The protection of the bovine species is prescribed
by Hindu scripture. Orthodox Hindus are adamant that
the nurture of
cows lies at the core of Hindu dharma,
representing symbolically and in real, earthly terms
the Hindu reverence for the
Divine in all life. Read more about why the
cow is
sacred in this issue's article on Ten
Questions. At a time when the human species is
wreaking havoc on nature and the environment,
cow protection takes on new meaning as a
dramatic headline issue. We present here key
scriptural verses from the Rig Veda and the cogent
thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi on the subject of goseva,
caring for the
cow, "the
mother of Cosmic Forces."
Rig Veda: She is like the
mother of the cosmic Forces, the daughter of
the cosmic Matter, the sister of cosmic Energy, the
centre of the ambrosia. I address to men of wisdom
--kill not her, the sinless inviolate
cow.
The
divine
cow, herself is skilled in eloquence, gives
speech to others, who comes surrounded by every kind
of utterance, who helps me for my worship of the
divine forces, it is only the fool that
abandons her.
May
cows come and bring us good fortune; let them
stay in our
cowsheds and be content in our company. May
many colored
cows bring here prolific milk for offerings
to the resplendent Lord at many dawns.
The resplendent Lord bestows affluence on the
devotee who offers worship and oblations. He takes
not what belongs to the worshiper and gives him
more; thereby increasing his wealth more and
ever-more, he places the devotee in fortified
positions, free from danger.
Let not the
cows run away from us, let no thief carry
them away; let no hostile weapon fall upon them. May
the master of the cattle be long possessed of them,
with the milk products of which he makes offerings
and with which he serves the godly men.
Let not the
cows fall a victim to the arrogant,
dustspurning war-horse. Let them not fall into the
hands of a butcher or his shop. Let the cattle of
the man, the householder, move about freely and
graze without fear.
May the
cows be our affluence; may the resplendent
Lord grant us cattle; may the
cows yield food (milk and butter) of the
first libation. These
cows, O men, are
sacred as the Lord resplendent Himself --the
Lord whose blessings we crave for, with head and
heart.
O
cows, you strengthen even the worn-out and
fatigued and make the unlovely beautiful to look on.
Your lowing is auspicious, and makes my dwelling
prosperous. Great is the abundance that is
attributed to you in our religious ceremony.
May you, O
cows, have many calves grazing upon good
pastures and drinking pure water at accessible
ponds. May no thief be your master. May no beast of
prey assail you and may the dart of vital Lord never
fall on you.
O resplendent Lord, a showerer of virility as you
are, may we have by your blessings the sturdy bulls
for insemination and let us have plenty of
nourishment for the
cows.
Rig veda viii , 102, 15-16; vi , 28, 1-8 Translation
by Swami Satya Prakash sarasvati and Satyakam
Vidyalanka
Mahatma Gandhi: "The central fact of Hinduism is
cow protection.
Cow protection to me is one of the most
wonderful phenomena in human evolution. It takes the
human being beyond this species. The
cow means the entire sub-human world. Man
through the
cow is enjoined to realize his identity with
all that lives. Why the
cow was selected for apotheosis is obvious to
me. The
cow was in India the best companion. She was
the giver of plenty. Not only did she give milk, but
she also made agriculture possible
"Cow
protection is the gift of Hinduism to the world. And
Hinduism will live so long as there are Hindus to
protect the
cow. Hindus will be judged not by their
tilaks, not by the correct chanting of mantras, not
by their pilgrimages, not by their most punctilious
observances of caste rules, but their ability to
protect the
cow.
"I would not kill a human being to protect a
cow, as I will not kill a
cow to save a human life, be it ever so
precious. My religion teaches me that I should by
personal conduct instill into the minds of those who
might hold different views the conviction that
cow-killing is a sin and that, therefore, it
ought to be abandoned. My ambition is no less than
to see the principle of
cow protection established throughout the
world. But that requires that I should set my own
house thoroughly in order first.
"Cow
protection to me is not mere protection of the
cow. It means protection of all that lives
and is helpless and weak in the world.
"The
cow is a poem of pity. One reads pity in the
gentle animal. She is the
mother to millions of Indian mankind.
Protection of the
cow means protection of the whole dumb
creation of God. The ancient seer, whoever he was,
began with the
cow. The appeal of the lower order of
creation is all the more forcible because it is
speechless. The
cow is the purest type of sub-human life. She
pleads on behalf of the whole of the sub-human
species for justice to it at the hands of man, the
first among all that lives. She seems to speak to us
through her eyes: 'You are not appointed over us to
kill us and eat our flesh or otherwise ill-treat us,
but to be our friend and guardian.' I worship it and
I shall defend its worship against the whole world.
"Mother
cow is in many ways better than the
mother who gave us birth. Our
mother gives us milk for a couple of years
and then expects us to serve her when we grow up.
Mother
cow expects from us nothing but grass and
grain. Our
mother often falls ill and expects service
from us.
Mother
cow rarely falls ill.
"The reader will observe that behind the foregoing
requirements lies one thing, and that is ahimsa (noninjury),
otherwise known as universal compassion. If that
supreme thing is realized, everything else becomes
easy. Where there is ahimsa, there is infinite
patience, inner calm, discrimination, self-sacrifice
and true knowledge."
Article Source:
http://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?
itemid=1321&keywords=Sacred+Cow+Divine+Mother
Mahatma Gandhi's website that originally contributed
this article:
http://www.mkgandhi.org/main.htm
