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Cattle in religion and mythology

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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.

Origins

 
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.

Sanskrit etymology

The most common word for cow is go, as seen in go-pala, a name for Krishna, which means cowherd. This word is cognate with the English cow and Latin bo-.

The Sanskrit word for cattle is pashu, which is cognate with the Latin word pecu, from which derives words pertaining to money in Latin (and into English) : pecunia, impecunious. This illustrates the parallel in the Roman world and in the ancient Hindu world, of the economic importance of cows and cattle.

The cow is descriptively called Aghanya - 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.

The cow in the Hindu scriptures

 
An illustration depicting the divine significance of the cow

Rig Veda

According to the Rig Veda, the cow represents the maternal aspect of Earth. Vyasa said:

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

According to Aurobindo, in the Rig Veda the cows sometimes symbolize "light" and "rays".[3] 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.[4]

The Vedic god Indra is sometimes compared to a bull.[4]

Cattle were also important to the Rigvedic people, and several hymns refer to ten thousand and more cattle.[5] 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.

Rivers are often likened to cows in the Rigveda, for example in 3.33.1cd,

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

Krishna

Literature on Lord Krishna, one of the Hinduism's most important figures, who is believed to have lived 5000 years ago, depict him 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]

The cow in Ancient India

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]

Historical significance

The cow taboo played a role in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British colonial government. Hindu sepoys were told that the new bullets were greased with cow fat. Since gunloading required biting the bullet, the British Army was forcing them to break their religion, and this sentiment, in part, incited the mutiny.

In today's world

File:Cowonroadnagpur.jpg
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 holy 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. With the introduction of Islam, Muslims also entered this business.

Rambling cows also served as a social equalizer. A landless farmer could leave his cows to wander and feed on the fields of the rich, who could not keep them away. Studies show that the substitution of work cows with mechanized farming would not be economically sound for India[citation needed].

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.

The export trade in Indian leather is worth about $1.7 billion, and India's export share of the leather market has been on the increase. Germany is the largest importer of Indian leather (19%), followed by the UK (17%).

See also

Notes

  1. ^ (Achaya 2002, p. 16-17)
  2. ^ V.M. Apte, Religion and Philosophy, The Vedic Age
  3. ^ (RV 1.92.4; 4.52.5; 7.79.2), Aurobindo: The Secret of the Veda; Sethna 1992
  4. ^ a b Sethna 1992:42
  5. ^ (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)
  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

References

  • Template:Harvard reference.
  • K. D. Sethna, The Problem of Aryan Origins 1980, 1992; ISBN 81-85179-67-0
  • Shaffer, Jim G. (1995). Cultural tradition and Palaeoethnicity in South Asian Archaeology. In: Indo-Aryans of Ancient South Asia. Ed. George Erdosy. ISBN 0948-1923
  • Shaffer, Jim G. (1999). Migration, Philology and South Asian Archaeology. In: Aryan and Non-Aryan in South Asia. Ed. Bronkhorst and Deshpande. ISBN 1-888789-04-2.
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