for ever. It destroyes one's good conduct and brings great miseries in this life as well as in the life beyond. If you do not give up meat eating,it is certain that you will spoil your hard earned hunii s*. birth. If you do not apply your power of reasoning, how can you differentiate yourself from animal. How could you claim yourself to be superior to them? Such human beings who could not or w ho is not differentiating good from the bad are beasts in human form. Animals which are flesh eaters do so because of the absence of the faculty of reasoning whereas human beings eat the flesh, inspite ofpossesing the power of reasoning. Hence such animals in a way are superior to such meat eating human beings!!

O meat eaters! stop for a while and think as to what would be the consequences of meat eating by you. Do not invite agonies .just for the momentary lust for good taste because it will put you in sufferings both in this birth as well for crores and crores of years in future births.

There is still some opportunity left for you to be careful and abandon this sinful habit of meat eating. Then and then alone shall the seed of good moral conduct germinates, grows into offshoots and enable you to go ahead on the path of transcendental bliss. A meat eater can never enjoy the fruit of good conduct and attain real happiness; such a person tarnishes the fair name and fame ofthe illuistrious families, society and the religion to w hich he belongs.

All religious obsemnces, pilgrimages, mahamastakabhishekas, etc. performed by persons who take recource to meat eating become worthless (I). According to shastras short life-span, poverty, slavery and birth in a family ofthe wicked are direct consequences of meat eating. I lence one should protect the animal life in the same manner he protects his own children and be humane and merciful to all living beings. In no case should one stoop down to the level of beasts whose happiness consists of mere eating and sleeping alone ; but we have got a human birth inwhich our soul within us enjoys peace and spirutal happiness alone.

Maxims / Aphorisms
1. Violence is the first step of meat eating; and it is the worst sin in the universe.

2. Meat is a codemnable stuff which causes sense organs to function wrongly without any control.

3. Meat eating is the * rock’ on which cruelty stands.

4. Meat eating causes worst types of violence.

5. He who eats meat is comparatively more cruel than who prepares it. -

6. Meat eating indicates the infirmity ofthe soul.

7. Meat eating is worth abandoning because it obstructs one's spiritual progress.

8. Meat eaters can never observe true religious conduct. They can not practice even an atom of religion.

9. No religious leader has permitted meat eating. Allofthem have prohibited it.

10. Such persons who are voracious of meat eating and who justify meat eating on the basis of religion, tarnish the fair name of religion.

11. A meat eater is never blessed.

12. Great men never eat meat. The attained greatness because of that.

13. Meat eating is the mother of incurable diseases and the father of cruel ity.

14. The meat eater can not think of his own welfare

15. The meat eater shall not only reap the fruits of one sin alone, but he will have to reap for all the sins of universe.

16. Even a mere contact of meat through smell or touch etc. causes diseases, shall meat eating not cause many many acute diseases ?

17. The living being whose meat is eaten, today by you shall eat your flesh and bones tomorrow.The meat eater reaps what he sows now!

18. Who says that eggs are vegetables? Do they not come out of the body of hens? By voracious meat eating and promoting meat eating on the basis of religion one certainly tranishes the fair name ofreligion.

19. Egg eating, wine drinking and honey eating etc. are equalent to meat eating.

20. The consequences of meat eating shall be known at the time of suffering the unbearable agonies of hell.

21. Ifyouwantto understand the bad effects of meat eating clearly you please consult the right type of physicians and doctors.

Meat eating is worth abandoning Those who refrain from killing animal, and abstain from eating its flesh will receive worship with folded hands from all creatures of the world. - Acharyct Kunthakuntha - Thirukkural 260