Hinduism And Bio-ethics

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Sorry for a flurry of posts. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> One last one:

Hinduism shows remarkable philosophical depth about the nature of food. References to "anna" are scattered all over the philosophical texts. Just for an illustration, "taittirIya-upaniShad" ends with the mention of a "sAma" song that a realized soul sings:

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><i>haaavu haaavu haaavu</i>
<i>aham annam, aham annam, aham annam</i>
(I am the food, I am the food, I am the food)

<i>aham annado aham annado aham annadaH</i>
( I am the eater, I am the eater, I am the eater)

<i>aham shlokakR^it, aham shlokakR^it, aham shlokakR^it, </i>
( I am the connection (between food and eater), I am the connection, I am the connection)

<i>ahamasmi prathamajA R^itAsya</i>
(I am the first born truth of this all)

<i>pUrvam devebhyo amR^itasya nAbhAyi</i>
(even before the gods were born, the navel of immortality)

<i>yo mA dadAti sa ideva mAvAH</i>
(one who gives me away(as food), I am his)

<i>aham annam annam-adantam admi</i>
(I the food, eat the eater)

<i>aham vishvaM bhuvanam abhyabhavAm</i>
(I subdue this whole world)

<i>suvarNa jyotIH</i>
(The golden light)

<i>ya evam veda</i>
(One who knows thus (truly knows))

<i>ityupanisHat</i>
(End of the upaniShad)
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