Sacred cow

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This article is about Hinduism. For other uses of this term, see holy cow. For Harry S Truman's C-54 presidential aircraft "Sacred Cow", see Air Force One. For The Swirling Eddies' 1996 album, see Sacred Cows.

In Hinduism, the cow is considered sacred and its protection is a recurrent theme in which she is symbolic of abundance, of the sanctity of all life and of the earth that gives much while asking nothing in return. Most Hindus respect the cow as a matriarchal figure for her gentle qualities and providing nurturing milk and its products for a largely vegetarian diet. Hindus do not worship the cow, yet it holds an honoured place in society, and most Hindus do not eat beef.

Contents

[edit] Origins

Draft Zebus in Mumbai, India.
Draft Zebus in Mumbai, India.

There is no consensus on whether the cow was sacred and forbidden in the Hindu diet from ancient Vedic times. The Vedic sacrifices, after which the sanctified meat was eaten, include bovines, and even at a funeral ceremony, the Ashvalayana Grhya Sutras prescribe the sacrifice of a cow for consumption. Frequently it is specified that the sacrificed cow had to be a barren one, "destined for the gods and the brahmans", or a bull. In their Dharmasutras, Vasishta, Gautama and Apastambha prohibit eating the flesh of both cows and draught oxen, while Baudhya-yana exacts penances for killing a cow, and stricter ones for a milk animal or draught ox. Starting with prohibitions on cow slaughter for ritual brahminical sacrifice, revulsion spread to the eating of all types of beef derived in such sacrifices.[1]

It was possibly revered because the largely pastoral Vedic people and subsequent generations relied so heavily on the cow for dairy products, tilling of fields and cow dung as a source of fuel and a fertiliser that its status as a 'caretaker' led to identifying it as an almost maternal figure (so the term gau mata). Those who believe that Vedic people ate cows propose that the scriptural injuctions against eating it started with Krishna, who tended cows, or alternatively with the rise of Jainism.

Despite the differences of opinion regarding the origins of the cow's elevated status, reverence for cows can be found throughout the religion's major texts.

[edit] Sanskrit term

The most common word for cow is go, cognate with the English cow and Latin bos, .The Sanskrit word for cattle is paśu, *peḱu-.

Milk cows are also called aghnya "that which may not be slaughtered".[2] Depending on the interpretation of terminology used for a cow, the cow may have been protected or offered as a sacrifice and eaten.

[edit] The cow in the Hindu scriptures

Anti-muslim pamphlet (1890 CE) protesting the Muslim practice of beef-eating. Kali, the Demon (far right) attempting to slaughter a sacred cow.
Anti-muslim pamphlet (1890 CE) protesting the Muslim practice of beef-eating. Kali, the Demon (far right) attempting to slaughter a sacred cow.
The color version ran by the Ravi Varma Press (c. 1912).
The color version ran by the Ravi Varma Press (c. 1912).

[edit] Rig Veda

Cattle were important to the Rigvedic people, and several hymns refer to ten thousand and more cattle.[3] Rig Veda 7.95.2. and other verses (e.g. 8.21.18) also mention that the Sarasvati region poured milk and "fatness" (ghee), indicating that cattle were herded in this region.

In the Rig Veda, the cows figure frequently as symbols of wealth, and also in comparison with river goddesses, e.g. in 3.33.1cd,

Like two bright mother cows who lick their young, Vipas and Sutudri speed down their waters.

According to Aurobindo, in the Rig Veda the cows sometimes symbolize "light" and "rays".[4] Aurobindo wrote that Aditi (the supreme Prakriti/Nature force) is described as a cow, and the Deva or Purusha (the supreme being/soul) as a bull.[5]

The Vedic god Indra is often compared to a bull.[5]

Rivers are often likened to cows in the Rigveda, Vyasa said:[citation needed]

Cows are sacred. They are embodiments of merit. They are high and most efficacious cleansers of all.

[edit] Harivamsha

The Harivamsha depicts Krishna as a cowherd. He is often described as Bala Gopala, "the child who protects the cows." Another of Krishna's names, Govinda, means "one who brings satisfaction to the cows." Other scriptures identify the cow as the "mother" of all civilization, its milk nurturing the population. The gift of a cow is applauded as the highest kind of gift.

The milk of a cow is believed to promote Sattvic (purifying) qualities. The ghee (clarified butter) from the milk of a cow is used in ceremonies and in preparing religious food. Cow dung is used as fertilizer, as a fuel and as a disinfectant in homes. Modern science acknowledges that the smoke from cow dung is a powerful disinfectant and an anti-pollutant. Its urine is also used for religious rituals as well as medicinal purposes. The supreme purificatory material, panchagavya, was a mixture of five products of the cow, namely milk, curds, ghee, urine and dung. The interdiction of the meat of the bounteous cow as food was regarded as the first step to total vegetarianism.[6]

[edit] Archaeology

[edit] Indus Valley Civilization

Recent studies also indicate that the Indus Valley region had an exceptionally high frequency of cattle domestication, and cattle mtDNA studies indicate that South Asia may be one of two regions with cattle domestication [7]. Terracotta cattle figurines, bullock carts and cattle motifs have often been found in the Harappan sites.[8] The cow could be seen as a "cultural link" between the ancient Harappans and modern Hindus, because the cow was economically important for the ancient Harappans and has also a religious importance in post-Vedic Hinduism.

There are also depictions of (Zebu) cattle on pottery, figurines and Indus seals.[9] The domestication of the Zebu cattle is believed to have occurred locally.[9]

[edit] Historical significance

The cow taboo played a role in the First War of Independence against the British East India Company. Hindu sepoys in the Army of East India Company came to believe that the new bullets were greased with cow fat. Since gunloading required biting the bullet, they believed that the British were forcing them to break their religion.

[edit] In today's world

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A cow resting on a road in Nagpur.
A cow resting on a road in Nagpur.

Today, in heavily Hindu nations like India and Nepal, bovine milk continues to hold a central place in religious rituals. In honor of their exalted status, cows often roam free. In some places, it is considered good luck to give one a snack, or fruit before breakfast. In places where there is a ban on cow slaughter, a citizen can be sent to jail for killing or injuring a cow.

With injunctions against eating the cow, a system evolved where only the pariah fed on dead cows and treated their leather.

[edit] The law in India

It used to be illegal in India to kill a member of the genus Bos, but now many slaughterhouses operate in big cities like Mumbai or Kolkata. While there are approximately 3,600 slaughterhouses operating legally in India, there are estimated to be over 30,000 illegal slaughterhouses. The efforts to close them down have so far been largely unsuccessful.

[edit] Expression in Israeli Hebrew

In the 1960's the news media in Israel reported extensively on riots in India that were due to protests against the slaughtering of cows. Commentators compared Hindu sensitivity on this issue to the well-known Jewish religious dietary laws and prohibitions (Kashrut). As a result, the expression "to slaughter a Sacred cow" (Hebrew:לשחוט פרה קדושה) meaning "to break a taboo" has entered contemporary spoken and written Hebrew, and is frequently used in various social and political contexts.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ (Achaya 2002, p. 16-17)
  2. ^ V.M. Apte, Religion and Philosophy, The Vedic Age
  3. ^ (e.g. RV 8.1.33; 8.2.41; 8.4.20; 8.5.37; 8.6.47; 8.21.18; 5.27.1; 1.126.3)
  4. ^ (RV 1.92.4; 4.52.5; 7.79.2), Aurobindo: The Secret of the Veda; Sethna 1992
  5. ^ a b Sethna 1992:42
  6. ^ (Achaya 2002, p. 55)
  7. ^ (see Shaffer and Liechtenstein 1995, 1999)
  8. ^ (Shaffer and Liechtenstein 1999: 145-146; 1995)
  9. ^ a b Caroline Grigson, Early cattle around the Indian Ocean, In: J. Reade (ed.) The Indian Ocean in Antiquity. London: Kegan Paul Intl. 1996

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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