Why are cows considered sacred in Hinduism? (2)

[Guest guest]

---------- Forwarded Message ----------

 

Text PAMHO:5171379 (137 lines)

Talal

04-Feb-02 04:37

Sharing [528]

[indiaDivine] Re: Why are cows considered sacred in Hinduism?

---------------------------

 

>Acording to my understanding Hindus worship

>cows because they were our livelihood.

 

Thank you for writing. If this were the case, then we would have

other's worshipping the horse, others worshipping the goat, others

worshipping their jewellery, etc., according to their livelihood. The

worship of the cow goes much deeper than the economic development we receive

from her. Do the scriptures tell us to worship our mother, father and guru

simply because they feed us? Or is there a higher purpose behind it?

 

Within the body of the cow reside all 33 crore devatas. Respect to

the cow is respect to God, for where ever there is the cow, Lord Vishnu also

resides. This is the scriptural statement. We should not lower our motives

to the respect for money or livelihood. The Gita (8.6) tells us that the

realized soul sees gold and stones equally, having no attachment for either:

 

jnana-vijnana-triptatma

kuta-stho vijitendriyah

yukta ity ucyate yogi

sama-lostrasma-kancanah

 

"A person is said to be established in self-realization and is

called a yogi [or mystic] when he is fully satisfied by virtue of acquired

knowledge and realization. Such a person is situated in transcendence and is

self-controlled. He sees everything--whether it be pebbles, stones or

gold--as the same."

 

Thus when sages and saints such as Vyasa tell us that the cow is

worshipable, it is not because of the economic benefit we receive nor

because the cow provides us with our livelihood. There is a higher spiritual

reason why we worship and show our respect.

 

It is said in our scriptures that by performing go-pradakshina all

the sins one has accumulated are burnt up. The cow is so sacred, that even

her dung is used, not only for ourselves, but for God. The cow dung and cow

urine is poured on the deity of the Lord during abhishekam, along with the

"pancha-gavya" - five ingredients from the cow used for bathing the Lord.

 

>"That is why cows are called ""Kama-dhenus".

>"Cows yielding the fulfillment of all desire" as you

>said in your mail is the right answer as I understand.

 

The true kama-dhenus are the surabhi cows of Vaikuntha. The cows we

have are not true kama-dhenus, though they may be referred as such

poetically. Krishna makes this distinction in the Gita (10.28) dhenunamasmi

kaamadhuk, "Among all cows I am the Kama-dhenu, desire fulfiller." The

Kama-dhenu is described in the Ramayana in the conflict between Kaushika and

Vasishtha. The Kama Dhenu, being a spiritual entity, has the potency to

manifest anything. It is not the common cow of this world. Otherwise why

would the great king Kaushika fight a battle with Vasishtha for a common

cow, sacrificing the lives of his sons?

 

>"Krishna became a cowherd because he was

>a Yadava. Yadavas were cowherds."

 

Yadavas are Kshatriyas of the lunar dynasty (chandra-vamsha), and

have no connection with herding cows. Vasudeva and Devaki were Yadavas who

resided in the kingdom of Mathura, and who lived as sub-rulers. Thus Lord

Krishna was a prince, not a cowherd.

 

Krishna's adopted parents, Nanda Maharaja and Yashoda were cowherds

from the village of Braj, or Vrindavana. The modern Yadava caste is not

connected with Krishna's lineage. The Yadavas were destroyed by Lord

Krishna's own arrangement before the advent of Kali-yuga.

 

Lord Krishna's herding of cows has no connection with the family he

took his birth in, as He is eternally herding cows in His eternal abode of

Vaikuntha, Goloka Vrindavana. When he incarnated, He arranged that His

devotees would also appear to take part in His lilas. Thus His personal

associates as well as His intimate friends, the cows of Vaikuntha, also

descended.

 

Despite being born in a Kshatriya family, being a prince of Mathura,

Lord Krishna arranged that in His lila He would be brought to the village of

Braj to act as a common cow herd. This was His own desire for performing

pastimes with His devotees, including the cows.

 

svairam carantyo navasadvalani

chayasu vrndavana-padapanam

panthanam apuh nigamanta-gandhiny

aghrahya govinda-padani gavah

 

"Grazing at will on the gentle green beneath the shade of

Vrindavana's trees, cows find the path--having sniffed the scent of Vedanta

in Govinda's footprints."

 

niculita-giridhatu-sphita-patravalika

nikhila-surabhi-renun ksalayadbhir yasoda

kuca-kalasa-vimuktaih sneha-madhvika-madhyai

stava-navam abhisekam dugdha-puraih karoti

 

"My dear Krishna, when You are engaged in herding the animals, the

dust caused by the hooves of the calves and cows covers Your nice face and

artistic tilaka, and You appear very dusty. But when You return home, the

milk flowing out of the breasts of Your mother washes your face of its dust

covering, and You appear to be purified by this milk, just as when the Deity

is washed during the performance of the abhishekam ceremony."

 

Yours in service,

 

Jahnava Nitai Das,

Bhaktivedanta Ashram &

Bhaktivedanta International Charities

http://www.foodrelief.org

 

(Text PAMHO:5171379) ------

 

------- End of Forwarded Message ------