The cow is considered sacred by Hindus and killing the animal is illegal in several states. But beef is eaten in other communities, including by Muslims, in India. Getty Images Vigilante groups have been actively checking vehicles for the illegal transportation of cows Mr Beg is among a small group of Muslims who run shelters to look after cows.
Full Answer
Why are cows so important to Hindus?
· Ancient ritual texts known as Brahmanas (c. 900 B.C.) and other texts that taught religious duty (dharma), from the third century B.C., say that a …
What is the Hindu view on the treatment of animals?
A cow’s eyes represent the deities of the sun and moon, and a cow’s horns symbolize the three gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. In some traditions, these three gods are seen as being part of the ...
Why are cows not slaughtered in India?
· The doctrine of ahimsa leads Hindus to treat animals well: Sacred cows are allowed to wander wherever they like, even through busy traffic Most Hindus are vegetarian No Hindu will eat beef Butchery...
Do Hindus eat cow or bull?
Hinduism is based upon the belief of the omnipresence of the divine and the presence of a soul in all living creatures, animals and plants alike. The Sanskrit word for the cow is ‘Gau’, and for cattle is ‘Pashu’. Such are the benefits of the cow, that the Hindu ancient scriptures define the cow as the “Mother of all civilizations”, and her milk nurturing the whole population.
How do Hindus feel about cows?
sanctity of the cow, in Hinduism, the belief that the cow is representative of divine and natural beneficence and should therefore be protected and venerated.
How are cows treated in Hinduism?
Hindus do not consider the cow to be a god and they do not worship it. Hindus, however, are vegetarians and they consider the cow to be a sacred symbol of life that should be protected and revered. In the Vedas, the oldest of the Hindu scriptures, the cow is associated with Aditi, the mother of all the gods.
What happens if a Hindu kills a cow?
NEW DELHI — The Indian state of Gujarat is tightening the punishment for the slaughter of cows, considered sacred in Hinduism, to a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Is killing a cow a sin in Hinduism?
Perhaps this may partially explain why the killing of the cow or ox figures as a sin in religious texts even when the Vedas, Brāhmaņas, and Upanişads do not include cattle killing in the list of sins or moral transgressions.
What does India do with cows?
To Hindus, the cow is now worshipped as Gaumata (mother cow) because it provides milk to everyone. It symbolizes selfless giving. There are about 3,000 Gaushalas (cow shelters) in India where old and infirm cows are looked after. The cow, to many Hindus, embodies gentleness and non-violence.
Why don't they eat cows in India?
All of India's most widely practiced religions have dietary laws and traditions. For example, Hindu texts often praise vegetarianism, and Hindus may also avoid eating beef because cows are traditionally viewed as sacred. Muslim teachings, meanwhile, prohibit pork.
Can I eat beef as a Hindu?
. Hindus typically refrain from eating Beef.
What happens when you hit a cow in India?
—Whoever causes hurt to any person by doing any act so rashly or negligently as to endanger human life, or the personal safety of others, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to five hundred rupees, or with both.
Is killing a cow a crime in India?
Beef ban in states Punishment for violation of these laws varies from state to state. As of today, only Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Manipur and Mizoram have no laws prohibiting cow slaughter.
What is the punishment for eating beef in India?
Penalty (slaughter, sale of beef, export of cow without permit): Imprisonment which may extend to 10 years AND/OR a fine which may extend to Rs. 10,000.
Are cows in India sacred?
It is also a sacred animal for the majority Hindu community, and they amble unmolested in traffic-choked streets. The animal is worshipped and decorated during festivals; holy men take around cows, with their foreheads smeared in vermillion, to seek alms.
What happens to male cows in India?
The torture of calves Newly born male calves are largely unwanted. They are sent to slaughter, or sent out to fend for themselves. Or they are tied to a pole allowed to die slowly of starvation. Their carcasses are collected to make 'ahimsic' leather products.
What is the myth of cows?
This myth imagines a transition from hunting wild cattle to preserving their lives, domesticating them, and breeding them for milk, a transition to agriculture and pastoral life.
What was Gandhi's attitude towards cows?
Gandhi’s attitude to cows was tied to his idea of nonviolence. He used the image of the Earth cow (the one that King Prithu milked) as a kind of Mother Earth, to symbolize his imagined Indian nation. His insistence on cow protection was a major factor in his failure to attract large-scale Muslim support.
When did Hindutva start?
Attacks of this type are not new. This has been going on since Hindutva began in 1923. And indeed, in 2002, in a north Indian town, five lower-caste Hindus were lynched for skinning a cow. But, as local analysis shows, the violence has greatly increased under the Modi government.
Why did lower castes give up beef?
Sociologist M. N. Srinivas pointed out that the lower castes gave up beef when they wanted to move up the social ladder through the process known as “San skritization.”
Why do people argue against eating cows?
As I see it, the arguments against eating cows are a combination of a symbolic argument about female purity and docility (symbolized by the cow who generously gives her milk to her calf), a religious argument about Brahmin sanctity (as Brahmins came increasingly to be identified with cows and to be paid by donations of cows) and a way for castes to rise in social ranking.
What do cows paint over doors mean?
Cows painted over a door are believed to bring good luck. Ross Funnell, CC BY-NC-ND
Is cow food?
According to these texts, “the cow is food.” Even when one passage in the “Shatapatha Brahmana” (3.1.2.21) forbids the eating of either cow or bull, a revered ancient Hindu sage named Yajnavalkya immediately contradicts it, saying that, nevertheless, he eats the meat of both cow and bull, “as long as it’s tender.”
Why is cow important to Hinduism?
Why Is the Cow Important to Hindus? The cow is sacred in Hinduism, so modern Hindus do not eat beef. There is debate over whether ancient Hindus in the Indus River Valley refused to eat beef. As the Vedas, the ancient Hindu holy texts, honor the cow, some scholars argue that the refusal to harm cows extends back to the advent ...
How long has the Hindu religion been against cows?
As the Vedas, the ancient Hindu holy texts, honor the cow, some scholars argue that the refusal to harm cows extends back to the advent of the Vedas nearly 4,000 years.
What do the four legs of a cow represent?
The four legs of the cow are seen as symbolizing the four Vedas, and the length of a cow’s legs is associated with the Himalayan Mountains. The four teats of a cow’s udder correspond to the four purusharthas, or life goals of Hinduism.
Who is the Supreme Being in India?
Almost half of India’s massive population is Vaishnava, and a further 25 percent of Hindus are Shaiva and believe that Shiva is the Supreme Being.
What is Shiva's steed?
Shiva’s steed, Nandi, is a bull, and Nandi is worshipped in his own right as the bearer of truth and righteousness. Statutes of Nandi are common in temples that are Shaiva, or dedicated primarily to the worship of Shiva, but some Nandi statues are found outside of Shaiva temples for worship only of Nandi.
What is the Hindu reincarnation cycle?
In Hinduism, even the universe goes through the reincarnation cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Regardless of which deity a Hindu believes is the Supreme Being, Brahma is associated with the tip of a cow’s horns, Vishnu is the center of the horns and Shiva is the base of the horns.
What do cows' eyes represent?
A cow’s eyes represent the deities of the sun and moon, and a cow’s horns symbolize the three gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. In some traditions, these three gods are seen as being part of the Hindu triumvirate that reflects the cycle of existence.
What is the Hindu view on animal ethics?
Because Hinduism is a term that includes many different although related religious ideas, there is no clear single Hindu view on the right way to treat animals.
Does Hinduism treat animals?
Hinduism and animals. Because Hinduism is a term that includes many different although related religious ideas, there is no clear single Hindu view on the right way to treat animals, so what follows are generalisations to which there are exceptions. The doctrine of ahimsa leads Hindus to treat animals well:
Is killing cows sacred?
The cow is greatly revered by Hindus and is regarded as sacred. Killing co ws is banned in India and no Hindu would eat any beef product.
What does the Rigveda say about cows?
The Rigveda refers to the cow as “Aghanya”, or that which cannot be killed under any circumstance. The Atharva Veda states that those who eat cooked or uncooked flesh of the cow should be put to end.
What does the Atharva Veda say about cows?
The Atharva Veda states that those who eat cooked or uncooked flesh of the cow should be put to end. And till the sun shines shall the world have cows.
Who is on the root of the horns?
Brahma and Vishnu are depicted on the roots of the two horns, sacred reservoir on the tip of the horns, Lord Shiva on centre of the head, Goddess Parvati on edge of the head, Kartikeya Swamy on the nose, sun and moon in the eyes, vayu in the dental range, Varuna on the tongue, Goddess Saraswati in the sound, Dharma on the thigh, Sadhya Deva in the heart, Ganga in the urine, Saraswati in milk, Narmada in curd, Agni in ghee, 33 crore gods in hair, and fragrant flowers on the body.
What is the name of the back of a cow?
Texts describe the Rigveda to be the back of the cow, Yajurveda being the middle portion, Samaveda as the stomach, Tatakas as the horns, Veda Sukta are the body hair, Shantikarma and Pushtikarma are the dung and the urine.
Why did the Puranas milk the cow?
The Puranas depict a story when the Mother Earth as Goddess Prithvi came in the form of a cow, and King Prithu milked her to generate crops for humanity in order to end a famine. Kamadhenu or the miraculous cow of the Devtas is said to be a source of all prosperity.
What is cow urine used for?
Cow urine is used for religious use and for medicinal purposes. Scientific investigations also show that cow urine contains samples of gold in units per 100 litres. In Vedic texts, the supreme purificatory material is called as the ‘Panchagavya” which is a mixture of five products, namely cow milk, ghee, curd, urine and dung.
What is the purpose of cow milk?
While the cow milk promotes ‘Sattvik’ qualities. Cow milk is believed to have a calming effect and improve meditation.
Why did King Prithu use the image of the Earth cow?
He used the image of the Earth cow (the one that King Prithu milked) as a kind of Mother Earth, to symbolize his imagined Indian nation. His insistence on cow protection was a major factor in his failure to attract large-scale Muslim support.
Why did lower castes give up beef?
Sociologist M. N. Srinivas pointed out that the lower castes gave up beef when they wanted to move up the social ladder through the process known as “San skritization.”
What was the object of the cow protection movement?
By the 19th century, the cow-protection movement had arisen. One of the implicit objects of this movement was the oppression of Muslims.
Why do people argue against eating cows?
As I see it, the arguments against eating cows are a combination of a symbolic argument about female purity and docility (symbolized by the cow who generously gives her milk to her calf), a religious argument about Brahmin sanctity (as Brahmins came increasingly to be identified with cows and to be paid by donations of cows) and a way for castes to rise in social ranking.
Did Hindus eat cows?
Some dharma texts composed in this same period insist that cows should not be eaten. Some Hindus who did eat meat made a special exception and did not eat the meat of cow. Such people may have regarded beef-eating in the light of what the historian Romila Thapar describes as a “matter of status” – the higher the caste, the greater the food restrictions. Various religious sanctions were used to impose prohibition on beef eating, but, as Thapar demonstrates, “only among the upper castes.”
Why do cows paint over doors?
Cows painted over a door are believed to bring good luck.
Is cow food?
According to these texts, “the cow is food.” Even when one passage in the “Shatapatha Brahmana” (3.1.2.21) forbids the eating of either cow or bull, a revered ancient Hindu sage named Yajnavalkya immediately contradicts it, saying that, nevertheless, he eats the meat of both cow and bull, “as long as it’s tender.”
What do Hindus believe about cows?
A: Hindus see the cow as a particularly generous, docile creature, one that gives more to human beings than she takes from them. The cow, they say, produces five things — milk, cheese, butter (or ghee), urine and dung. The first three are eaten and used in worship of the Hindu gods, while the last two can be used in religious devotion or in penance or burned for fuel. When was the last time your cat gave you anything besides a dead mouse? And here’s a fun fact — Hindus associate several animals with different gods and consider them sacred, including the monkey (Hanuman), the elephant (Ganesh), the tiger (Durga) and even the rat (Ganesh). But none is as revered as the cow.
Did Hindus eat cows?
A: No. In ancient India, cattle and oxen were sacrificed to the gods and the meat was eaten. But even then, milk-producing cows were off-limits, likely because their milk was so precious as a food source. But with the rise of Buddhism and Jainism — two other world religions with roots in India and a philosophy of vegetarianism — Hindus, too, stopped eating meat. By the first century A.D., cows had come to be associated with Brahmans, the highest caste, or class, in Hinduism. To kill a cow was likened to killing a Brahman — a big taboo. Soon after, Krishna, an incarnation of Vishnu, one of the three main Hindu gods, was often depicted in literature and art as cavorting with cows.
Is Narendra Modi vegetarian?
A: There is a lot more at work here than just vegetarianism or a reverence for the bovine. India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, came to power in 2014 at the head of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP. In speeches, Modi has condemned the “widespread killing of our cows” and has been criticized for being largely silent or late to comment on the slayings of Muslims suspected of eating beef or slaughtering cows. Vigilante groups such as “Save the Cow” have arisen, barging into the houses of Muslims, looking for beef. Ten members of “Save the Cow” were arrested in October after they allegedly killed a Muslim man suspected of having beef in his refrigerator. Local police say he did not. One member of Save the Cow told The New York Times, “We are more attached to the cow than our own children.”
What do Hindus believe about animals?
Hindus believe that according to the principle of ahimsa, no living thing should be harmed.
Why is the cow sacred?
The cow is a sacred animal. In Hinduism, the cow is a symbol of life and of the Earth, and thought of by many as a mother, because she gives food and nourishment through her milk. Many Hindus perform worship rituals in praise of their own cows or using symbolic cows.
Why is Krishna a cow herder?
This extends to bulls and calves as well as female cows because the bulls are used widely in rural India for farm work and pulling carts. Lord Krishna is often pictured as a cow-herder and some Hindus try to follow his example by caring for cows in particular, as well as respecting other animals.
What is the principle of Ahimsa?
According to the principle of ahimsa, no living thing should be harmed. This applies to humans and animals. The Jains’ belief system takes the principle of ahimsa regarding animals so seriously that as well as being strict vegetarians, some followers wear masks to prevent them breathing in insects.
What do Hindus believe about reincarnation?
Reincarnation. Most Hindus believe the atman lives many lives on Earth, some of these (usually the earlier lives) in the form of animals. This belief is known as reincarnation. Because of this, many Hindus view all life as having equal status and deserving of respect. Hindu scriptures explain the idea of karma.
What animal is associated with Shiva?
For example, Lord Shiva is associated with Nandi the bull, and Saraswati with a peacock. In this way, all creatures, not just humans, are seen to be important and deserving of respect.
Should we kill animals helpful to all?
No person should kill animals helpful to all. Rather, by serving them, one should attain happiness. Yajurveda 13:47
How many cows roam the roads in India?
Nearly 6 million cows roam freely on India's roads, according to the 2012 livestock census and the number is expected to go up substantially in the next livestock report, due later this year. The numbers have caused a rise in incidents of traffic accidents involving cows that have been reported in the last couple of years, although comprehensive statistics on the problem are still missing.
What does the horn of a cow symbolize?
Its horns symbolize the gods, its four legs, the ancient Hindu scriptures or the "Vedas" and its udder, the four objectives of life, including material wealth, desire, righteousness and salvation. Read more: India: Mob lynches Muslim man accused of cow smuggling. Modern cow protection groups, also known as "Gau Rakshak" in Hindi, ...
What does Singh hope for?
Singh hopes the resolution will help create more cattle shelters and spur legislation to stop cow-related lynching, although that has not proven to be effective in other regions.
Is cow a sacred animal?
For many Hindus, who make up nearly 80 percent of India's 1.3 billion strong population, the cow is a sacred animal. In Hindu mythology, the animal is depicted as accompanying several gods, like Shiva, who rides on his bull Nandi, or Krishna, the cowherd god.
Is there enough gaushalas for cows?
Experts like Sheoran, however, are sceptical of such measures. "There aren't enough gaushalas [cattle shelters] to take care of such increased number of cows and most of the expenditure by the government seems to be for criminal cases, like targeting Muslims and Dalits instead of creating proper infrastructure for the care and protection of cows and other animals," Sheoran says, referring to recent cases where Hindu mobs killed people for allegedly eating beef or slaughtering their cattle.
Why is meat consumption important in India?
In addition to being a mode of religiosity, meat consumption in India has deep political implications. It has been used to distinguish castes within Hinduism, but also promote religious nationalism.
What is the most common vegetarian diet in India?
Though the most common form of vegetarianism found in India mostly abstains from animal flesh, much of the modern Indian food tradition is centered around dairy products, which sustains a massive factory farming industry.
Is the dairy industry related to the meat industry?
Unfortunately, the dairy industry and the meat-packing industry are necessarily closely related. You cannot have an endless supply of dairy without a near-endless supply of baby cows, half of which will not be able to produce milk (to learn more, read Feminism, The Dairy Industry, and the Evils of Vegetarianism ).
Do Muslims eat meat?
Muslims consume meat at a higher rate than Hindus and have been famously pushed into the meat-packing industry, manufacturing meat products for the rest of India and the world. Their largest export is flash-frozen water buffalo, which in 2015 represented a $5 billion industry ( New York Times; Buffalo Meat Industry Facing Government Shutdowns in India ).
Which country produces the most milk?
According to the USDA (2017), India is the world’s leading producer of milk. This Hindu-operated dairy industry has received considerable backlash from famous strict vegetarian Hindus such as Mahatma Gandhi who once said,
Is cows sacred?
Though male cows are seen as sacred, the highest degrees of veneration are applied to the female cows who ‘selflessly’ perform their duty of producing milk, even if it means sacrificing her body and her child (Yamini Narayanan). According to the USDA (2017), India is the world’s leading producer of milk.
What are the texts of Manu riddled with?
In future Hindu texts such as the Bhagavad Gita and the Laws of Manu, the texts are riddled with apparent contradictions in terms of meat consumption. Manu says (V.28–30),