Every student of maths must have heard and read about Pythagoras Theorem. Pythagoras was an ancient Greek philosopher who made many great contributions in the field of mathematics. Pythagoras founded the Pythagoras School of Mathematics in Cortona, near western Italy.
Today we tell you a strange thing about Pythagoras. Pythagoras was a vegetarian person but he hated eating beans too much. He was so afraid of eating beans that he had to lose his life because of the bean itself.
Some vegetarians do not eat beans
because they do not like it. But Pythagoras himself neither used to eat
beans nor did he allow his followers to eat beans, even he forbade them to
touch the beans. What is the reason behind this is not completely
clear. But there are some assumptions about it that prove why this great
philosopher did not like beans.
Perceptions
of not eating beans
He believed that the bean and
man originated from the same source. He did many experiments to prove this
point. He sowed the beans in the mud and after a few weeks took them out and
saw that the beans looked like the human fetus. This led him to believe
that there is a deep connection between beans and humans, that is, eating beans
is in a way equivalent to eating human flesh. Crushing or dirtying the
beans is in a way like harming a human being. That is why he forbade his
followers from eating beans.
Another fact given for
refusing to eat beans is that eating beans can cause infertility in
women. This may have also been one of the reasons why he advised his
followers to stay away from beans.
Another belief given by his
followers of not eating beans and staying away from it is that at that time in
Greece, votes were cast from beans. Positive votes were chosen from the
white beans and negative votes from the black beans. When Pythagoras told
his followers to stay away from beans, it didn't mean don't eat beans, it meant
for his followers to boycott elections, don't get into elections or political
situations.
Because of boycotting the
elections some rich persons and ministers became his enemy. One of them
was Kylon who wanted his death. He instigated some of the followers of
Pythagoras against Pythagoras, who set the house of Pythagoras on
fire. But with the help of some of his trusted followers, he escaped from
there and ran towards the fields. The people of Kylon came to know about
them and they too followed them and reached there.
Pythagoras stopped suddenly
while running. A huge field of beans was spread in front of him, he did
not understand what to do. Pythagoras did not proceed from there without
caring for his life. He stuck to his principle that even if his life might
die, not a single plant of bean should come under his feet.
By then Kylon's men reached
there and beheaded his neck with a sword. Some of the plants near
Pythagoras turned red from the splash of his blood. He had to lose his
life because of the bean from which he kept running away all his life. It
sounds a bit strange and crazy that he could not run through the bean fields to
save his life.
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