The Cow and Its Position in Indian Society


The cow has a long and cherished tradition in Hindu folklore and mythology that dates back to the Vedic period.  All cows are descended from the symbolic cow of supreme abundance, the celestial cow, KAMADHENU.  Possessing the face of a lovely woman and yielding to her master all the milk that he desired, Kamadhenu today is sculpted and painted throughout India. Indians find it strange that their cows should be the great concern that they are to the rest of the world.  They also find it quite disgusting that others eat them.  And when Westerners point out that 335 million livestock in India are competing with people for food, the Indian smiles and shakes his head.  His patience usually comes to an end when someone suggests that those cows who no longer produce milk should, if not eaten, at least be killed for their hides.  In such cases a Hindu might point out that the cow is rarely referred to as an animal.  Usually it is reverently or tenderly called Mother Cow.  And it is not killed after its milk has dried up for much the same reason that you don't kill your dog when it begins to get old.  The slaughter of cows to an Indian ranks with the murder of any man.  In Indian mythology when the forces of Good save a population from destruction, they always save the women, children, and the cows.  Lord Krishna, one of the human forms of Vishnu, is associated with cows and is also known as Lord of the Cows.  Those who tend cows are promised special consideration, for the cow is the symbolic nourisher of the earth..................click for more

 

 

 

Source Web Page:Historyteacher.net


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