BRAHMAN EATING HABITS AS THEY RELATE TO E.M. FORSTER'S A PASSAGE TO INDIA

        Being a vegetarian, I have always been curious about Indian culture and cuisine, but lacked any insight or knowledge about India. I was familiar with the caste system, but that was the extent of my meager understanding of this country. I was also vaguely aware that India contained a large number of vegetarians because many meat-free recipes I would find in cookbooks originated in India. Little did I know that my reading of A Passage to India this summer would not only blaze a trail for me to embark on my own foray into Indian culture, but also strengthen my convictions as a vegetarian. 
    Within A Passage to India, E.M. Forster interweaves rich details of Indian culture to underscore the underlying religious diversity among Indian people, as represented by the relationship of the Muslim Dr. Aziz and the Brahmin Professor Godbole. Professor Godbole is Aziz's trusted and loyal friend, although the demeanor and behavior of Professor Godbole often mystify him. As a result, certain religious and cultural barriers that exist between Godbole and Aziz often strain their friendship. One of these issues is their restrictive diets. Both Islam and Hinduism delineate specific eating habits within their respective holy scriptures. Because their religions observe different diets, Dr. Aziz often encounters problems when he plans gatherings to which both Moslems and Hindus are invited. When Aziz attempts to plan an excursion to the Marbar caves in order to entertain the town's newest British guests, Miss Quested, the prospective fiancée of the city magistrate, and Mrs. Moore,the mother of the city magistrate, he encounters many complications in composing a menu that accommodates the varying food requirements of his guests. As a result of his own Moslem dietary restrictions, and the fact that he must consider Professor Godbole's eating restrictions, Aziz must plan carefully so to be respectful to his guests. Initially, Aziz thinks of his own Moslem dietary restrictions because "over ham Aziz's religion raised its voice: he did not fancy other people eating ham" (Forster 140). Yet Aziz must plan carefully so to be respectful to all his guests and thinks of Professor Godbole especially while organizing his trip because, "There was always the problem of Professor Godbole's food, and of Professor Godbole and other people's food - two problems, not one problem. The Professor was not a very strict Hindu - he would take tea, fruit, soda water, and sweets, whoever cooked them, and vegetables and rice if cooked by a Brahman; but not meat, not cake lest they contained eggs, and would not allow anyone else to eat beef; a slice of beef on a distant plate would wreck his happiness" (Forster 127).  Aziz finds Godbole's eating habits excessive and problematic in planning his excursion, but as a Moslem he is unfamiliar with Hindu practices and the beliefs behind these practices.
    Although initially Godbole's eating habits seemed highly specialized to me as well, I realized, as I took a more in depth look into Hinduism, that Professor Godbole's eating habits are in accordance with the Hindu belief that maintaining a vegetarian diet impacts one's reincarnation and ultimately allows one to attain salvation. Hindus believe in the spiritual equality of all creatures mainly because their souls may have come from an animal or may be reborn as an animal in the future. According to Hindu doctrine, consuming the flesh of another animal violates the principle of Karmic bondage, which is known as "bandha, " or the Hindu belief that all one's actions, including one's eating habits, have specific Karmic ramifications. This idea of bandha is based on the idea the when one inflicts pain, suffering, and death on other creatures, one will experience the same amount of pain, suffering, and death throughout his or her lifetime. Hindu Brahmans believe that when one takes the life of another creature to eat it, this meat eater will then experience misery when he or she is next reincarnated. This idea is expressed in the Vedas as seen in Mahabharat 115.47, which states, "He who desires to augment his own flesh by eating the flesh of other creatures lives in misery in whatever species he may take his birth" (Vegetarian Society of Richmond 1).  It is this principle of Karmic bondage, or bandha, that explains one of Professor Godbole's basic reason for abstaining from meat, though he does not necessarily clarify his other eating requirements. 
    Godbole's adherence to vegetarianism results not only from his belief Hindu belief in bandha, but also from the importance and sanctity of cows in Hinduism. As a religious man, Professor Godbole refuses to eat beef as a result of his faith in the Hindu scripture, or Vedas. The section Mahabharat, Shantiparv 262.47 of the Vedas states, "The very name of cow is Aghnya ["not to be killed"], indicating that it should never be slaughtered. Who, then could slay it? Surely one who kills a cow or bull commits a heinous crime" (Vegetarian Society of Richmond 2). Forster states that, "a slice of beef on a distant plate would wreck his [Professor Godbole's] happiness" (Forster 127) because his holy scriptures specifically articulate the extreme holiness of cows. As a Moslem, Dr. Aziz fails to comprehend the cow's meaning to Professor Godbole and his fellow Brahmans. Aziz is confused by the way his Hindu country people treat cows, which is shown when, "A Brahmity Bull walked towards them, and Aziz, though disinclined to pray himself, did not see why they should be bothered with the clumsy idolatrous animal" (Forster 58). To a Hindu, the cow is a holy figure in traditional scripture; the original cow was named mother Surabhi and was one of the great, original treasures churned from the cosmic ocean (IVU News 1). 

Godbole, a faithful Brahman, who thus possesses a deeper regard for the cow, abstains from eating beef not only to maintain his pure nature, but also to respect the mother cow and the father bull.
    Professor Godbole not only adheres to a vegetarian diet, but also believes that all foods possess different emotional qualities that impact their consumers. Brahmans exercise discipline by eating in moderation in order to maintain a clear mindset and separate foods into three categories: sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic.

    For a Brahman, an integral part of maintaining the emotional and spiritual qualities of food is eating food only a Brahman has prepared. Although Forster accuses Godbole of not being a good Brahman because he makes various exceptions to his diet, such as his drinking tea and eating sweets cooked by a non-Brahman, he requires that his main meals are cooked by a Brahman. During Aziz's excursion to the Marbar caves, "The Brahman who had been hired to cook for Professor Godbole was planted under an acacia tree, to await their return" (Forster 154) so he might cook Professor Godbole's meal. Hindu Brahmans believe that consuming food in general is an impure act and that everything involved in preparing food and drink is susceptible to pollution (Ramaswamy, Ramaswamy 138). This tenet of Brahmanism serves to explain why Professor Godbole refuses to eat rice and vegetables prepared by a non-Brahman. In addition, a strict Brahman may not even dine with members of different castes in order not to risk having his or her food or spirit tainted. Forster shows this principle when Professor Godbole maintains his distance while dining with others in order to preserve his purity as well as that of his food. During Mr. Fielding's tea party, to which Miss Quested Mrs. Moore, and Dr. Aziz are also invited, Godbole removes himself slightly from the group of non-Hindus. As he begins his meal, Godbole does not make his acquaintances feel uneasy about his separation: "The Brahman, polite and enigmatic, did not impede his [own] eloquence, and even applauded it. He took his tea at a little distance from the outcasts" (Forster 72). Professor Godbole as a Brahman perceives the act of taking food as a sacred rite and an offering to God. Therefore, he remains at a distance so not to compromise the purity of his meal or body and to elevate his eating experience to a religious one by maintaining his higher level of thinking. 
    Throughout my reading of A Passage to India, as well as my subsequent research concerning Brahmanism, I have been able to relate to Professor Godbole's vegetarianism and identify why I am unable to eat meat. Professor Godbole refrains from eating meat because he believes it will taint him and prevent him from attaining salvation, but he also displays a higher regard for all life as a result. Although I was unsure of my initial reasoning for becoming a vegetarian, I am now able to explain my choice from the perspective of a Hindu. The Hindu scripture Tirukural 312, 321 states, "What is virtuous conduct? It is never destroying life, for killing leads to every other sin" (Vegetarian Society of Richmond 2). I now realize that I associate human flesh with animal flesh because both are living. Perhaps now I can avoid Karmic bondage as a result of my vegetarianism, but I now understand that meat is a symbol of the death and destruction of a living creature, a fact that my conscience had understood all along. 
  

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