Holy COW
The
sanctity of the cow is perhaps the foremost sentiment of Hindus for whom this
sacred animal has far deeper nuances in Indian culture and ethos than is
generally understood. For instance, in Sanskrit, the vocabulary used to
mention the cow is indeed staggering, revealing the extraordinary importance
that was once attached to it.
Indian scriptures tell us that the cow is a gift of the gods to the human
race. It is a celestial being born of the churning of the cosmic ocean. Guias
the cow is called in Hindi, is symbolic of Earth itself (similar to Gaia,the
Greek goddess of earth). It follows that the cow represents the Divine Mother
that sustains all human beings and brings them up as her very own offspring.
Much as a mother shows the highest mark of affection for her young, the
passion of the cow for her calf is just as legendary and often referred to in
Indian literature. The ancient texts describe how the gods run to the succour
of a devotee like a cow hastening to feed her calf. In fact, the cow is even
more than a mother in the sense that it fulfills all the needs of her children
as well. It is in this conception that the cow is understood as Kakadhenu, the
wish filling mythical cow, abode of the 330 million Indian gods and goddesses.
But in Indian mythology and legend, it is with the cult of Krishna that the
cow is closely connected. Among other deeds, Krishna is said to have lifted
mount Govardhan to protect his group of cows, cowboys and milkmaids. In
popular imagination it is Lord Krishna who symbolized the relationship man
should have for the cow. Hence to take care of this innocent and
self-sacrificing animal is a matter of virtue for Hindus who identify the act
ad dharmaor moral duty
Considerations of conscience
aside, it was natural that in a predominantly agricultural and pastoral
country like India, cows were and to some extent still are, considered to be
the real wealth of the people. After all it is the cow that gives birth to the
bulls, bulls that are harnessed to plough the fields and to provide
transportation. And then of course, there is the mild--milk that is cultured
to become yoghurt--yoghurt which is churned to produce butter--butter which is
converted into gheeor clarified butter that in India is used as cooking
medium. In addition to this, there is paneeror cottage cheese and
buttermilk. Indians cannot forget khoyaand mana--the other milk
derivatives used in preparation of sweets. No wonder the cow is considered the
backbone of rural society.
Paeans of praise is reserved for cow's milk and gheewhich is considered
to be an elixir. Dr. D. Bhandari, the former Director of Animal Husbandry in
Rajasthan said, "You see it is the wonderful bacterial flora of the cow's
stomach that imparts this matchless quality to its milk ideally balanced for
humans. Buffalo milk may be richer but it is the cow's milk that sharpens
intellect, gives swiftness of body, stability of emotions and a serene nature
to the one who drinks it."
Also taken, but in measured quantities, is cow urine or gau mutrawhich
has a unique place in Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of medicine.
Commenting on the chemistry of gau mutra,Dr. C.H.S. Sastry, Director of
the National Institute of Ayurveda said, "Cow urine is used to produce a whole
range of ayurvedic drugs, especially to treat skin diseases like eczema."
Besides, gau mutrais a well known disinfectant. Anti-septic property is
also the attribute of cow dung or gobarwhich is mixed with clay to form
a plastering medium for mud huts. It is a proven fact that mud huts plastered
with gobarkeeps insects and reptiles away. This is the reason why
people in the countryside still store grain in huge earthen pots plastered
with gobarand gau mutrato keep it free from insect
manifestations.
Gobarand gau mutrais also mixed with mud and straw to make dried
cakes that fuel kitchen fires. Traditional wisdom says that in burning these
cow dung cakes, the temperature never rises beyond a certain point, ensuring
the nutrients in the food are not destroyed by overheating. Besides, the smoke
of gobarclears the air of germs. Gobarhas also been successfully
used to produce bio-gas and generate electricity for consumer use. Scientific
studies show that gobarhas been found to be resistant to solar
radiation. And of course, gobarmixed with gau mutramakes for
excellent manure and a natural pesticide. Modern day ecologists are saying
that as compared to chemical fertilizer which damages the land in the long
run, gobaractually improves the health of the soil. It isn't hard to
see why Indian mythology says that Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, resides in
cow's gobar.
Usefulness of the cow forms
the subject matter of an essay every child in India gets to write in primary
school. The children are told that even in dying, the cow gives us its hide
which is prized for its softness. Besides the leather, the cow also gives its
horns and bones and other parts of the body like intestines which have various
uses. However, there are other benefits of the cow which are beyond the purvey
of scientific scrutiny. Sages tell us that no matter how advanced
instrumentation may become, man will never be able to unravel the subtlety of
the cow's qualities which are sung in the scriptures.
It isn't surprising that the cow is then actually worshipped. Big and small,
there are many festivals all over India which are dedicated to the worship of
the cow but none is as important as the Gopashtami celebrated with great
fanfare especially in rural India. Besides the festivals there are also fairs
all over the Indian countryside where along with milch cows, colorful cow
jewelry and clothing is also sold. I watched a farmer at Nagaur fair (in
Rajasthan) buy a pair of silver horn jewelry for his cow with as much care and
affection as was probably reserved for his wife!
But the romance of the cow is at dusk or what Indians call the hour of
Gaudhuli--literally "cow dust." There is a mystique in the tinkling of cow
bells as herds return from the days foraging, kicking up a clouds of dust just
when the sun is going down. This is a special time, considered auspicious
especially for marriages. So intimate is the cow's association with the lives
of Hindus that in all the rites of passage of life, almost from conception to
cremation, the cow is connected to ceremony and ritual.
Perhaps the most significant tribute to the cow is paid duringhavanor
the formal fire ritual conducted by a priest. No havanis said to be
complete without the presence of panchgavyaor the five gifts of the
cow, namely milk, yoghurt, ghee, gohar,and gau mutra. In the
Hindu world view, to give cow clarity or gau daanis considered the
highest act of piety.
But if you cannot afford to
give a cow in charity, you can certainly feed one. At an individual level,
people routinely feed the cows--especially the wandering ones in the streets.
But what is unique to India are several institutions that look after the cow,
chief among them is the Gaushalaor "House of the Cow." Conceptually
different from the dairy, the gaushalas,the gau sadaus,the
the pinjara polsetc, maintain even the non-milking, old and sick cows
along with those that are physically handicapped and heed human care and
attention for survival. Mr. Ramavtar Aggarwal, Office Secretary of the All
India Gaushala Federation said that there are more than 3000 Gaushalas in
India which are charitable trusts managed by public funds.
There are many other institutions that also look after the interests of the
cow. So one really wonders how come cows are still on the streets? Talking to
a wide cross section of people including bureaucrats, politicians, social
workers, and those involved with the welfare of the cow, I found the answer as
complex as the problem. In the final analysis, it is best to say that there is
no will to act either by the people or by the State. Maintaining status quo is
the most expedient option. Summing up pithily, a government official said,
"One should understand and accept the cows in the street as yet another
paradox of contemporary India."
Perhaps this is the bane of modern times where ancient Indian values seem to
be out of place in an industrial society. Traditionalists lament the apathy of
educated urban Indians who are ambivalent in their feelings for the cow which
seems to have become just another animal. They say that for a country known
for its principles of vegetarianism and non-violence, it is a shame that not
only is the cow treated so badly but also cow slaughter is still permitted in
India.
Gandhi,
the father of the nation made a passionate appeal to ban cow slaughter in
India. He wrote with great depth of feeling for the cow and called it a "poem
of compassion". He said that the cow is the representative of the mute world
of animals. With the language of its eyes the cow seems to be saying to Man
that "God has not made you our master so that you could kill or eat or
mistreat us. Instead He made you to be our friend and protector". Such a fine
thought can only emerge from this land where the cow is a symbol of its
civilization. The songs of glory of the cow is a priceless gift of India to
the rest of the world.
Cows are the foremost of all creatures in all the worlds. It is from cows that
the means for sustaining the worlds has established. Cows are auspicious and
sacred and the bequeathers of every blessing. Cows benefit humans with milk,
yoghurt, cheese, butter and ghee. The Vedas have stated that the milk of a cow
is equivalent to ambrosial nectar and that ghee derived from cows milk is the
best of all libations poured onto the sacred fires of brahmins.
Cows of various kinds and diverse colors are always worship
able. They are the foremost of all creatures existing in all of creation.
Morning and evening one should bow ones head in reverence to cows. One should
never show any disregard to cows in any way but should always show them respect.
When one awakes in the morning one should always remember cows. Before falling
to sleep at night one should always remember cows. Cows are always auspicious.
Cows are also fragrant. The wonderful scent of the amytis agallochum
emantes from out of their sacred bodies.
Cows are the great refuge of all creatures. Cows constitute the greatest source
of blessings for all creatures. Cows are the past. Cows are the future. Cows are
the source of evolution and eternal growth. Cows are the root of prosperity.
Whatever is given to cows always produces good fortune and is never in vain. It
is solely and exclusively from the ghee of cows that the sacred rituals
prescribed and authorised in the Vedas are empowered and able to be performed.
Without the presence of cows ghee there is no possibiity of performing sacred
rituals that will gratify the 33 million demigods who are responsible for
universal management. Neither will the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord
Krishna be pleased and satisfied. Ghee comes exclusively only from cows from
whom flow offerings of milk and milk products. Thus cows verily establish the
purity of all sacred rituals and constitute the very essence of performing all
sacred activities being the very source of sacred activities.
Cows represent sacred acts themselves and without cows there can be no
performance of any sacred act. This is the pure, sublime and supremely exalted
position and pre-eminence of cows above all creatures in all the worlds. One who
knows the pre-eminence of cows and the selfless service cows render to all
creatures and does not protect them affectionately is a sinner and offender and
their destination is certainly hell. Cows are equal to the rays of the sun that
travel through the universe giving light, warmth and nourishment.
In previous yugas the Vedic injunction
was given jiyaite pare yadi tabe mare prani veda-purane ache hena ajna vane
that means in the Vedic scriptures known as Puranas there are injunctions
declaring that one can take the life of a living being only if they are able to
revive it back to life again by chanting Vedic mantras. But we find that this
injunction has been terminated in todays age of kali yuga by the
Brahma-Vaivarta Purana where it is stated that in the present age of kali
yuga it is forbidden to kill cows under any circumstances.
Cows are equivalent to our mothers for when the mothers milk has dried up the
cow gives her milk unselfishly to noursih and strengthen us. How can one who has
ever drunk cows milk justify the killing and eating of such a mother as the
sacred cow. One should never even in one's mind do injury to a cow or ever think
of harming cows as well as bulls. One should show all respect and compassion for
cows and sincere reverence should be offered unto them all without reservation.
There is no wealth that is equal to cows. To talk about cows, to hear others
speak about cows, to offer gifts of cows to worthy people and to see cows are
all auspicious activities. There is never any inauspiciousness in cows. On Earth
cows represent high energy and are endued with the elements of strength and
energetic exertion. There are also elements of great wisdom in cows and they are
bestowers of great happiness upon all creatures. The country or nation where
cows are protected and live without fear of slaughter becomes exalted and the
sins of that country are evaporated. Cows constitute the stairs that lead to
heaven. Cows are adored in heaven. Cows are goddesses competent to grant every
righteous wish and desire. Verily there is nothing in the worlds more elevated
or superior to cows.
Cows
are superior to all yogis and ascetics and because of this liberated divine
being perform their austerities in the company and presence of cows. Cows do not
feel cold or heat nor can rain afflict. Cows are never to be sacrificed they are
to be given as gifts to worthy brahmanas. The ruler who gives gifts of cows to
the foremost of brahmanas is sure to overcome every calamity he encounters. It
is ordained in the eternal Vedas that ghee from the cow is the best of all
ingredients offered as libations into the sacrificial fire. For this reason one
who makes a gift of a cow to worthy brahmanas who will then use the ghee from
this cow to perform Vedic ceremonies, that fortunate gifter is regarded as
making a gift of a libation for sacrifice. A bovine bull is considered to be the
embodiment of heaven. One who offers a bovine bull to an accomplished brahmana
has factually reserved themselves a place in heaven. Cows that have been rescued
and protected and cared for in distress give even more merit as well as cows
received from persons in distress due to an inability to properly take care of
their cows.
A
cow must never be given to a tiller of soil. Only a bovine bull may be given to
a tiller of soil but never a cow. Neither a cow or a bull should ever be given
unto one who will kill them. Nor should a cow or a bull be given unto an atheist
or one who makes a business selling or trading cows. The Vedas have stated that
one who gives away cows or bulls to such sinful persons suffers interminably in
a hellish condition.
There is no gift that is higher in merit than the gift of cows. A cow lawfully
acquired if given away in charity protects the whole dynasty of the giver. Cows
are the source of that immortality which Vedic sacrifices prescribe. They have
within them the nature of both the sun and the moon. Cows verily constitute and
determine the eternal destiny of creation.
Cows are the life breath of all living creatures therefore one who makes a gift
of a cow is said to be making a gift of life breath to all living creatures.
Cows are also constituted as the great refuge of all living creatures thus one
who makes a gift of a cow is said to be making a gift of that which is the great
refuge of all living creatures.
When the surabhi cows first manifested from the
aroma of ambrosial nectar they performed severe penance for 100,000 years for
the purpose of acquiring the spiritual merit to be the foremost of all things
needed for the performance of Vedic rituals and ceremonies; thus only from cow
milk exclusively is sanctified ghee produced for the performance of Vedic
rituals. Whatever is produced from any and all other types of milk is not
authorised by Vedic scriptures and thus not being sanctioned by the Vedas can
never be used in any Vedic rituals or ceremonies.
At the conclusion of the surabhi cows
austerities Brahma himself appeared before them and granted their wishes
blessing them with the benediction that cows would eternally be the sustainers
of all creatures. This is why cows are sacred and most holy and the foremost of
all creatures in creation and verily the refuge of all the worlds.
Cow milk is the most compatible with human mothers milk then any other species
in existence. This is because the DNA of the cow was specifically constructed to
be harmonious with mammalian human DNA. So it can be clearly understood that cow
DNA was designed so humans could benefit from cows products being milk, cheese,
butter, cream and yoghurt
