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