Holy Cow of Ancient
Cultures now Food for Many, still Revered by Hindus
(Compilation for a discourse at Sri Ganesha Temple, Nashville by N.
R. Srinivasan, January 2015)
Love for animals
can be seen in all cultures that often have their own pets which they treat
almost as their own family members developing special feeling and fondness. Indo-Aryans
developed such love for cow, the only pet they domesticated. It is
strange that cow which is a pure vegetarian is the one that provides the major
cheap protein food for the humans and fellow beings by sacrificing itself after
serving them for some time often mercilessly butchered! Cow has developed a
unique technique to eat abundant grass and yield bulk protein by way of beef. In some
Western countries similar sentiments are voiced about horses which they
often refer as noble animal. It is an ever-ready companion of a soldier
fighting wars often saving his life.
St. Patrick developed love for animals which made some Westerners even
to create graveyards for the pets and remember them on St. Patrick’s Day and
venerating the departed souls. It is a paradox that the conceptualization of Society
for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) came from the West who regularly
slaughter animals for food,
Though Rigveda mentions cow as God in a lone mantra it never elaborated
on it as it did on ghee a product from cow which is an important ingredient in
Vedic sacrifices or Yajna as a vyaahriti (emanation) of Brahman. Mahanarayana Upanishad
pleads to the Omniscient to protect
cattle and horse in the following mantra which is chanted while waving the
light before the deity: Maanoe hi(ga)mseej jaatavedo gaamasvam purusham jagat | abibhradagna aagahi sriyaa
maa parpaataya|| [Lord , the Omniscient! Pray do not slay the
world of cattle, horse and men that belong to us. Without bearing
the terrible form, O Agni, come to us. Associate me with wealth. Thus in latter part of Vedas we see the plea for protecting cattle. It
is the Puranas that dealt at length on the subject and made cow an object of
veneration. Volumes can be written as to why Hindus consider cow as holy going
through various Sthala Puranas or Upa Puranas (local religious anecdotes,
stories and subsidiary Puranas). I would however like to touch upon some major
Puranic events that glorifies cow. Any
Hindu worships mother as matro devo bhava but does not build temple for her!
Puranas have
associated cows always with Krishna and Siva. Siva is addressed as Pasupati,
the Lord of cows and Krishna as Gopala, Protector of Cows. Krishna was a native
of Gokula, a township of Cowherds community. There are also many Puranic
stories of cows associating with Lord Siva and Lord Krishna.
There is an
interesting Sthalapurana (local anecdote) about Siva and cow. Siva once played
a game of dice with Amba (Parvati). They played for stakes and a quarrel arose
based on a disagreement over a move. Enraged Siva cursed her to become a cow
and also keep roaming on earth. So she roamed on earth as ordinary cow. In her
Sahasranama Amba is extoled as “Gomaataa guhajanmabhoo”. She came to mother earth as Mother Cow. Vishnu is also described
as the brother of Amba in Tamil scriptures. Vishnu as the brother-in-law wanted
to protect his sister. So taking the guise of a cowherd he accompanied the
divine cow, as he was not a victim of any curse. He took a liking for the job
of a cowherd in due course. That is how
he took delight in grazing the cows in
his incarnation as Krishna Tamils say. He protected cows and the cowherds by
lifting the Govardhana Mountain while Indra was angry and came down with his
tsunami downpour. He also looked after the welfare of citizens of Gokula, had
many friends and was successful to find a girlfriend Radha, doted and devoted,
a coy and beautiful cow-maid.
Terazhandur in
Tamil Nadu is also called
Gosakhaakshetra. There is a
temple for Siva as well as Krishna here. Of course every village in Tamil Nadu
believes in it to keep Vaishnavites and Saivites busy and not start fighting.
Krishna here is known as Aamaruviyappan. Aa means cow in Tamil. You
know the famous dairy Aavin Paal in Tamil Nadu. Near it is a village called
Pillur (meaning where the grass grows). Mekkiramangalam in Tamilnadu is also a place where Vishnu grazed cows. For Brother and sister to worship Siva, Vishnu installed
Vedapureeswara (Siva) in Gosakhaakshetra.
The cow as well as
Brahmin (Head priest) is essential to the practice of Vedic Dharma. Milk and
ghee (melted brown butter) are indispensable to Yajna (sacrifice), while
without Brahmin the sacrifice cannot be performed. This fact is emphasized in
the popular prayer, Gobrahmanebhyo subhamastu nityam -- (May cow and Brahmin ever prosper!)
In the olden days
ponds were dug here and there exclusively for cattle and stone pillars were
installed here and there for them to scratch themselves. It was an unwritten
law that almost everyone must feed the cow every day. This is called go-graasam and this act is extolled in Hindu scriptures. Grassa means mouthful and the English word grass is derived from
it.
The origin of the
veneration of the cow can be traced to the Vedic period. People in Vedic period
were pastoralists; cattle had major economic significance that was reflected in
their religious following also. The milk cow in
Rigveda was said to be “un-slayable.” The degree of veneration
afforded to the cow is indicated by the use in rites of healing, purification,
and penance of the panchagavya, the five products of
the cow—milk, curd, butter, urine, and dung. Brihadaaranyaka Upanishad
prescribes the consumption of beef of a young bull offered in sacrifice by the
pregnant mother as Prasadam (blessed food) for begetting a valorous and
intelligent son. “Atha ya ichchetputro may pandito vigeetah
samitingamah sushrooshitaam vaacham
bhaashitaa jaayeta
Sarvaan-vedaan-anubraveeta-sarvam-aayuriyaaditi mamsaudanam paachayitvaa
sarpishmantamasneeyaataam-eesvarau janayitava aukshena vaarshabhena vaa ||” – He who wishes that a son should be born to him that he
should be a reputed scholar, who would be frequenting the assemblies of learned
scholars, who would be speaking delightful and worth hearing words, who will be
a master of all Vedas and who will attain full term of
life should have rice cooked with the
meat of a young bull advanced in years and he and his wife should eat with
clarified butter, the they will be able to produce such a son.
Shandilya, Bharadvaja, Kaasyapa and others were called Gotrapatis who are considered to be Rishis or
sages by all Hindus. Shelter for a
cattle is called Gotra in Sanskrit. As these shelters were small in number many
families in Vedic days were obliged to put
their cattle in the same shelter or Gotra. As a result, the cattle of one
family often got mixed up with the cattle of other family or families and
dispute arose over their ownership. To resolve such disputes, supervisor
endowed with great moral and spiritual virtues were appointed to act as judges
to give fair and just verdicts. When one
Vedic period person of one clan met someone belonging to another Vedic period
person, he introduced himself by using the name of his Gotrapati. Hindus even
today use the Gotrapati’s name to identify themselves as recorded in our
horoscopes and temple Sankalpas (religious resolutions).
During the Puranic period the
Cow as Holy and as an animal of
veneration has been pushed too far though no cow avatar had taken place like
Matsya (fish), Koorma (Tortoise) or Varaha
(Boar). Nandi of Siva was conceived as half-bull and half-man similar to
Narasimha and Hayagreeva. But many animals have been pushed as mounts of
Gods or devotees of gods— Monkey, Eagle Elephant,
Bull, Peacock, Swan etc. Agni Purana, Markandeya Purana, Vishnusmriti, Skandapurana,
and Manusmriti etc., have glorified cow and made it sacred. It is interesting to note only the female
species of the cattle is raised to the status of Divine Mother. Atharva Veda
says: The cow is the mother of Rudra; she is the daughter of the Vasus; she is
the sister of Surya. She is a storehouse of ghee that is like the celestial
nectar—“Maataa rudraayam duhitaa vasunaam | svasaa aadityaanaam
amritasya naabhih || Atharva Veda being the last of Vedas and of much later
origin has been often revised inserting materials of all kinds of beliefs including sorcery, rituals and slokas as mantras. But a Hindu’s reverence to cow is based on
Rigveda mantra (6:28): “Cows are God; they seem to me to be Indra, the God of
Heaven”. Newer Upanishads have been fashioned after major Upanishads including
lot of Phalasrutis (benefits derived on chanting) as Narayanopanishad and Ganapati
Athrvaseersha Upanishd. So our focus should be on Major Upanishads for drawing
any conclusion that are ten in number. Mythology speaks about two divine cows
Kamadhenu and Subala as two all wish-
granting cows and a devout Hindu attached to his cow sees it as his little
Kamadhenu. Lord Krishna was a cowherd and he spent most
of his childhood and youth taking care of cows. Krishna says in Bhagavadgeetaa
“Amongst cows I am Kamadhenu”. Gita also says “whoever sees me in everything
sees me alone”—“Yo maam pasyati sarvatra mayyeva sa Pasyati”. Looking at Krishna with his pet cow a
devotee sees Krishna in that cow also. Based on Gita philosophy to a Hindu when
he looks at most useful things in life like a cow or Aswattha tree or at an odd
looking icon like Ganesha, worship to
them is intended to Supreme Being only like all sacrifices offered to fire are
intended for the chosen deity or deity prayed upon. But why should we go on
with this assumption and how long? When do we get enlightened to meditate on
Brahman alone? There are too many things in Hinduism to be understood when
observed which a Western culture can’t easily apprehend. Sometimes me too! But
a rational Hindu will never consider a cow superior to human beings; the
manifestation of God in cow, an animal, is much less pronounced than in human
beings as the progressive incarnations reveal.
Hindus also consider giving a cow in charity as the most sacred
act. Many Puranas say whoever gives a cow in Charity (Godaana) shall always be
happy and content and attain heaven after death. It is believed that after
death, before one reaches heaven, one
reaches Vaitarani River. To make the task of crossing it surely one has to hold
the tail of the cow and finally reach heaven. So cow is not only an inseparable
companion here but also on our way to heaven!
Subsequently, with the concept of Ahimsa (no infliction of pain or
injury) and the absence of the desire to harm living creatures) introduced by
Buddhism and Jainism as the highest
moral code (ahimsaa paramodharmah), the cow came to symbolized a life of nonviolent generosity. In
addition, because her products supplied nourishment, the cow was associated
with motherhood and Mother Earth. The cow was also identified early on with
the priestly class who performed Yajnas (fire
sacrifices), and killing the cow was sometimes equated with
the heinous crime of killing a Brahmana (Brahmahatya dosham). In the middle of the first millennium CE cow killing was made a capital
offense by Gupta kings and legislation against cow killing
promulgated by them persisted into the 20th century in many princely states
where the monarch was Hindu. In the late 19th century, especially in North
India, a movement to protect cows arose that strove to unify Hindus and
distinguish them from Muslims by demanding that the government ban cow
slaughter. It may be worth recalling
here that during Sepoy Mutiny in India both Hindus and Muslims joined together
to fight against British, a rare one time occurrence as they always fought with
each other, as both
of their religious sentiments were hurt,
because they were forced to
handle guns lubricated with cow and pig
tallow fats. At other times, the intertwining
of political and religious purpose led periodically to anti-Muslim riots and
eventually played a significant role in the partition of the Indian
subcontinent in 1947.
We are often pained to
hear the words “Holy Cow!” when an American Christian exclaims using it in an
angered tone or derogatory sense. Of course he also says “Jesus” with angry
tone on such occasions though one of the Commandments says: “do not use the
name of thy God in vain”. He does not enjoy the freedom in Christianity like
Hindus who can call their Beedi (a country cigar) Ganesh Beedi and snuff Ambal
Snuff! Hindus revere cows as a symbol of life. Unlike many misconceptions about
the significance of cows in Hindu culture, cows are not gods nor have they ever
been worshiped in that sense. In ancient India, although oxen and bulls were
slaughtered for meat and sacrificed to the Gods, it was unacceptable to kill a
cow that produced milk. One possible reason for this practice was that Aditi
(Mother of Gods) identified with milk producing cows in the Rigveda.
For people of Abrahamic religions cow is the main
source of food today. Probably they want to avoid holy goat and lamb! It is
like “Anna (food)” hailed in Taitaareeya Upanishad for Hindus. I often wondered why Jesus did not mention
about beef while he did refer to bread and wine in the last supper as detailed
below. For Jews lamb and goat were main sacrificial animals
and Jesus was Jew. Only his followers
named his doctrines as Christianity and those who followed them as Christians
naming after him. Had Jesus mentioned beef along with bread and wine cow
would have also become an object of veneration in Christianity and Christians
would not have been mad at us joking with Holy Cow! There may be two reasons
here. In those days they were goat and
lamb eaters as the blood of lamb was spilt at each door step to identify Egyptians
to kill the first born. Also Moses was vexed with the people who resorted back
to calf worship when he went into wilderness to fetch the Ten Commandments that
came with the new ruling by God that “thou shalt not bow unto any graven image”.
So cow was avoided and only Bread and
wine were considered as flesh and blood of Jesus Christ as he spoke at the last
supper. At the Last
Supper, Jesus made three highly significant statements. ‘This is my body’,
‘This is my blood’, ‘Do this in remembrance of me.’ The first of these bears an
obvious relationship to his words in John chapter 6 verses 53 to 56: ‘I tell
you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood
you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal
life, and I will raise him up at the last day; for my flesh is real food and my
blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me,
and I in him”. Compare this with Lord
Krishna’s statement “yo maam pasyati sarvatra mayyeva sa
pasyati” whoever sees me in everything he sees me only”. Earlier in the same
chapter he said, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go
hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.’ The angel of the Lord, when
destroying the first-born of the Egyptians, would pass over the houses marked
by the blood of the lamb: hence the name of this holy feast or ordinance as Feast
of Passover.
Since
cows were thought to be God's gift to mankind to provide food, fuel and life,
it became sacrilegious to eat this gift that God had sent to Bharatiyas. Cows
are looked upon as symbol of motherhood. But unfortunately Hindu Americans who
are non-vegetarians say only Indian cows are holy like Muslim Americans who say
American ham and cheese is not prohibited in Koran. Although there are
religious implications for this, there are also reasons of necessity. Cows
provided milk, melted butter for lamps, and fuel. Slaughtering a cow for
sacrifice or food was expensive and with each death also died all the uses cows
fulfilled and valuable resource.
Today,
Hinduism teaches to abstain from eating beef. Most families in Hindu village culture own at
least one cow that is considered equal to their own family member. Milk,
provides nourishment for growing children, so cows are thought of as surrogate
mothers nourishing all mankind. Cow dung is the largest source of household
energy in the village life of India; often ash from dung is used for a Tilak,
or a religious mark on the forehead. Dung is considered as a natural product of the earth and soil nourishing manure unlike most Western
cultures would consider it as dirty excrement. Since cows are considered
cleansers, cow dung is considered a disinfectant. Of Course most often, cows
roam on the streets of India starving and uncared for, not because they are not
held sacred, but because their termination (however diseased or nuisance value
they may be) is considered almost a taboo in Hindu culture. On Gopaashtami day cows are washed and
decorated and given food hoping that such gifts of life to a harmless and
sacrificial cow will make them also prosperous. Offering food to animals and revering them is
considered as one of the five daily (Bhoota Yajna) sacrifices prescribed to a
religious Hindu. All Hindus are not
vegetarians and they do depend for their food on other animals, birds and
fish. Majority of the Hindus except some outcastes
still avoid eating beef but they do not look down upon any person who consumes
beef. That is how so many interfaith and inter caste marriages take place in
which one partner is a meat eater or beef eater. Westerners who love pets
have even graveyards for their pets. Even those do not want to understand
Hindus’ love which turns to veneration for cow.
It
is strange Hinduism is always charged myths and superstitions particularly when
they think cow is holy or beef eating a sin when they are non-vegetarians as
beef is the cheap source of protein and nourishment. I have even heard a White American exclaiming
“If hundred million people go to hell by eating cow why the starving Hindu wants
to go to heaven by not eating cow?” For Western Americans cow is the cheap
source of protein. Let us examine the myths and beliefs that existed in the so
called Western Culture which they forcefully got rid of when Christianity ruled
the country. Hindus in India never could do that. They follow what they believe
in and do not interfere with other beliefs.
The
following information described as ancient myths was sent by courtesy
IndiaDivine.org for onward transmission for the benefit of Hindus and
misunderstood Christian faiths.
Westerners believe in Aryan Invasion theory and the existence of
Dravidians in India before their arrival. Indian Government goes by this Aryan
Invasion theory while teaching history in schools. If that is true Ancient Myths that link us to past ages when
cattle was venerated came mostly from Aryans only which was later solemnized by
Vedic culture.
according to current history taught in
India Indo-Aryans were not indigenous to India but migrated from Central Asia.
Bonnard-Levin is of the opinion that the ancestral home of the Aryans was the
region of Southeastern Europe as reflected in the Indian history taught in
schools. They were nomadic people whose livelihood depended mainly on raising
cattle.
Ancient World Myths Link Us to
Past Ages When Cattle were Venerated
“Ancient People linked together cattle, fertility and
abundance. This was reflected in their spiritual practices, and in many parts
of the world people worshiped a Cow Goddess or a Goddess who protected cow.
HATHOR, the Egyptian Goddess, was known as the gentle cow of
heaven. She was said to give a plentiful supply of milk to the baby Pharaoh
thus making it to a divine being. She was described as the winged cow of
creation, who gave birth to the universe. She is shown with cow-head or with
horns on her head between which there was a sun disk. She embodied the Milky
Way upon which the Sun God RA and the
king sailed. She was a fertility goddess and was also associated with the
flooding of life giving waters of Nile and the flooding of waters before birth.
She later became identified with BATA, another cow Goddess,
who was connected with BA, an aspect of the soul and came to be associated with
the afterlife greeting the dead as they began their journey from the world of
living.
In Ireland, there were
several ancient Cow Goddesses, including some like DIL and DAMONA who
both ruled over fertility but about whom very little is known today. Then there
is BO FIND, who manifested as White Cow. She transformed Ireland from a barren
land into green and fertile land. She came from the Western Sea with her sister
BO RUADH, the red cow goddess and the black cow goddess BO DHU. These different
colors represented the different phases of the moon.
The sister all went to different parts of the Ireland. BO FIND went to the center where she gave
birth to a male and female calf. These twins were to provide food for the
people by giving milk and help in ploughing the earth. Their work having been
done, the cow twins departed back to the sea.
Another Goddess was ANU who was guardian of Cattle and
Health. Fires were lit for her big midsummer and her priesthood sang the dying
to sleep.
BRIGIT was a cattle mother goddess to many European tribes.
Some suggest her name came from the Sanskrit word brihat, an epithet of Brahman.
She was goddess of regeneration and abundance and her protection was said
to be very great. She was seen with a pair of oxen called FA and FEINHEAN.
As Christianity began to grow BRIGIT also known as BRIDE was
transformed into a popular saint. Legend says her mother was carrying a pitcher
of milk when she was born and the infant was bathed in it. She was unable to
adjust to ordinary food and was reared on the milk of white, red eared cow.
This was a special animal with links to the other world in Celtic mythology.
The companion animal of the adult saint was said to be a cow, who gave her all
the milk she required. When she became an abbess she miraculously increased the
milk and butter yield of the abbey. Some say there was a lake of milk three
times a day and on one churning of milk filled hundreds of baskets with butter.
After her death her skull was stolen from the abbey by soldiers who took it to
Portugal and every year cattle were driven past it in a spring festival.
One
of the most popular goddesses in ancient Scandinavia was Freya. She was a
Vanir, a divinity of nature, a goddess of love, fertility and fortune. The cow
was her symbol and one could please her by offering flowers, planting trees, or
feeding the cows. The day of the week Friday (Freya’s day) is named after her.
Linguists acknowledge that Freya is related to the Sanskrit Priya meaning
‘beloved’, an apt name for the goddess of love.
The
alphabet of the old Germanic and Scandinavian peoples is known as the Elder
Futhark and is written using the Rune script. It is composed of 24 letters,
grouped into 3 sets of 8 letters each, known as the Aettir. Like the bija
(seed) letters of Sanskrit, the Runes are used in combination for divination
and magic. The first Aett is Freya’s and relates to the creation of the world.
It
is said that in the beginning of creation the world was frozen covered in ice.
Then, the divine cow, Audumbla, the first creature in the universe, appeared
and began to lick the ice. With her hot breath and licks she melted the ice
revealing Ymir, the first man, encased within. Ymir then drank the milk from
the divine cow, as a child does of its mother, for nourishment. Thus mankind
had an intimate connection with cows from the dawn of creation. The name
Audumbla is generally translated as ‘the wealth of the cow’. It is likely
related to the same root in the Sanskrit word Audarya, meaning ‘generos’ or ‘magnanimous’.
The
cow was of primary importance to the Scandinavian peoples. We can see this in
the first two letters of their alphabet both of which relate to the cow. The
first letter, or Rune, is ‘Fehu’ meaning both ‘cow’ and ‘wealth’. It is also
the first letter in Freya’s Aett, the first letter of her name, and the first
creature in the universe, and thus the sacred cow belongs to her. As she was
the goddess of fertility, the giving of life to the world begins with the cow.
The symbol itself is a simple pictograph representing the two horns of the cow.
The
cow was associated with wealth because she provides all the basic necessities
of life. Her milk provides protein,
fats, and vitamins. In northern areas, with little sunlight, the cow’s milk
provides much needed Vitamin D. Her manure creates fertility in the soil to
grow all manner of vegetables. We even see, as far away as Iceland, girls would
wash their hair in cow’s urine as a beauty treatment to provide shine and
silkiness. Thus in Scandinavian society wealth was measured in cows and could
be used in the payment of debts and as a means of exchange. For this reason
Freya was also the goddess of Fortune.
The
second letter in the Elder Futhark is Uruz meaning ‘wild bull’ as well as
‘rain/water’. In the Vedic tradition we also see rain and water poetically
described as a bull – often as the sound of stampeding hooves. The word
sacrifice means ‘to make sacred’. In the Vedic yajna (fire sacrifice) the gods
provide rain, which causes the grass to grow. The grass then feeds both the cow
and bull. After mating and giving birth, the cow provides milk. This milk is
then turned into ghee (clarified butter) and poured back into the sacrificial
fire as an offering back to the gods. This completes the sacrificial cycle,
uniting the gods, the earth, the animals, and man, making the whole of creation
sacred and wonderful. The Sages inform us that the higher powers left our
presence at the beginning of this Age of Quarrel as we had severed our
connection with nature due to our mistreatment of the cow. The symbol Uruz
represents the strong stance of the bull.
Today in the Western part of the World the great Cow
Goddesses of the past have faded into history. The cow is rarely venerated now
and her gifts together with those of bull and oxen are plundered, like those of
Mother Earth, without recompense. They are seen solely in economic terms as objects
for exploitation and nothing is given back.
Indeed they are killed when they have outlived their usefulness. It
would serve us well to remember, that domesticated cattle was the foundation of
human civilization. The way we treat them may symbolize much about how
corrupted our relationship with nation has become. When we respect the cow and
enter into a symbolic relationship with her, we are respecting symbiotic
relationship with her, we are respecting the entire natural world and
celebrating abundance”.
Why did Jews worship a calf before they received
the Ten Commandments?
The people of the Middle East were very
religious, but they also worshiped many gods.
When God gave His Ten Commandments to the Israelites, He began by
addressing this religious pluralism. “I
am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make
for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven
above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the
earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am
a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the
third and the fourth generation of those who hate me” (
Exodus 20:2–5). Lord Krishna on the other hand referring to a
different ignorant crowd with a devoted mind said “Even those devotees
of other Gods who worship them endowed with faith, worship Me alone though in
an unauthorized way”.
[How you wish today Brahman
addressed the same thing to Hindus? We are bewildered and confused with 33, 33000…. ... 33 Crores gods! Since the
time of Sankara we see in Hinduism several human beings, declaring themselves
to be either Avatars, or representatives of the Supreme Being, or their
devotees superimposing the Avatars on their preceptors or Gurus though
Bhagavata says after Bauddhavatar next Avatar is Kalki. Mention here
may be made of Sankara, Ramanuja, Madhva, Raghavendra, Andal, Saibaba, Swami
Narayan, Ramana Maharshi, Anandamayi Maa, Aurobindo, Krishnaprem Vairagi,Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu, Swami Prabhupada, Ma Jnananada etc. But Bhagavad Gita says you see
me only through all of them whom you worship and in whatever form. That is a
big relief and divine guarantee! ]
While Moses was up on the
mountain receiving God’s laws, the people were getting anxious
down
on the plain.
The people urged Aaron, their temporary leader, to make gods for them to
follow as they could not sit idle without worship. Aaron took their gold earrings, which they
had brought from Egypt, and melted them down to make a golden idol. The idol he
crafted for them was a calf, but Aaron maintained the name of the Lord in
connection with it (
Exodus 32:5). He was
merging the prevailing practices they were familiar with and the worship of the
God they were just beginning to be re-acquainted with. Aaron called the people
together and told them that the golden calf was the god who delivered them from
Egypt. The people offered sacrifices and then engaged in rituals to worship the
new God. Why did Aaron do this? First,
the people’s long familiarity with idol worship would incline them to follow
that method in the absence of clear direction otherwise. It is likely that the
people had not yet received the commands against idol worship, since Moses was
yet to come down with Ten Commandments. Second, they were already in the habit
of merging their beliefs with those of the people around them, a practice that
would continue to plague them throughout the kingdom years. Third, Aaron was
faced with an unruly crowd that placed a demand on him. The solution of making
an idol and calling it by God's name seemed fairly reasonable as in our
practices today.
Why did he choose a
calf/bull? He did not choose but it just
came out of the fire like this, it is said.
Some have tried to show that the bull represented one of the gods of
Egypt, but that doesn’t fit the text, because Aaron called a feast to the Lord
(Yahweh) and said that it was the god(s) which brought them out of the land of
Egypt. The bull was a symbol of strength and fertility, and the people were
already familiar with bull gods from Egypt. Bulls were also typical animals of
Jewish sacrifice, so to use their image as a symbol of the god being worshiped
was a natural connection. Aaron’s bull was a mixture of the powerful God who
delivered the people through mighty works and the methods of worship that existed with the
people.
EPILOGUE
In India the Puranic glorification of cow based on Rigvedic
mantra still haunts the religious sentiments of those who worship Cow as Holy
and Gomaataa, Mother Cow! Though Rigveda glorified cow it did not raise
it to the status of Brahman as it did Ghee (ghritam), a gift from cow. Vedas paid their gratitude only to cow by the
Rigveda mantra glorifying it. MNU also says: “Madhveergaavo bhavantu nah” meaning may our cows be sweet towards us! But it elevates Ghee to the status of Brahman thus
expressing its gratitude to cow which
provided them ghee for offering their oblations to desired destinations through
fire, with ghee and Agni’s
help, both of which are
considered as Vyaahritis or emanations of Brahman and so Brahman itself. MNU says: “ghrite
srito ghritamuvasya dhama anushadhamaavaha maadayasvsa”—This Ghrita (ghee) alone
is the material cause of this Universe and this Universe merges in Ghrita (Ghee). It
is not out of place to mention here that Christians too think bread represents
flesh and wine blood of Jesus Christ. Only they have not elaborated on it
except paying their respect during the celebration of Last Supper Jesus had
with his twelve disciples.
It is
clear cow is not recommended for worship as God and therefore there are no
temples to cow though there are Varaha Temples and Koorma Temples. We also rarely see Krishna icons with cow though
we see Dattatreya with dogs but see him often only with his flute. In
recent times India
saw several human beings
declaring themselves to be either avatars are representatives of the Supreme
Being, or their devotees superimposing the avatars on their preceptors or Gurus
like Aandal, Sankara, Ramanuja, Swami Narayan, Saibaba of Shirdi, Satya Saibaba etc. to whom many exclusive temples are built and worshiped
which has even crossed the shores of India. Conceptualizing cow as Holy based
on its usefulness and lasting companion of people is not anything unusual for such
Hindus who go out of the way in showing their reverence and prostrate. They do
so when they receive Heads of monasteries. They revere them but not consider
them as Gods. Anyway among the fanatic masses of India and religious Hindus the
slaughtering of cows for food will be a controversial issue for long years to
come as India has declared itself as secular country like USA where Christians
and Muslims would love to eat beef and so cow slaughter cannot be banned by a
Central legislation.
We have seen how cow, the female
species only, has been venerated in gratitude to its support to Vedic
sacrifices and sustenance of the human beings. While horse and goat and rarely
bull are mentioned as sacrificial animals in very early Vedic sacrifices no cow
the female species is ever mentioned. Horse because of its association of war
and also its large scale sacrifice in the battlefield gained its position in
Aswamedha sacrifices. Goat is considered an enemy of plant kingdom and so
considered as a choice animal in sacrifices. It also multiplies fast. But progressively animal sacrifice was given
up though meat eating by majority continues as noticed even today. While
Sanatana Dharma was slowly moving to
modern concept of Hinduism due to facing serious criticism as to Vedic animal sacrifices emerging Christianity was
thinking of Human sacrifice as the greatest sacrifice. That is why Holy Bible
says God sacrificed his own Son to save the world! Jesus himself said “my flesh
is real food and my blood real drink”.
Yet we find lot of criticism from Westerners on Purushasookta
misinterpreting sacrifice of Viratpurusha!
As a vegetarian I believe in Ahimsa but not averse to milk
and milk products. Contrary to the general belief Hindus are vegetarians,
majority of Hindus eat meat like goat, lamb, fowls, fish etc. Those who are not vegetarians do tell us: “like
the goats, cows, fowl and fish that we
eat vegetables and cereal also have life”. Ahimsa may mean minimal pain. It does not
mean na
imsa himsahimsa or no pain. Plants have life and feelings like
human but they do not have sensation of pain to the same degree as animals and
birds have. This has been scientifically
established. Also, but for certain leafy
vegetables which we uproot to prepare food, most other vegetables are obtained
from plants without killing them. It is like clipping our nails or hair. Fruits are plucked when they are ripe and
about to fall. Even in Western practice only certain type of meat is eaten.
Horsemeat is not usually eaten. They have their logic too. Every
household in one sense is a butchery as the sloka goes:
Panchasoonaa grahastasya
vartante harahah sadaa /
Khandani pesani culli jalakumbha upasskarah //
Khandani is used to cut vegetables. It stands
for one type of butchery. The second butchery is represented by grinding or
pounding. We mercilessly grind corn, pulses etc. The third butchery is by
the culli or the kitchen fire. The water pot
(jalakumbha) is also
included among the objects of butchery to which flies and insects fall and die.
Then there is the upaskara, the broomstick. Many tiny
insects are killed as we sweep the floor. But all these killings are committed
unwittingly. There is a provision In Hindu scriptures for expiation for the sin
committed unwittingly. It is the Prayaschitta of Vaisvadeva. We perform this ritual to ask the Lord to
forgive our sins of having caused the destruction of various creatures and pray
for the happiness in afterlife. Vaisvadeva
rite is meant for the excommunicated and
for all creature of earth like dogs, crows, insects, etc. This rite absolves us
of all sins. The importance of pancha mahaayajnaas (five daily sacrifices) about which we have
talked about a lot cannot be over emphasized in this context which include
feeding the cow and offering water to quench its thirst in return as a gesture
of gratitude for its selfless service. This Yajna concept is built into some of
our festival rituals and rites.
Exodus 29:36 says: “And thou shalt offer every day a
bullock for a sin offering
for atonement; and thou shalt cleanse the altar, when thou hast made atonement
for it, and thou shalt anoint it, to sanctify it”. Sacrificing a cow
in Eid-al-Adha is in vogue today.
Mexican Folk Catholicism practices cow
sacrifice. The sacerdotal
function in all religions called for blood sacrifice in ancient belief though
Hinduism is criticized for its animal sacrifices which it is trying to overcome
while others still continue. Feast of
Sacrifice consecrated and perpetuated by Mohammed when he acted as a priest-is
still perpetuated. Emphasis is now on Kurbaani
of infidels (in their interpretation), turning away from the spirit of
self-sacrifice if not animal sacrifice as they are easily available in plenty
all over the world. Christianity follows the gospel of Christ: “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you have no life in you”.
Arabic religions depend very much on
their priest prophets to guide them spiritually. Hinduism on the other hand is
successfully fighting against spilling of blood and animal sacrifices and comes
with the prayer: “Gobrahmanebhyah
subhamastu nityam lokaassmastaah sukhino bhavantu” May there be
welfare for cows and the guru-priest (to nourish our body and soul) so that all
living beings be happy and content. Hinduism talks about the welfare of the cow
for their living (providing food, fertilizer, fuel and motive power to till the
soil and draw the carts) and the Guru-priest to guide them for saving the soul
while others consume cow all the time, only sometimes offering it as a
sacrifice and enjoying the blessed food. Recently American Senator Ted Cruz reflecting
the life of early Christian Americans said: “All a man needed was a horse, a
gun and open land and he could conquer the whole world”. But Hindu American even
after migration to USA still chants “Gobrahmanebhyah……..” in his
prayers implying all we need is the cow and the Guru to develop in body, mind and
spirit. Veneration of horse comes from material goals while veneration of cow
springs from the spirit of sacrifice! It is a choice between War and
Peace!
I am of the opinion that Purans written after the birth of
Jainism and Buddhism forbid Hindus from the consumption of any meat or meat
products. But majority of Hindus are meat eaters but they too consider cow
alone is holy. Only the so called Harijans sometimes consume Beef. The
agitation against slaughter of cows is increasing but it has no legal standing.
The problem should be tackled by promoting vegetarianism. With the problems of
heart diseases and cholesterol all over the world, we should propagate
vegetarianism and abandon red meat altogether. Still, fish and egg will remain
popular with those non-vegetarians.
Hinduism-Today in India proclaims “Gomatru
devo bhava” treat cow as
Mother Goddess while other Indian religions thank
their Gods for the blessed food of cow for their happy living. “I Love My India”
of conflicts and contradictions! After
long years of Independence India fought for a country divided on language basis
but not religious following basis. That would have made the task easier to ban
cow slaughter only in Hindu Religion state! It would have been easier to create
small states for other religious followers. Jains and Buddhists would have gone
with Hindus! Hindus in India want to start “Gosamrakshana” agitation movement inspired by the religious
discourses of Sankaracharya of Kamakotipeetham as the political wind is in
favor of Hindus today. It is complicated! But my dilemma remains still as to
why Sankaracharya has not thought about poor lamb, sheep and hen etc. that are
slaughtered in millions and consumed by Hindus in whom the same Jeevaatman
resides as in cow as I understand from Upanishads? Will it not be a good idea
to start vigorously promoting Vegetarianism which will gradually kill beef
eating. Even Argentina where for every
man there are three cows, a top beef eating country, vegetarianism and Hindu
philosophy are strongly promoted from health and spiritual advancement
considerations. As a Hindu American I go by the direction of Geetaa:
Sreyaan svadharmo vigunah
paradharmaat-svanushthitaat |
Svabhaava-niyatam karma kurvan-aapnoti
kilbisham || 18-47 ||
Better
is one’s own Dharma, though destitute of merits, than the Dharma of another
well performed—He who does the Dharma
obtained by his own inherent nature, he incurs no sin. As a Vegetarian I
will refrain from any meat or fish or egg and will not switch over to European
American traditions. Let others follow their own dharma as directed by their
religions! The greatest scientist on Earth
Dr. Albert Einstein once said: “Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for
survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet”.
Honoring Great souls and erecting statues for them is human
instinct which dominates in Hindu culture. Hindus honor great souls as Gods but
do not build temples for them to worship. On the reverse out of extreme love and
devotion they treat God as their honored guest in their worship to feel his
intimate company for a while. This sentiment extends to most useful things in life
and even extends to animal and plant kingdom. Cows are therefore considered
holy but no temples are built. As in every society mistaken cult instinct
cannot be avoided. These are rare as you find in the lone temple for Bull in
Karnataka, the statue for Mahishasura in Mysore and EVR Periyar in Tamil Nadu.
I wish Karnataka has built a Nandi temple, instead Bull Temple in Basavanagudi, Bengaluru, for an Avtar of Siva
half man half-bull like Narasimha!
1.
Ed
Viswanathan, Am I a Hindu? Rupa & Co., Delhi, India.
2.
Swami
Bhaskarananda, Essentials of Hinduism, Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, India.
3.
Prem
P Bhalla, Hindu Rites, Rituals, Customs and Traditions, Pustak Mahal, Delhi
4.
Wikipedia
and other Internet sources.
5.
IndiaDivine.Org,
Internet Communication.
6.
Jagadguru Chandrasekahrendra Saraswati,
Dharma, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai, India.
7.
Sumathi Agambaranathan, Mission 2015—Gho
Samrakshanam, Internet
Why Hindus Don't
Eat Holy Cow (Beef), important to Hindus, Freedom In Hinduism ~ Jaggi Vasudev
Why Hindus don't eat Holy Cow (Beef),
important to Hindus, Freedom in Hinduism ~ Jaggi Vasudev Yogi, mystic and
visionary, Sadguru is a spiritual master with a difference. An arresting blend
of profundity and pragmatism, his life and work serves as a reminder, that yoga
is a contemporary science, vitally relevant to our times.
Why is the cow important to Hindus?
In Hinduism the cow is revered as the source
of food and symbol of life and may never be killed. However, many a non-Hindu
interpret these beliefs to mean that Hindus worship cows. This is not true. It
is more accurate to say the cow is taboo in the Hindu religion, rather than
sacred. This is just one example of the misunderstandings people have about the
Hindu faith. Furthermore, cows do not have an especially charmed life in India.
Sometimes people around the world see images of India in print or on
television, or they travel there, and see cows in public places, un-fenced and
unrestrained. From such scenes, they conclude that Indians consider cows as gods, but this is a false idea and below you
will find clarification on this subject.
History of the "Sacred" Cow:
In ancient India, oxen and bulls were sacrificed
to the gods and their meat was eaten. But even then the slaughter of
milk-producing cows was prohibited. Verses of the Rigveda refer to the cow as
Devi (goddess), identified with Aditi (mother of the gods) herself. Even when
meat-eating was permitted, the ancient Vedic scriptures encouraged
vegetarianism. Later, in the spiritually fertile period that produced Jainism
and Buddhism, Hindus stopped eating beef. This was mostly like for practical
reasons as well as spiritual. It was expensive to slaughter an animal for
religious rituals or for a guest, and the cow provided an abundance of important
products, including milk, browned butter for lamps, and fuel from dried dung.
Some scholars believe the tradition came to
Hinduism through the influence of strictly vegetarian Jainism. But the cow
continued to be especially revered and protected among the animals of India. By
the early centuries AD, the cow was designated as the appropriate gift to the Brahmans (high-caste priests) and it
was soon said that to kill a cow is equal to killing a Brahman. The importance
of the pastoral element in the Krishna stories, particularly from the 10th
century onward, further reinforced the sanctity of the cow.