Author: Yuvraj Pokharna
Publication: News18.com
Date: September 14, 2022
URL: https://www.news18.com/news/opinion/opinion-conserve-care-for-cows-for-the-sake-of-humanity-and-environment-5956399.html

Many of us, however, mock and disrespect this great indigenous knowledge system. And, when medicines made from cow urine are produced by foreign corporations or in the Western world, the same people use them

The “Hindu community is hypocritical" as it worships cows on the one hand, but “thoughtlessly abandons" them once their purpose is served, recently barbed Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat at a public event.

Apparently, these words reflected the woe and agony of the Gujarat Governor. But little did he know that these words would be (mis)interpreted at their face value for the sake of vitriolic discourse of political altercations for political capital.

Governor Devvrat, like any other person with humanity at his core, is appalled by the state of mopery when it comes to our hypocrisy on animals, including cows.

Let us, for the sake of sanity, reflect upon our scriptures that served quantum scientists and mathematicians as much as they serve today’s youth. He intended to awaken us, and it would be an act of obloquy to simply rebut the ghastly opprobrium while ignoring the mentions of the holy cow in the Sanatan Dharma scriptures.

Hindus believe that everything was created by the creator and that the creator resides in everyone; all in one and one in all. As a result, we frequently see Hindu deities in the form of or with animals. The cow is considered the most venerable in our Sanatan Vedic culture, for the cow provides us with milk, health, wealth, and cereal. For this reason, a cow is considered a mother in Hindu tradition. It is worshipped on various occasions, most notably on the first day of Diwali, known as ‘Vasubaras’. The cow is the ideal animal in Brahma’s creation, as stated in the Vedas. The cow is said to be a god’s abode and is considered the highest and most sacred animal. The cow has been described as Aditi, Dhenu, Aghanya, and with other names in the Vedas. The cow is mentioned 723 times in the Rig Veda, 87 times in the Yajurveda, 170 times in the Sama Veda, 331 times in the Atharva Veda. Similarly, the word ‘Aghanya’ appears 20 times in the Rig Veda, five times in the Yajurveda, twice in the Sama Veda, and 33 times in the Atharva Veda. “Dhenu" appears 76 times in the Rig Veda, 22 times in the Yajurveda, 25 times in the Sama Veda, and 43 times in the Atharva Veda. It’s a universal symbol of motherhood and compassion. Cows are occasionally used to represent “light" and “rays" in the Rig Veda. In the Rig Veda, Aditi, the supreme Prakriti/Nature force, is often described as a cow, and Deva, the supreme soul, is described as a bull. The belief is that by worshipping and serving the cow, one can attain Nirvana. During the Dwapar Yuga, Bhagwan Krishna and Balram were the first people to start the “cow worship and preservation" culture.

Here’s what our scriptures say when it comes to cows:

Mahabharata Anu.65-46: Cow’s milk is Amrita. This has been stated by Indra, the king of the gods. Therefore, if one donates a cow, he donates Amrita.

Rigveda 1.164.27: She comes lowing, abounding in rich (products), desiring her calf in her mind;may this cow grant her milk to the Aśvins; may she thrive for our great advantage.

Atharvaveda 4.21.5: The cow brings well-being and purity to the house. She is a source of wealth and prosperity.

Rigveda 8.101.15: A cow is like a mother for all those who are bachelors till the age of 25, a daughter for those who are 26 years old, and a sister for those who are 48 years old.

Yajurveda 30.18: Punishment should be given to the person who kills cows.

Rigveda 1.164.40: The cow is sacred and is prohibited from being killed.

Yajurveda 13.49: No violence should be done against cows.

Atharvaveda 1.16.4: If you will kill my cow then I will kill you.

Manusmriti 4.162: A guru, a teacher, a father, a mother, a brahmana, a cow, and a yogi should all never be killed.

Perhaps there’s a long list of references that could be included, but from a purely logical point of view, there is no reason why caring for dogs and caring for cows should be viewed from different lenses. Despite the fact that there is a growing number of individuals shifting away from the cruel practises of the dairy industry in the West, our own supposed intellectuals greet concerns about cows with great derision.

To preserve nature for the benefit of people, the environment must be fostered through balanced material growth. Cows play an important part in protecting the environment while also benefiting society as a whole. As an example, 10 grammes of ghee in havan (consecrated fire) produces one tonne of oxygen. The cow both inhales and exhales oxygen. According to recent research conducted by Western scientists, snuggling cows on a regular basis helps to reduce or overcome mental ailments like depression, anxiety, and stress. It also aids in the regulation of blood pressure and the treatment of hypertension.

With proper commercialization, rearing cows can be profitable without even considering milk as the downstream products are in heavy demand. But it takes nothing to be humane, if not grateful to a creature that nourishes and provides medicine. We will not be lectured by the so-called champions of humanity and animal welfare who claim to love animals but then go on to publish meat-based recipes in tabloids. There is no scarcity of people uploading status saying “Save Birds" on Uttaran while being regular chicken eaters. Every time we speak of cows, slurs on Gomutra and Gobar are hurled, despite the fact that the US imports them while the openly anti-Hindu leftist government of Kerala is selling them with lucrative margins. Cow urine medicines are used to treat a variety of disorders, particularly chronic illnesses, and the United States and a number of international firms have obtained seven patents on them. But when the conscientious governor deliberately insinuated these facts and wished that Hindus become conscious—albeit in a seemingly sarcastic tone—a section of the media grabbed this opportune moment to peddle propaganda.

* Applications of cow dung and cow urine:

Organic fertilisers for soil nourishment

* They serve as pesticides, fungicides, and insecticides and are the greatest alternative to chemicals that actually harm soil, crops, and human health

* Radiation protection

* Biogas-Fuel for cooking and producing energy

* Anti-bacterial property: used to protect the walls and floors of village houses

Cow’s milk and ghee provide the following advantages:

* Cow ghee is thought to aid in the growth and development of children’s brains

* Improves vision

* It boosts the immune system

* It promotes heart health.

* It increases good (HDL) cholesterol (rather than the bad LDL cholesterol).

* An all-around anti-aging vegetarian diet and external skin application

* It aids in the strengthening of teeth and bones

* Diabetes prevention

* An all-around anti-aging vegetarian diet and external skin application

* Organic fertilisers for soil nourishment

* Radiation protection

Many of us, however, mock and disrespect this great indigenous knowledge system. And, when medicines made from cow urine are produced by foreign corporations or in the Western world, the same people use them. Are we embarrassed by our own culture and knowledge? Killing cows for food or to cast a negative light on the Sanatan Dharma is the worst thing we can do for humanity and the earth. Let us conserve and care for cows for the sake of humanity and the environment.

M.K.Gandhi famously observed, “Cow Protection takes the human being beyond his species… (It) is the gift of Hinduism to the world; and Hinduism will live as long as there are Hindus to protect the cow."

- Yuvraj Pokharna is an independent journalist and columnist. He tweets with @pokharnaprince. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.