Sacred cows

Incredible India

To the Hindu, the cow represents all other creatures. Hindus believe that all living creatures are sacred—mammals, fishes, birds. The cow is a symbol of the Earth. It always gives and feeds, representing life and the support of life. Honoring the cow inspires in people the virtues of gentleness and connectedness with nature. The cow takes nothing but water, grass and grain, while it gives of its milk, as does the liberated soul give of his spiritual knowledge.

In the Hindu tradition, the cow is honored, garlanded and given special feedings at festivals all over India, most importantly the annual Gopashtama festival. Its nature is represented in Kamadhenu, the divine, wish-fulfilling cow. In India, more than 3,000 institutions called Gaushalas care for old and infirm cows. The gift of a cow is applauded as the highest kind of gift.

Kamadhenu is a divine cow-goddess described in Hinduism as the mother of all cows. Kamadhenu is worshipped as a heavenly cow. She is a miraculous "cow of plenty" who provides her owner whatever he desires and is often portrayed as the mother of other cattle.

The cow is the purest type of animal life. She asks us on behalf of all living creatures for justice at the hands of man. She seems to speak to us through her eyes: ‘you are not appointed over us to kill us and eat our flesh or otherwise ill-treat us, but to be our friend and guardian’. (YI, 26-6-1924, p. 214) Mahatma Gandhi.