Of “Sacred Bulls”, Divinity and Development
Some of you may have already come across the controversy surrounding a decision by the Welsh assembly government in UK to slaughter a “sacred bull” which has tested positive for tuberculosis. (read here and here).
The bull, Shambo, lives in a shrine that belongs to the Skanda Vale Temple in Llanpumsaint, Carmarthenshire. The fight has been joined by the Hindu Forum of Great Britain as well.
Amitabh Soni recently wrote a very good article titled “Shambo : A symbol of Divinity and Development” on this issue from which I am reproducing some excerpts.
As Amitabh brilliantly puts it, the issue is really one of trying to understand, why is the bull sacred to Hindus? How could Hindus, who in the UK are doctors, engineers, accountants, lawyers, IT professionals ,scholars and to be found in all walks of British life be so dumb witted to consider a bull sacred and form a human chain to protect it ?
Image of Nandi at Chamundi Hills: courtesy Wikipedia
Excerpts:
..The significance of the cow/bull to Hindus is more due to social reasons stemming from the Hindu idea of growth and development of the individual and society, rather than for religious reasons.
The core and heart of the Hindu model of development is the resolve to ensure the collective welfare and well being of all manifestations of life. This includes all known, and unknown, forms of life that exist on earth, water, air, space and the outer space. The basis of Hindu philosophy is the milking of nature and not its molestation and rape as witnessed in the modern world. It believes in the judicious use of natural resources and not in their frantic consumption to the extent that our own continued existence has come under serious threat.
In a nutshell the core of Hindu philosophy is what the modern world has started understanding and describing as “sustainable development”. In India this philosophy of co existence, over the period of time was demarcated by certain symbols and one of them happens to be the cow. Why ?
…Before the modern era the villages in India used to be self-sufficient and self-sustaining. In a simple blissful life , the cow played a major role and still does, in feeding the people with milk and a variety of milk products. The cow dung is used as manure for the plants and the crop. There is ample of evidence of diseases being treated with cow’s urine. ( This has been substantiated by western scholars as well ).
The ox is still used to till the land and for transportation covering distances within and nearby villages. This leads to a diesel free environment and the production of healthy organic food, which comes at a premium these days.
Hence, in the due course of Indian society the cow became an “icon” of divinity and prosperity. (Cows being divine does not mean that only the cows are divine but it implies that cows are also divine).
…(Over time) The cow (became)…a symbol of respect towards the so-called lower forms of life and the mutual interdependence which Hindus observe between man and the rest of the natural world.
…It is very rare in any nation or civilisation that meaningful social practices would have influenced religious beliefs to such a great extent as it has done in India.
…yet, from a modern scientific perspective, the idea of Hindus worshipping cows would always seem to be stupid and nescient, unless “modern progressive society ” stops and “thinks”.
The world needs to understand that, on its own, no philosophy is nonsensical, preposterous or backward or forward-looking. The merits or demerits of a philosophy or belief can be ascertained only by the social psyche and the social systems it generates. (It is) Over a period of time (that) these beliefs and practices/systems become the “norm” and “culture”.
*** End of Excerpts ***
See also the comments on David Miliband’s blog (Mr Miliband is UK’s Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) on this issue.
UPDATED: Copy of the full article is in “Docs and Slides” widget on the Links Page. You can also download it here:Â Shambo : A symbol of Divinity and Development
Very well explained. Due to these animals and natural resources our villages were self sufficient. So we respect all who have helped us to evolve. One more reason even being an animal, these animals are not wild and sustained there life on leaves, grass and veg fodders unlike other wild animals. So there is something sacred about them even with monkey.
Good point, Indian.
An interesting take on this issue. I thought one of the reasons that the cow was sacred was that Lord Krishna was a cowherd in his youth ? Is this correct or have I mis-remembered something ??
Cheers, Doug x
Doug: You are right in believing that Lord Krishna was indeed a cowherd in his youth but that is not the reason for considering the cow as sacred.
I belive the tradition of considering the cow as an icon of divinity and prosperity goes back farther in time than that.
I wondered how I could explain or even better understand the sacredness of cows to Hindus. How it could be that a Hindu would not want to eat a beef burger.
The answer came in thinking of dogs. What if Shambo was a dog? In the UK we have terms such as “A dog is man’s best friend”. People could not imagine eating a dog burger. We hear how in some places dogs are eaten and think of this as horrific. Dogs are revered in the UK because of their history of being useful to humans.
Next time someone ridicules the reverence for cows, ask them whether they’d be happy to eat dog, if not why not, and whether this is the same kind of thing or something different.
Dear Sirs,
Everything under the vedic philosophy is treated with respect and honour. the cow is never looked upon as a burgher at any time.
The bull is supposed to be a symbol of the Lord Siva and hence considered sacred.
The Lion/Tiger is a symbol of kali.
The crow is a symbol of lord Saneeswara.
The peacock and hen are symbols of Lord Muruga/Shanmuga.
The lotus is a symbol of Goddess Saraswathi.
The whole world is sacred and that is the reason that this vedic way of life honors and respects it as it sustains life and to see that it is not maltreated the items were identified with gods and goddesses so that one does not iiltreat or destroy it.
Regards,
VCK
Interesting article: Cow as a Sacred Asset of the Nation by Subramanian Swamy.
“..The significance of the cow/bull to Hindus is more due to social reasons stemming from the Hindu idea of growth and development of the individual and society, rather than for religious reasons”
Very well said. I understand the significant of cow/bull to a society but fail to understand why it is made a “Hindu” thing. Hindu as a religion has no affiliation to cows.
If I were to subscribe to v.c.krishnan’s theory of association of animals with hindu gods, why is that we (Hindu’s) do not give a second thought before killing mice in India who is related to Lord Ganesh and numerous other animals who as associated with the thousands of gods we have in Hindu religion.
Cow is an important part of Indian rural life and if Indians decide to revere it, it is ok. Let us not call it part of Hinduism. Islam explicity calls out eating pork against religion — Hinduism does not calls out anything against eating beef. I eat beef and still call myself a Hindu.
@I_Thought_I_am Hindu
Other than these animals part of rural culture, Hinduism had its roots in vegetarianism and see divinity in all creatures. So cow, buffalo, monkey, elephant lived on same science of vegetarianism so were associated with Hinduism. I have never seen cow, bull or elephant eating meat. Please don’t try diassociate these animals from Hinduism and spread false pride of eating meat and beef and saying Its ok.
Also read: “Why is the Cow so Sacred to Hindus?” which is available for download from here: https://satyameva-jayate.org/links/ (in the “Docs and Slides” widget) or directly from this link: https://www.box.net/shared/n8t64ocx8am34hjxk4f4
From Stop cow slaughter by Maneka Gandhi, 18 Jul 2011,
Kamadhenu and her daughter Nandini are the magic cows in our lives…
Here are their stories for your children: Kamadhenu, also known as Surabhi, is a divine cow-goddess described in Hindu mythology as the mother of all cows. She is a miraculous ‘cow of plenty’ who provides people whatever they desire.
..How was she born ?. Once the gods and demons decided to churn the ocean of milk to extract heavenly nectar,amrit,which would free them from death. In the course of the churning, first poison came out which threatened to destroy everything. Lord Shiva drank the poison. After that came Surabhi the wish fulfilling cow. Vasishta was the chief of the seven first sages (Saptarishi) born of Brahma the Creator. Kamadhenu, the divine cow and her daughter Nandini could grant any wish. They lived with Sage Vasishta and supplied him with all the essentials needed for his rituals to the gods.
The Vasus were eight attendants of Indra.
When they visited Vashishta’s ashram with their wives, one of the wives demanded Kamadhenu. The Vasus then prepared to steal the cow from Vashishta. They were caught and cursed by Vashishta that since they had the traits of men they should be born in the world of men. Vashishta later softened his curse on the intervention of Kamadhenu herself and pronounced that they would be liberated from their human birth as soon as they were born. The Vasus met Ganga and said Mother Ganga, we are doomed to be born as human beings.
Please take human form and become our mother and liberate us. Ganga took human form and met King Shantanu who fell in love with the goddess of the river immediately. Ganga married him on condition that he ask her no questions or interfere with her actions. She said she would leave as soon as he did. She had seven children and drowned each one as soon as he was born. All seven were the Vasus. When she was about to drown the eighth, Shantanu could not resist trying to save the baby. Ganga went back to her celestial home after explaining to the king that she had in fact liberated the Vasus and now, because of his interference , the eighth Vasu, Prabhasa, was destined to live on earth. The baby was Bhishma and he became the main player of the epic war known as the Mahabharata.So, the desire for the cow Kamadhenu resulted in a stream of events that Vishnu himself had to take part in as Krishna.
When King Kaushika visited Vashishta’s ashram with his army, the sage fed the entire army with seemingly unlimited food. Kaushika asked the sage how he could have fed an entire army since his hermitage was so bare. Vashishta replied,’O king, this feast that you have partaken with your kinsmen, has been provided by my calf Nandini, who was gifted to me by Indra. You must know that she is the daughter of Indra’s cow Kamadhenu. She provides me with everything I need.’Kaushika immediately wanted the cow. After all , he thought, feeding an army everyday was very difficult and Nandini would solve that problem. He asked Vashishta if he could buy or take the cow.
Vashishta was polite, but steadfast in his refusal. He would not be tempted by the offer of wealth made by Kaushika, for after all who can set a price on a cow, which yields all the riches in the world.Kaushika attacked the ashram with his army. Nandini created warriors for Vashishta’s defence and Kaushika was defeated. Kaushika then decided to acquire the powers of the gods through penance. After severe penances he obtained power and weapons from the God Shiva. Once again he attacked Vashishta’s ashram. Again he was repelled by Nandini’s magic.
Kaushika then decided to become a rishi himself, and he renounced all his possessions and in time became Vishvamitra , one of the most venerated sages of Hinduism . He was also the father of Shakuntala who was the mother of Bharat after whom India is named. And all this goes back to Nandini.
King Dileepa and his wife Sudakshina of the Raghuvansha dynasty had no children. They visited the sage Vashishta in his ashram, and asked what they should do to have a child. Vashishta replied that they should serve the cow Nandini, daughter of Kamadhenu, and if Nandini was happy with their devotion, she would grant them with a child. Dileepa attended to Nandini for twenty-one days.
On the twenty-first day, a lion attacked Nandini. Dileepa immediately drew his bow to shoot the lion but found his arm paralysed . The lion growled ‘You have no chance of saving a cow from a lion, mortal, so get out of my way’. Dileepa replied by asking if the lion would let Nandini go if he offered himself in her place. The lion agreed and Dileepa sat in front of the lion with his head bowed awaiting death. But the lion disappeared. Nandini explained that the lion was just an illusion to test Dileepa. Nandini granted him a son. Dileepa’s son Bhagiratha was the king who brought the Ganges to earth with his meditation and prayers – and all because of the cow Nandini.
The Puranas state that it is forbidden to kill cows under any circumstances.
…There is no atonement for the killing of a cow. The cow is a goddess with her own personal heaven like all the other major gods. It is called Goloka.
Think of that when you see the next truck at night carrying cows to slaughter. Have you done anything to stop the trade ?
From Is cow hugging the world’s new wellness trend? by BBC Reel, 9th October 2020, a brief excerpt:
“Embracing cows, or “koe knuffelen” in Dutch, is more than a cute wellness trend. With immense mental health benefits, the practice has growing global appeal.
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Cow cuddling is believed to promote positivity and reduce stress by boosting oxytocin in humans…
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Today, farms in Rotterdam, Switzerland and even the United States are offering cow-hugging sessions and promoting the activity’s joy-inducing, stress-busting properties.