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result was marvelous. It gave a fresh lease of life to millions of
animals in the country and several hundreds of dumb animals
slaughtered for the royal kitchen every day. He turned a pure
vegetarian, and later lived on fruits and roots in the spirit of a
true monk. On account of his personal example and rapid spread of
Buddhism, Vegetarianism became very popular. And meat eating and
wine-drinking were given an eternal holiday. Animal sacrifice to
gods too was forbidden. Is he not advance of our own times then?
Nextly,
he abstained from drinking any of the intoxicating drinks. Drinking
of any kind, however little the draught might be, unhinges the mind
and throws the drunkard in the company of the devils and insane. So
Asoka abhorred it. Did he replace it by any? No. He substituted it
neither by smoking, or chewing the prohibited tobacco products, nor
consuming opium and its sinister allies.
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