Hey people, today we gonna talk about why cow is sacred in india with details, the story and facts about cows in india.
why cow is sacred in india
Cows have found their way into many Hindu mythological accounts.
In ancient times, the cow was revered because Hindus relied heavily on it for dairy products, to plow fields, and cow dung as a source of fuel and fertilizer.
Read also : can cows swim
Thus, the status of the cow as a "guardian" made it possible to identify itself as an almost maternal figure. The cow is indeed seen in India as a "universal mother" because she gives her milk to everyone, even to those who are not her calves.
Moreover, Hinduism is based on the concept of the omnipresence of the Divine, and the presence of a soul in all creatures, including cattle. Thus, by this definition, to kill an animal would be a sin: one would prevent the natural cycle of the birth and the death of this creature.
Krishna, one of the incarnations of God in Hindu mythology is one of the most important figures of the faith. He appeared 5000 years ago and is often described as “the child who protects the cows”. Respect for the cow and the bull is found in many great texts of religion.
The slaughter of cows is prohibited in a few states in India while other states have strict rules. In South India and parts of Sri Lanka, a cattle festival is also celebrated.
Why is eating cows forbidden in India?
This is because cows are revered in India, they are pampered and can roam free.
In some places, someone who feeds a cow is considered lucky. On the other hand, a citizen can be sent to prison for having killed or injured a cow.
Why are cows considered sacred in India?
Since the election, in May 2014, from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the nomination of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister of India, laws in favor of the cow strengthened and violent attacks have multiple These aggressions have increased since March regional electoral victories, which have installed the BJP at the orders of several States of the Indian Union, giving even more insurance to the "defenders" of the cow (rather the female zebu or buffalo).
Increasing intolerance to religious minorities
The defense of this animal considered sacred in Hinduism allows indeed to the BJP to advocate the influence of Hindutva, the nationalist ideology Hindu, and hostility to the religion minorities If the cow is venerated throughout India, it is first of all because it provides five sacred products: milk and its derivatives, the "lassi" (fermented milk) and the "Ghî" (melted butter), but also the urine and the dung. The mixture of these five elements is considered a purifier for the soul and the body, and many are the Hindus that absorb it.
A role of daily rice
crumb, "Ghî" is also offered to the deities: we drink the statues and throw in the sacred fire to accompany the prayers. Mixed with grass and dried in the form of flat cakes, the dung, it, is used as fuel in the kitchen. In campaigns, soils and walls of deatened dirt are covered with dung, supposed to distance insects and scorpions. Finally, the cattle of India have a role of collegeists since they feed mainly on waste: by force of swallowing plastic bags, they often die of intestinal occlusions ... Another explanation: Cow's melting in India translates Thus, Pradipsinh Jadeja, the Minister of the Interior of Gujarat (Nalandra Modi Native State), recently said: "The cow is not an animal, it is the symbol of universal life!
Master of the cows on the flute
on the mythological level too, the cow is very important since it is the accompanying animal Krishna and Shiva, the two most venerated deities of India. Entriated by his parents to a couple of Vacers, Krishna spent his childhood in the middle of cows, then, teenager, seduced more than a thousand "gaps" (daughters of vachers).
On highways
We understand then that cows are so respected: it is unthinkable for an Indian to hit, insult or coerce a cow. Hence the traffic jams in Indian cities, including more modern ones like Bangalore, caused by a cow wandering in the street or ruminating on a freeway median. When a devout Hindu walks past a cow, he never fails to touch it and then raise his hand to his forehead in tribute.
It is also impossible for a Hindu to eat beef, even if, in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the untouchables "unclean" consume it. In these southern states, but also elsewhere in India, beef curries are on the menu of restaurants… Dalits are also the only ones able to butcher the corpses of cattle, then to be able to tan, process and use their leather.
A religious, social and economic construction
This insistence on the sanctity of the cow is quite recent. Historian Dwijendra Narayan Jha, a specialist in ancient India at the University of New Delhi, shattered the myth, showing that in Vedic times the cow was sacrificed and consumed, while the Hindutva claims that this practice would have been imported much later, with the Muslim conquest. His work “Holy cow: Beef in Indian dietary”, published in 2002, aroused violent reactions from Hindu extremists, the author having even received several death threats.
According to Dwijendra Narayan Jha, it would be the Brahmans who gradually imposed this food ban in order to attribute a specific social place to each caste: whoever eats beef is an out-of-caste, an untouchable. This sacredness of the Indian cow therefore appears to be a construction that is at once religious, social and economic.
How are cows treated in India
The cow, sacred and benefactor, is protected in Hinduism which advocates the vegetarian diet. His flesh remains in the domain of the unconsumable. Currently, the ban on its slaughter is ratified by laws in some Indian states, which generates debates and tensions. But its products remain particularly valued and milk, transformed in particular into ghee or yoghurt, is an essential food in India.
Why cow is called mother
In the Hindu religion, the cow has acquired a sacred dimension. She was slain like other animals and offered to the gods as a sacrifice, and her meat was eaten. Gradually used in a ritual religious, the cow itself become sacred and object of veneration from the 4 th century BCE. She represents Mother Earth, because she is a source of benefits and her milk nourishes all creatures. Krishna, a central deity of Hinduism, is moreover depicted in many episodes recounting his life as a cowherd and referred to as the child who protects the cows. Today, Hindus, who make up around 80% of the Indian population, rarely eat meat. The consumption of cow meat is taboo for religious reasons. Some Indian states have even introduced this principle into their legal systems by passing laws to ban the slaughter and consumption of cows (but without going so far as to prosecute consumers). These laws are denounced by supporters of secularism and members of other religions. They are reported as an attack on the fundamental freedoms of the individual and as a form of discrimination against other religious communities (Muslim and Christian in particular) which authorize the consumption of cows.
Products derived from the sacred cow
All products derived from the cow, a sacred animal for Hindus, are highly valued. The milk especially suitable for multiple preparations. It is made into yogurt; salty and flavored, it is integrated into meals. The yogurt is used for the sauce of chopped vegetables and spices. It is also consumed in the form of a drink, mixed with water or ice milk (lassi). The ghee , fat consists of clarified butter material is a foodstuff much appreciated. And buttermilk , the residue of butter, is omnipresent in the peasant diet. In addition, the interest of the cow is not limited only to milk. The urine can enter into the composition of a mixture purifier used in some religious rituals. The dung cow as fertilizer and fuel. Collected, shaped and dried, they are used for cooking food.
The pig: an unclean animal
Like the flesh of the cow, that of the pig is proscribed in Hinduism. Unlike the sacred cow, the pig represents impurity and filth , because it feeds among other things on human waste . Food remains are, in fact, considered particularly impure and soiled (by touch or saliva for example).
Ghee
In Hinduism, dairy products occupy a privileged place, both a ritual offering and daily food. Ghee especially, prepared with churned yoghurt, is a food of choice as much for its taste qualities as for its nourishing power.
The sacrifice
Animal sacrifices were common in antiquity and justified the killing of the animal. The sacrifice of Jesus will upset this order and replace the old customs. It is updated during the Eucharist, but its interpretation remains complex. What is the interpretation of wine and bread in Christianity? Catholics and Protestants do not have the same answer.
Vegetarianism in Hinduism
Vegetarianism responds to the principle of non-violence of Hinduism. It is placed at the top of the hierarchy of Hindu food systems and is anchored in the customs of the country. However, its application may vary according to regions and communities. Although a taste for meat seems to be emerging at present, consumption of expensive animal flesh is still relatively low in India.
What happens if you kill a cow in India?
From bbc.com about kill cow in India law
"""The western Indian state of Gujarat has passed a law making the slaughter of cows punishable with life imprisonment.
Under an amendment to the state's Animal Preservation Act, those found guilty of transporting beef will also be jailed for 10 years.
The cow is considered sacred by India's Hindu majority, and killing cows is illegal in many states.
But the new amendment means Gujarat now has the toughest laws on the issue in the country."""
Cows in streets
The ubiquity of cattle in Indian cities often surprises visitors. Indeed, when we travel to India, we meet cows everywhere! They wander quietly on the road in the middle of cars, buses and tuk-tuks! We sometimes meet them in the small alleys of Madurai or Varanasi. They go from house to house to beg for some leftover meals, knocking on the door with their snouts! If the door is open, some do not hesitate to return directly to their good nurturing souls! We meet them at the “Tea-Shop”, in and around the temples ... You will understand, Indian cows do not only live in the fields! And beware, according to the highway code and civility, they have priority! Because, as you know, the cow is a sacred animal in India.
The cow in Hinduism
Cows are sacred and we meet them everywhere around the Gods. First around Krishna, the blue-skinned God. He grew up among cattle, in Goloka, the Kingdom of the Cows. And he is also known as Govinda, the protector of the cows. In fact, he is often represented with a cow.
As for Shiva, he appears on his mount Nandi, a bull. The latter, a symbol of fertility, is worshiped as much as Lord Shiva himself. Both represent consciousness. In the Shaivite temples, Nandi faces the sanctuary and the disciples do not fail to pray in front of him.
But before Hinduism, we can already find the symbol of the sacred cow in India. Indeed, the ancient deities of the Vedic pantheon, Prithvi Mata (Mother Earth) and Dyaus Pita (the Heavenly Father) were reciprocally represented by a cow and a bull.
Also, according to Hindu mythology, the cow and the Brahmin were created on the same day. The cow nourishes the body, while the Brahmin nourishes the spirit. Killing a cow in India is then as serious a sin as the killing of a Brahmin.
The cow is the Universal mother, her milk nourishes all creatures. This maternal quality, a sattvic quality reserved for the cow, is hailed as the highest form of gift.
The cow, an essential animal in Indian agriculture
The sacredness of the cow is explained by quite rational and pragmatic reasons.
1. In the fields, the cattle pull the plows to work the land and feed the people.
2. Products made from cow's milk are widely used in Indian cuisine. The thali (this famous dish richly composed of several varieties of vegetables, dairy products and others ...), includes milk, ghee, fermented milk, as they are recommended in Ayurvedic cuisine. These ingredients, derived from the sacred cow, also make up prasad (sweet preparations offered to the Gods during religious ceremonies), such as pongal.
3. Indians also profit from cattle droppings. Thus, cow dung is used as a fertilizer. Dried, it is used as fuel for cooking or ... for the cremation of the deceased. Also used in the construction of homes (walls, floors, etc.), cow dung has disinfectant properties and repels insects. As for cow urine, some fervently believe that it has medicinal properties ...
Among the sacred animals in India, the cow therefore holds an important place. She is celebrated, thanked and honored on the occasion of Mattu Pongal, during the Pongal festival in Tamil Nadu.
So, when you come across a cow during your stay in South India for example, don't hesitate to touch its head, because touching a cow in India brings good luck.
The downside of the sacred cow in India
If you in France it pisses you off to walk in poodle poop, well tell yourself it could be worse. Here we walk in cow dung, and the majority of people move around in open flip-flop shoes.
I'm not telling you what carnage it must be when the accident happens! Yerk! For the record, I walked in it with my hiking boots, it was sadness ... it took a while to clean the crampons. Well yeah, I had to clean up because it was starting to mess around a lot in the hotel room!
Why is the cow sacred in India?
Well, it’s very simple.
First for a material reason. Indeed it brings milk and helps with agricultural work. In addition, his dung mixed with straw is used as fuel and his urine as disinfectant.
Then for a spiritual reason because in the Hindu religion it represents the "universal mother" and symbolizes life.
Question of the day on the sacred cow
On the other hand, there is one fact that I find very strange. I saw cattle in teams to plow the fields, or pull carts. You see what I mean? In fact, I don't quite understand how you can consider an animal as sacred and enslave it at the same time ... It's curious, isn't it? I don't know, it's like you're a practicing Catholic and using a crucifix to scrape the chewing gum stuck under a table.
Summary
So that's all about why cow is sacred in india.
