Not only will they
not eat animal food, but they will eat nothing that has the principle of
life in it. On this account, they cannot eat eggs of any kind. I was
once breaking an egg in my medicine-room at Panditeripo, while a Brahmin
was present. He told me that, under such circumstances, he could not
remain with me any longer. In his view, I was committing a great sin. To
kill an ox or a cow, is considered by them as a crime which can never be
atoned for, and to eat their flesh is a defilement which can never be
washed away. To kill a cow is, by _Hindoo_ law, punishable with death.
The touch of most animals, particularly that of the dog, defiles a
Brahmin. Should a dog touch them, they would be obliged instantly to
plunge into water, and wash their clothes, in order to get rid of such a
stain. Notwithstanding this, the dog is one of the gods worshipped by
the Hindoos.
The Hindoos consider themselves to be unclean if they have assisted at a
funeral. When the ceremony is over, they immediately plunge into water
for the sake of purification. Even the news of the death of a relative,
a hundred miles off, has the same effect. The person who hears such news
is considered unclean until he has bathed.
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