WHY COWS ARE IMPORTANT AND SACRED IN HINDU FAMILIES :- //// HARI SARVOTHAMA - VAYU JEEVOTHAMA //// Traditionally, Indians had cows in every household. They were part of the family, with names and personalities. The Indians did not hurt the cows and respected them. It is widely believed to have stemmed from the Hindu belief of reincarnation. Travelers commonly shout the expression as to not hit one of these reincarnated creatures while driving. Others derive the origins back to the story from Exodus of the golden calf or the Holy Cow. The cow has a special role in the Hindu mythologies; Kamadhenu is a wish-fulfilling cow. A cow is also depicted as vehicle of several deities. Many social reform movements in India (Jainism, Buddhism, the Bhakti Movement, Gandhis non-violent movement) advocated non-violence, and no cruelty to animals. Indians were wise enough to have learned to use the cows dung as their source of fire and energy. Amidst their enormous size and built they were found among other big animals as gentle and less harmful.Their societys law was formerly led by their spiritual leaders so whatever was said about treating animals of any kind they have to make it sacred. Cattle are considered sacred in world religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism and others. Earlier religions in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient Israel and Ancient Rome held similar beliefs. Due to the multiple benefits from cattle, there are varying beliefs about cattle in societies and religions. In some regions, especially Nepal and some states in India, the slaughter of cattle is prohibited and their meat may be taboo. ORIGINS :- The cow was possibly revered because Hindus relied heavily on it for dairy products and for tilling the fields, and on cow dung as a source of fuel and fertilizer. Thus, the cow’s status as a caretaker led to identifying it as an almost maternal figure (hence the term gau mata).The cow has been a symbol of wealth since ancient days. However, they were neither inviolable nor revered in the same way they are today. In South India and some parts of Sri Lanka, a cattle festival is celebrated. It is called as Mattu Pongal.Hinduism is based on the concept of omnipresence of the Divine and the presence of a soul in all creatures, including bovines. Thus, by that definition, killing any animal would be a sin: One would be obstructing the natural cycle of birth and death of that creature, and the creature would have to be reborn in that same form because of its unnatural death. Krishna, one of the avatars of god himself, tended cows. The cow and bull represent the symbol of Dharma. Reverence for cows and bulls is in the major texts of the Vedic religion.[4] Sanskrit term The most common word for cow is go, cognate with the English cow and Latin bos, all from Proto-Indo-European language (PIE) cognates *gwous. The Sanskrit word for cattle is paśu, from PIE *peḱu-. Other terms are dhenu cow and uks ox. Milk cows are also called aghnya that which may not be slaughtered.Depending on the interpretation of terminology used for a cow, the cow may have been protected. COWS AS SYMBOL OF SACRIFICE :- Cows form the core of religious sacrifices, for without ghee or clarified liquid butter, which is produced from cows milk, no sacrifice can be performed. In the Mahabharata, we have Bhishma saying: Cows represent sacrifice. Without them, there can be no sacrifice…Cows are guileless in their behaviour and from them flow sacrifices…and milk and curds and butter. Hence cows are sacred... Bhishma also observes that the cow acts as a surrogate mother by providing milk to human beings for the whole life. So the cow is truly the mother of the world. COWS AS GIFTS :- Of all gifts, the cow is still considered the highest in rural India. The Puranas , ancient Hindu scriptures, have it that nothing is more pious than the gift of cows. There is no gift that produces more blessed merit. Lord Rama was given a dowry of thousands of cows and bullocks when he married Sita. COW - DUNG AHOY ! Cows are also thought to be cleansers and sanctifies. The cow-dung is an efficacious disinfectant and often used as fuel in lieu of firewood. In the scriptures, we find the sage Vyasa saying that cows are the most efficacious cleansers of all. Cows are an integral part of Indias spiritual imagination, beyond all sectarian divides. In Hindu mythology, the earth-goddess Bhudevi is always visualised in the form of a cow. The story goes that Vena, the king of the earth, plundered the earth’s resources so much that the angry rishis plucked a blade of grass, charged it with the power of mantras, and killed Vena. From his body, they created a new king, Prithu. The people told Prithu that the earth had stopped bearing flowers and fruit. When Prithu confronted the earth, she took the form of a cow and ran away. When he chased her on his chariot and threatened her with his bow and arrow, she cried, “If you kill me, all life will end.” Prithu lowered his bow and promised to take care of her. She then allowed herself to be milked by all of Prithu’s subjects. He became her steward, the Go-pala, the cowherd of the earth-cow. She called herself Prithvi, the daughter of Prithu. This visualisation of cow as earth is perhaps the reason why cows are sacred in India. THE SACRED BACK :- Every morning at the Srirangam Temple on the banks of the river Kaveri, when the doors of the shrine are opened, the deity, Shri Ranganathaswamy, is made to see a cow’s posterior. Viewing a cow’s backside is considered auspicious. Literally, the view of a cow’s rear draws attention to the cow’s anus and her udders, source of dung and milk that are of great economic value as they can sustain a household, with the dung being used as plaster and fuel and the milk serving as food. Metaphorically, the cow’s rear embodies Lakshmi, goddess of wealth, who is the consort of Shri Ranganathaswamy, who is Vishnu, sustainer of worldly order. Vishnu is often called Go-pala, the guardian of the cow. His paradise is called Go-loka, the land of the cows. It is located in the middle of the ocean of milk. Hindus offer raw, unboiled milk to Shiva, the ascetic form of God, but to Vishnu, who is the worldly form of God, they offer freshly-churned butter. The Food Taboo Images of Krishna with a lump of butter in his hand are an integral part of puja rooms in most Hindu households. The evening hour, when cows return home from pastures, kicking up dust, came to be known as go-dhuli (literally cow-dust) and is considered the most auspicious hour of the day, when lamps have to be lit. In fact they are also called Gau mata which means cow mother. Many Hindu festivals revere cows. The presence of the holy cows are essential for many rituals in Hinduism. Everything coming from the cow is considered holy, even the cows piss and dung. Some festivals require cow dung to cleanse the atmosphere. Let us take a deeper look at the festivals that require the holy cows to complete them. Read more at: boldsky/yoga-spirituality/faith-mysticism/2013/holy-cow-festivals-031963.html As one travels across India, one often hears the story of how cowherds once found cows voluntarily shedding milk over termite hills. On investigation, an image of a deity was found under the termite hills. This story is part of temple lore of Srinathji in Rajasthan as well as temple lore of Tirupati Balaji in Andhra Pradesh. In Tamil Nadu, we learn of the story of a woman with a child who requested a cowherd for some milk. To the astonishment of the cowherd, despite giving some milk to the woman, the pot remained full. This was the first appearance of Our Lady of Velankanni, a Catholic shrine to Mother Mary. This shows how cows are an integral part of India’s spiritual imagination, beyond all sectarian divides. The rational explanation given for the sacredness of cows is that in Vedic times, cattle-rearing was the primary economic activity. Since, the cow is the source of milk and dung, the animal became sacred.Symbolically, the cow represents the earth itself. Not eating beef is a ritual to ensure that people respect the earth, the source of all food. It draws attention to the relationship between nature and culture. VISHNUS PROMISE :- In the Bhagavada Purana, the earth-cow approaches Brahma, her father and complains about kings who are supposed to be her stewards. “Their ambition breaks my back. Their greed makes my udders sore,” she cries. Brahma takes her to Vishnu who promises to take on the wicked kings who torment her. Vishnu descends as Parashurama, Rama, and as Krishna to set things right. Thus, Go-pala means not just cowherd but also caretaker of the earth. In folk Mahabharata, it is said that after the war at Kurukshetra, Bhima and Arjuna argued who was the fiercest warrior in the fight between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. No one was able to decide so they were advised to talk to the head on the hill that overlooked the battlefield. This bodiless head witnessed the war from vantage points. The head belonged to a warrior called Barbareek who was beheaded before the battle. When asked to judge between Bhima and Arjuna, Barbareek’s head replied, “I did not see Bhima or Arjuna. I did not see Pandavas or Kauravas either. I only saw Vishnu’s discus cutting the heads of the ambitious and greedy kings of the earth and the earth taking the form of Kali, stretching out her tongue and drinking their blood. Thus, Vishnu unburdens the earth and keeps his promise to the cow.” COWS PUJAS IN DIFFERENT STATES:- 1. Pongal: The biggest harvest festival of Tamil Nadu is incomplete without the presence of cows. The third day of Pongal is allocated to cows. It called the Mattu Pongal. On this day, the cows are adorned with kum kum and their horns are painted. 2. Gaijatra: This is a festival dedicated to cows celebrated in Nepal. . Numerous cows are marched on the streets of Nepal in the memory of family members who have passed away. The name of the festival Gaijatra roughly translates to cows journey. 3. Gowardhan Puja: The day before Diwali is the famous Gowardhan puja or the festival of cow dung. On this day, cow dung is the deity whois offered food (vegetables) and money. This custom stems from the fact that cow dung is considered holy by the Hindus. 4. Deepali-Tihar: Deepawali or Diwali is a pan India festival that is celebrated with great pomp and show. Our neighbour Nepal also celebrates Deepawali, but they call it Tihar and celebrate it differently. In Nepal, the customary Lakshmi puja for Diwali is incomplete without cows. On the main day of the festival, cows are worshiped as the form of Goddess Lakshmi. Women do aarti of the cows and feed them prasad. 5. Shivaratri: Dont be surprised because we are talking about the cows male counterpart, the bull. No worship of Lord Shiva is ever complete without paying homage to his pet bull, Nandi. Especially on Shivaratri, women pay their respects to Shivas bull and then move on to the Lord himself. In fact, every Shiva temple has the idol of the bull outside the sanctum chamber. The bull, Nandi is always placed right in front of the Shiva Linga. These are the festivals that cannot be complete without worshiping cows. Do you know any other Hindu festivals that pay homage to cows? ******************************************************************************* THANKS FOR SOURCES :- https://answers.yahoo/question/index?qid=20080821113156AAmuf3 hinduism.about/od/vegetarianism/a/holycows.htm en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle_in_religion. Read more at: boldsky/yoga-spirituality/faith-mysticism/2013/holy-cow-festivals-031963.html ************************************************************************************ FROM COIMBATORE VENKATA SUBBARAO RAGHAVENDRA RAO. //// SHRI HARI KRISHNAARPANA MASTHU ///
Posted on: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 03:20:28 +0000
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