why cow is sacred and are worshiped by hindus
If you come to India and you haven't seen cows roaming across the roads/Streets, or Indians offering food (grass) to cows or worshipping cows then you haven't seen India.
All Indians and many non-Indians know that cow is sacred to Hinduism but if you ask them why, then they will be able to list down 1 or 2 reason but not many. So, in this video, we will go through the various reasons why the cow is considered as sacred to Hinduism.
All the reasons have been explain beautifully in hindi and english in the below videos on youtube.
Let us see some of the major ones.
1) Main reason is teachings of lord Krishna. Lord Krishna was raised as a cow-herder. Now, being a god and being born in a royal family, why did he choose himself to be raised in a low-caste cow-herder family? Well, the answer is he wanted to stop the slaughter & eating of cows that was prevalent among the low-caste tribals and villagers. So, Lord Krishna in his cowherd form taught the whole mankind how cow is everyone mother. Whenever lord Krishna played his flute, all the cows would ran towards him and would gaze at him as if they are enjoying the melodious note coming out from his flute. When the villagers questioned him how he is able to attract all animals including cows, Lord Krishna replied "Love. I shower my love through music and animals return to me their love by enduring my music. He said out of all the animals created by god, cow is the only animal with utmost feeling of love and compassion. Lord Krishna is known as bala-gopala,(the child who protects the cows). He is also known as Govinda, meaning "one who brings satisfaction to the cows."
2) He also said that cow milk is the best alternative to mother's milk and so, one should treat cow as second mother and hence, should call cow as gavmata(meaning mother cow)
3) Waste of any other animal is not as much useful as cow waste. Cow dung(gobar) is being used as a fertilizer and fuel since time unknown and even today, it is used extensively in remote areas.
4) According to Hindu scriptures, Cows are reincarnation of human souls and hence are considered sacred above human souls. Many Hindus live a vegetarian life because of this faith.
5) The approximate gestation time period of cow is 285 days which is almost equivalent to woman gestation period of 270 days. Hence, biological structure of cows resemble humans.
6) After natural death, skin of cow can be used as a leather to produce useful products.
7) The five products (panchtatva) of the cow -Ghee, milk, butter (curd), urine and dung - are used in sacred ceremonies and rituals. Panchamrit (made up of honey, Liquid Jaggery, milk, yogurt and ghee) or "nectar of the gods" is used as Prasad(part of the food offered to the god) and after drinking this the one is filled with the divine energy created during the Puja
8) Ashes of burned cow dung is used as a tilak(ritual mark on the forehead) in temples.
9) According to Hinduism scriptures, Kamadhenu is a wish-fulfilling cow that originated from the Churning of the Ocean and also the vehicle of several deities. Lord Krishna has said in Bhagavadgita, " I manifest in every living being and among cows I'm the Kamadhenu". Rigveda refers cow as Devi (goddess), also as Aditi (mother of all gods).
10) Cow is the supreme donor because it gives so much without expecting anything in return and so, it is called as symbol of earth. The cow is also a symbol of piety, purity, peace, serenity and motherhood.
11) According to religious texts, taking care of cow or feeding cow is good karma and sacred activity. Offering snack, food, or fruit to cows before breakfast is considered as an auspicious and blessed activity.
12) The cow urine is an excellent disinfecting solution. It is used as an insecticide in organic farming. Some indian priests recommend drinking Cow Urine as a cure of many diseases. Cow urine is also used in religious rituals
13) Milk is the principal component in any religious rituals and ceremonies
14) Killing and injuring a cow is a punishable offense in India and Nepal. Cows slaughter is banned in these countries and cows often roam freely across the nation like the normal humans. Cow killers and cow eaters are condemned to rot in hell for as many thousands of years as there are hair on the body of every cow they eat.
15) Traditionally, Cows has been treated as the household of the family, honored with famous names and personalities. Just like one take care of his pet and don't think of hurting/eating their pets, Hindus don't hurt cows and take good care of them.
16) In olden times, Wealth of an individual was determined by the number of cows he has and so, Cows were considered equal to gold and 'go-daan'(gifting cow) a sacred activity. Cow is therefore taken as a valuable and auspicious gift that brings prosperity in the household of the receiver.
17) By nature, Cows are also very friendly and loving. They are said to have very strong emotions and there is nothing better than seeing the sight of happy cows jumping around.
Festivals in honor of Cows
Although cow worship has decreased with increased urbanization still the cow is honored at least once a year, on Gokulastami. On this cow Holiday, cows are washed, well feeded and decorated and taken to temples where they are offered god blessings with the hope that it brings good fortune for their family. Beside this, there is a special festival for cows in south India called as 'mattu Pongal'.
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