AYURVEDA AND VEGETARIANISM

There is a misconception that Ayurvedic practioners always advocate vegetarianism. On the contrary this is a msaisconception as most important classical Ayurvedic text has explicit description of qaualities of meat available in Inda.

शुशक कास श्रम अत्यगनी विषम ज्वर पीनासा
कार्शयम केवल वाताम च गो माम्सम सन्नीयच्छती

"ശുഷ്ക കാസ ശ്രമ അതി അഗ്നി വിഷമ ജ്വര പീനസാ

കാര്ശ്യം കേവല വാതം ച ഗോമാംസം സന്നിയച്ചതി "

"ಶುಷ್ಕ ಕಾಸ ಶ್ರಮ ಅತಿ ಅಗ್ನಿ ವಿಷಮ ಜ್ವರ ಪೀನಸಾ

ಕಾರ್ಶ್ಯಂ ಕೇವಲ ವಾತಂ ಚ ಗೋ ಮಂಸಂ ಸನ್ನಿ ಯಚತಿ "

(Quatation from Ashataharidya, Sootrasthana written by Vagbhata)

In diseases like dry cough, fatigued, persons with voracios appetite, cronic fever, rhinorrhoea, emaciated, and in diseases of pure 'vata' nature beef (meat of cow is recommended)
a Acharyas were men of exeptional abilities and they possessed the 'ashta aiswarys' (Ref: Sivasamhita) by virtue of their sadana. They were perfect Yogis. So naturally they possessed the ability to migrate their souls to other fellow living creatures including wild animals like tiger. So they were able to perceive the world in an animal's standpoint even while practicing yama and niyama religiously. This could also give a satisfactory explanation how 'acharyas' were able to explain the qualities of different meats in explicit way.

WHAT TYPE OF MEAT IS GOOD

മാസം സദ്യോഹതം ശുദ്ധം വയസ്ഥ ച ത്യജേത്

മൃതം കൃശം ഭ്രുശം മേധ്യം വ്യാധി വാരി വിഷ ര് ഹതം

A fully grown up and young animal which is freshly killed, and it should not be contaminated should be used for eating purpose. And discard flesh of dead animals. Aavoid meat of very emaciated animals, animals which are killed by poison or drowning.