<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->I didn't know about this conversation between Bheema and Draupadi. Most interesting.
Google for term Twinkie defense<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->Bheeshma/Bhishma not Bhima/Bheema. (Not sure of English language spelling.) But it's the the older person mentioned in 105.
Bheeshma does not make a habit of lying or making excuses - also he is known for introspecting. It's consistent with his character - and whether one takes it as a story or history, Mahabharata certainly has consistent, very 3D personages. So if Bheesma finds after some consideration that whatever food he ate clouded his judgement, I'd take his word on it.
If the 'Twinkie defense' was offered by way of analysis of Bheeshma's explanation to Draupadi, then it is but symptomatic of the pathetic state of psycho-analysis today. It definitely does not apply in Bheeshma's case. It may apply to the trite individuals seen in court today (like those cases mentioned at that wackypedia link for 'Twinkie defense').
Bodhi,
As for whether Bheeshma was referring to non-vegetarian food being offered in Duryodhana's home (and even then of Bheeshma ever partaking of it), I can't make it out from those statements pasted in #105. All that's mentioned in my understanding of that translation is "impure" food. I thought he could merely be talking of certain vegetables considered illicit in those days, or over-spiced foods (with regard to Krishna's talking about the three groups of foods - Tamasic, Rajasic and Sattvic - in the Gita).
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Here is what was the problem with me. <b>The anna I was eating was not pure. It was not noble. It was a carrier of the adharma of Kauravas. I ate their food. Through that impure food my chitta was clouded with their vRttis. So, even as I knew the dharma, I was far from it, because of the food I ate.</b> And now, after having cleaned myself of all that impure food, I am again in the dharma that I always knew.'<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->In fact, he even refers to the rice (anna) given him by the Kauravas as impure.
Also, Bodhi, you pasted some other bits of Bheeshma's death-bed conversation earlier in this thread. Therein he talked of how he found vegetarianism to be of fundamental importance. I doubt he would have given his advice in the manner he had, if he had ever eaten non-vegetarian food with the Kauravas. Else he would have at least mentioned on that occasion that he had sometime earlier eaten meat, seeing as how he had such serious views on the whole matter.
"Impure foods" - I would have thought Bheeshma was talking about junk food, really, seeing as how it is and feels so bad for our systems <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> Maybe it's the point of that doco-film "Supersize me".
From what I make out - going by what he said - I don't think Bheeshma ever ate meat at the Kauravas (unless he hunted it himself, which does not conflict with Dharma).
Google for term Twinkie defense<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->Bheeshma/Bhishma not Bhima/Bheema. (Not sure of English language spelling.) But it's the the older person mentioned in 105.
Bheeshma does not make a habit of lying or making excuses - also he is known for introspecting. It's consistent with his character - and whether one takes it as a story or history, Mahabharata certainly has consistent, very 3D personages. So if Bheesma finds after some consideration that whatever food he ate clouded his judgement, I'd take his word on it.
If the 'Twinkie defense' was offered by way of analysis of Bheeshma's explanation to Draupadi, then it is but symptomatic of the pathetic state of psycho-analysis today. It definitely does not apply in Bheeshma's case. It may apply to the trite individuals seen in court today (like those cases mentioned at that wackypedia link for 'Twinkie defense').
Bodhi,
As for whether Bheeshma was referring to non-vegetarian food being offered in Duryodhana's home (and even then of Bheeshma ever partaking of it), I can't make it out from those statements pasted in #105. All that's mentioned in my understanding of that translation is "impure" food. I thought he could merely be talking of certain vegetables considered illicit in those days, or over-spiced foods (with regard to Krishna's talking about the three groups of foods - Tamasic, Rajasic and Sattvic - in the Gita).
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Here is what was the problem with me. <b>The anna I was eating was not pure. It was not noble. It was a carrier of the adharma of Kauravas. I ate their food. Through that impure food my chitta was clouded with their vRttis. So, even as I knew the dharma, I was far from it, because of the food I ate.</b> And now, after having cleaned myself of all that impure food, I am again in the dharma that I always knew.'<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->In fact, he even refers to the rice (anna) given him by the Kauravas as impure.
Also, Bodhi, you pasted some other bits of Bheeshma's death-bed conversation earlier in this thread. Therein he talked of how he found vegetarianism to be of fundamental importance. I doubt he would have given his advice in the manner he had, if he had ever eaten non-vegetarian food with the Kauravas. Else he would have at least mentioned on that occasion that he had sometime earlier eaten meat, seeing as how he had such serious views on the whole matter.
"Impure foods" - I would have thought Bheeshma was talking about junk food, really, seeing as how it is and feels so bad for our systems <!--emo&
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo--> Maybe it's the point of that doco-film "Supersize me".From what I make out - going by what he said - I don't think Bheeshma ever ate meat at the Kauravas (unless he hunted it himself, which does not conflict with Dharma).