"Holy Cow!"

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Srimate

SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

The Holy Cow

 

God’s Creation is wonderful for its variety and vividness. There

are winged creatures, horned ones, mammals and non-mammals, huge ones

like the elephant and insignificant ones like the earth-worm,

intelligent ones like the man and the monkey and dullards like the

donkey. There are beautiful specimens like the multi-coloured

butterfly, which takes our breath away with the divine design of its

wings, and there are grotesque ones like the hippopotamus, with its

short, squat and ugly torso. Some are known for their speed, like the

panther and the deer, while there is also space in the Creation for

extremely slow ones like the proverbial tortoise. Predators like the

Lion and Tiger subsist in this universe along with extremely docile

creatures like the deer. There are some, which subsist in water like

the graceful and luminous fish, some which thrive both on land and

water and some, which can survive only in specific climes. The

Penguins with their funny walk having the chilling Artic as their

home and the Ship of the Desert surviving for days together in the

hot sands without a drink of water, are samples of the incredibly

wide array of beings we have for company in this universe. Thus, in

its sheer variety, range, multiplicity and diversity, the assortment

of creatures the Lord has chosen for inhabiting this planet is

extremely impressive and imposing. And the beauty of the matter is

that each of these animals has its own unique features and often

serves a specific purpose ecologically or otherwise—so much so

that its absence would make a distinct difference to the environment,

which would be that much poorer.

 

If a survey were to be taken among the 8.4 million varieties of

creatures that are supposed to be part of Creation, which would you

say would be the most valuable and venerable?

“Venerable”? I see eyebrows going up at this unusual

word, as applied to animals. Animals could definitely be useful, as

the horse and the dog, eminently lovable like the cat and the puppy,

valuable like elephants, which, dead or live, fetch quite a handsome

fortune as price—but venerable? Man being the Crowning Glory of

Creation (as we fondly and falsely imagine ourselves to be), how and

why should he venerate an animal, even if one eligible for such

reverence were to exist? Continuing with our list of questions, which

animal is accorded the exalted position of a Mother, and why? Which

four-legged creature is mentioned with appreciation and admiration in

the Vedas and which again has the same origins as Sri Mahalakshmi?

Which mammal in the Lord’s Creation is considered so pure that

even its excretions are held in high esteem?

 

All of us, at some time or the other in our school days, must have

invariably written essays on the Cow. This piece is just an expansion

of such scholastic efforts and might well be equally juvenile in

composition and content. However, one aspect we would not have dwelt

on in our infantile efforts is the Holiness of the Cow. It is

ironical that even the English language, the ultimate refuge of all

cynics, heretics and non-conformists, glorifies the Cow with the

appellation, “Holy”. When anything is considered beyond

criticism, attack or tampering, it is usual to enquire, “Is it

a Holy Cow?” This is an indeed candid admission of the exalted

status accorded to this quadruped, singling it out among the myriad

variety of Creation, for veneration and worship. What indeed are the

reasons for the high pedestal that this animal is accorded, by even

the most egotistic specimen of Creation, viz., Man?

 

If we acknowledge that the various components of Creation came into

being in a particular order, then the Shruti tells us that Cows were

one of the very first to emerge from the Cosmic Sacrifice performed

by the Celestials, to bring forth Creation in all its wide

variety—“GAvO ha jagyirE tasmAt” (Purusha Suktam).

And during the exercise of churning the Milky Ocean to obtain the

best of each species, among the very first to emerge was the

“KAmadhEnu”, the holiest of cows, capable of satisfying

each and every desire of all who prayed to it, says the BhAgavata

Purana—

“Mamanthu: tarasA Sindhum HavirdhAnI tatObhavat”.

 

It is noteworthy that it is only after the Surabhi (Holy Cow) that

even Sri Mahalakshmi emerged from the Milky Ocean, making the former

elder to the latter. It is perhaps out of the affinity of sharing

common parentage (the Ocean) that Sri Mahalakshmi resides permanently

in the Cow, near the tail part. And when the Lord tells Arjuna that He

is the best there is of all components of Creation, He chooses the

Divine Cow, KAmadhEnu, and identifies Himself with

it—“AyudhAnaAm aham Vajram, DhEnUnAmasmi KAmadhuk”.

 

While Cows in general are extremely generous creatures, supplying us

with vast quantities of Milk, Curds, Butter and Ghee throughout their

lifetime, the Celestial Cow KAmadhEnu is portrayed to be one of

exceptional powers, capable of granting the prayers of one and all,

according to their varied tastes. The prowess of this Divine Creature

is described vividly in Srimad Ramayanam, in the context of Sri

VisvAmitra desiring possession of the cow owned by Sri

VasishttA—

 

“vidadhE KAmadhuk kAmAn yasya yasya yathA IpsitAn”.

 

When Rajarshi Visvamitra descends on the unsuspecting Sage Vasishtta

along with his huge army and seeks to be fed, it is to this KAmadhEnu

that Vasishtta turns for aid and which comes to his assistance by

producing in a minute, innumerable food items of such variety, taste

and quantity, as were enough and more for the huge entourage of

Visvamitra. The glory of this Cow can be understood from

VasishttA’s response to Visvamitra’s entreaty to part

with the creature, in return for untold riches—

 

“Etat Eva hi mE ratnam, Etat Eva hi mE dhanam

Etat Eva hi mE sarvasvam Etat Eva hi jeevitam”

 

Sri Vasishtta spurns Visvamitra’s offer, because he considers

the Cow to be his all, more valuable than any amount of gems and

riches.

 

We have always known the Cow to be of extremely docile demeanour, a

picture of peace and tranquillity, to which offence or attack is

totally alien. However, the Ramayana shows us another aspect of the

Cow, that of a ferocious animal that is quite capable of and prepared

for not only defending itself but also annihilating opponents. When

the insistent request of Visvamitra turns into coercion for parting

with the KAmadhEnu and when the former is prepared to capture the

latter by force, the Celestial Cow creates a vast army of warriors

from its hair nodules, which effectively destroys VisvAmitra’s

forces with ease—

 

“Tasya tat vachanam shrutvA Surabhi: sAsrujat tadA

tasyA hunkAravOtsrishtA: pavA: shatasO nripa!

NAsayanti balam sarvam VisvAmitrasya pasyata:”

 

As it provides us with milk, which is the life-giving liquid for

infants and continues to sustain us in various stages of life with

its various products, is it any wonder that the Cow is accorded the

exalted status of a mother and called fondly as “GOmAtA”?

 

 

DAnam or giving of alms has been extolled in the Shruti to be the

highest form of merit—“tasmAt dAnam paramam

vadanti”. And what constitutes the best form of offering?

Giving away of Cows, or “GOdAnam”, is renowned in the

scriptures to be the best of all gifts, adding merit to both the

giver and the receiver. We thus hear of Sri Rama giving away billions

of cows, to the learned and erudite—“GavAm kOti ayutam

dattvA vidvadbhyO vidhi poorvakam”. The latter part of the

sloka indicates that this GOdAnam has to be performed according to

Shastras, accompanied by the utterance of appropriate mantras and

gifted to those eligible for the same—GOdAnam cannot be

performed by merely handing over the cow’s nose-string to the

receiver.

 

It is worthwhile to note that one of the rare flashes of humour in

the otherwise sober and serious Sri Raghava, occurs in connection

with the giving away of cows. Hearing late that Sri Rama was giving

away all His riches prior to leaving for the jungle, an impecunious

Brahmin belonging to the Garga kulam, by name TrijatA, goes running

to the Prince with his request for alms. Looking at the

Brahmin’s emaciated body and wanting to fathom the intensity of

his desire, Sri Raghava asks him to throw a stick as far as he can,

adding that the space between themselves and where the stick fell,

would be filled with cows for the Brahmin to take away. The mendicant

throws the stick with all his might, bringing every ounce of energy in

his spare frame to bear upon the endeavour—“Avidhya dandam

chikshEpa sarva prANEna vEgita:” and to Rama’s wonder, the

stick crosses the river SarayU and falls beyond. Sri Rama embraces the

Brahmin and gives him the vast herd of cows standing between

themselves and the SarayU, apart from untold riches.

 

Giving away cows is all right, but what sort of cows should be gifted?

Shastras tell us that healthy, young and lactating animals should be

given away to deserving recipients and not old cows, which are past

their prime. We thus find young Nachiketas remonstrating with his

father, when he finds the latter inadvertently gifting old cows as

part of a sacrifice. Another aspect to be taken care of is that the

cow should always be gifted along with its calf and should never be

separated from the latter.

 

Vedas tell us that for ten days from calving, the cow should not be

milked. During this period, the mother cow’s milk is meant

exclusively for the calf—“TasmAt vatsam jAtam dasa rAtrI:

na duhanti”.

Further, the calf should not be separated from its mother for the

purpose of milking, till the “Sangava kAlam” (roughly 8

a.m.), says the Shruti—“Asangavam mAtrA saha

charati”.

 

As is common to all mothers, the Cow too gives milk plentifully when

its young one is near and feeding. Some of us might have seen in our

younger days, the unseemly sight of milkmen milking cows with a

stuffed calf placed near the cow. As permitting the real calf near

the cow would result in loss of yield, unscrupulous and heartless

vendors used to resort to this dastardly deception. However, this

appears to be not a recent practice, but an age-old one, according to

Sri NampiLlai, who adduces this as an example—“tOl kandrAi

kAtti mAdu karakkumA pOlE”

 

It is in Sri Krishnavataram that the Lord’s real love and

affinity for Cows is displayed. As an occupation, the Lord prefers

tending to Cows more than reigning supreme in His celestial abode,

adulated by all and sundry, says Sri

Nammazhwar—“divattilum pasu nirai mEyppu uvatti”.

Though names He might have more than a thousand, He prefers the name

“GOpAla:” (Cowherd) to any other. It is not due to

coincidence that Swami Desikan chose this name (“GOpAla

Vimsati”) for his stotram on Sri Krishna. His love for cows has

conferred on Him another hallowed name, which has been the refuge of

the saintly over several millennia—the “GOvinda”

nAmam. His love for the docile animals is such that to protect them

from the torrential downpour let loose by an enraged Indra, the Lord

hoisted the mammoth GOvardhana Giri on His little finger and stood

unmoved for seven long days and nights, before the vanquished Indra

called off the deluge.

 

“malayai edutthu kal mAri kAtthu pasu nirai tannai

tolaivu tavirttha PirAn”

 

is how Sri Nammazhwar enthuses over this episode of the Lord

affording protection to the cows of Gokulam.

 

Displaying a true mother’s concern, Sri Yasoda beseeches Sri

Krishna not to go behind cows (“Kandrin pin pOgEl, kOlam seidu

ingE iru”) for grazing them all over the forest, spoiling His

already dark complexion (“kAnagam ellAm tirindu un kariya

tirumEni vAda”). His ardent admirers among the GOpis too echo

this desire for Kannan to relinquish herding

cows—“emperumAn pasu mEykka pOgEl”. More than a

concern for Krishna’s complexion, it is the fear of dangers

lurking in the forests in the form of KamsA’s minions (sent

specifically to do away with Krishna) that prompts the Gopis’

entreaty to Krishna to give up grazing cows. Another and the major

factor behind this apparently innocuous appeal to Krishna, is the

damsels’ unbearable jealousy of the fortunate cows, in whose

company Krishna was spending His entire time, leaving the Gopis

pining away for Him —“nin tozhuttanil pasukkaLayE virumbi

turandu emmai vittu avai mEykka pOdi”. The young girls of

Nandagokulam are thus prompted by a variety of reasons while

entreating Krishna to give up going behind cows, captured beautifully

by Sri Nammazhwar in all of ten pAsurams beginning with “VEy

maru tOLiNai meliyumAlO”.

 

We have seen that the Lord is enamoured of cows’ company, rather

than a residence in His native Paramapadam. We have seen too how He

enjoys being with these creatures, during His avataras. It is

therefore not at all surprising to find Him keeping the company of

cows in the arcchAvatAra too. At several sannidhis, we find the Lord

resplendent in bovine company, as at TErazhundUr and MannArkudi. At

the former divyadEsam, He sports names, which proudly proclaim His

inalienable association with Cows—“Amaruvi appan”

and “Gosakhan”. And whichever sannidhi you visit during

early morning “Visvaroopam”, you find a cow positioned

with its back to the Lord, so that upon the doors being opened, the

Lord’s eyes fall first on the cow, as a “mangala

vastu”.

 

It is Cows, which provide eloquent testimony to the Lord’s

glorious attributes of Soulabhyam and Souseelyam. There might be any

number of acts of the Lord, which highlight His souseelyam or

readiness to mix with the lowliest of lowly, living as one among

them, sharing their home, hearth and food. However, His tending to

cows in the company of the Yadava children appears to be the epitome

of accessibility and souseelyam. Just think of it, the omnipotent

Paramapurusha, the centre of adulation of celestials in Paradise, who

is beyond the faculties of even exalted deities like Brahma and Shiva,

the Parabrahmam who is beyond the ken of even Maharshis despite aeons

of penance—it was this Lord of matchless magnificence who

engaged Himself in the pretty lowly occupation of grazing cattle, in

the company of unlettered cowherds (“arivondrum illAda

Aykkulam”). It was this glorious Lord, whom even the venerated

Shruti is still in search of, (“nigamAnthai: adhunApi

mrigyamANam”) who went behind dumb cows for hours together. The

Supreme Being, waited upon hand and foot by His Divine Consorts and

the permanent inhabitants of Paramapadam, chose to cater to the

requirements of mere cows, grazing them, rubbing them down in the

waters of the Yamuna to cool their bovine bodies, herding them to the

greenest of pastures for grazing to their hearts’ content,

leading them to the nearest mountain spring for an invigorating drink

of water (“inidu maritthu neer ootti”) and even

entertaining them with fun and frolic by playing with them

(“Ittu kondu viLayAda”). The Paramapurusha, to whom an

entire world of devotees offered arghyam, pAdyam, Achamaneeyam etc.,

made Himself a mere cowherd, catering to every requirement, expressed

and implicit, of dumb cows. Is it any wonder, then, that these cows

and buffaloes grew to be giant specimens of their species and yielded

milk so generously (“vaLLal perum pasukkaL”) that

GopAs’ hands were simply fatigued with milking these animals?

However big the size of the vessel held to the udder, the veritable

torrents of milk from the cows invariably made the containers

overflow (“Ettra kalangal edir pongi meedaLippa”). It was

this bovine munificence which transformed the entire Nandagokulam into

an oasis of plenty and prosperity (“seer malgum Ayppadi”).

 

Looking to the greatness of Cows, the Shruti equates them with

Yagyam—“YagyO vai Gou:”. This is no small tribute,

considering the other exalted entities, for instance the Lord

Himself, with whom Yagyam has been equated. When the Vedas say

“YagyO vai Vishnu:” and, in the same breath, “YagyO

vai Gou:”, is it not the highest of accolades that can be

showered on Cows by the most exalted body of wisdom?

 

The Cow has been the object of as much veneration as scholarly

BrAhmaNAs toiling for the world’s spiritual welfare, and has

been placed on the same footing as these seekers after the spirit.

Let me conclude this piece with the Ramayana Parayana sloka, with its

prayer for universal well being, according a special place to Cows

with an invocation for their welfare—

 

“Svasti: prajAbhya: paripAlayantAm

NyAyyENa mArgENa mahIm mahIsA:

GO BrAhmaNEbhyO shubham astu nityam

LOkA: samastA: sukhinO bhavantu“

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri

Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

dasan, sadagopan