Why Hindus worship the cow.

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If the cow or for that matter any animal is not sattvic, it may not be considered sacred or holy. Indian Hindu Spirituality classifies the whole world based on the Spiritual nature of beings. Animals birds and even humans are classified as Satvic, Rajasic and Tamasic. Among the animals, the most satvic animal is the Cow. It is only because of the satvic nature of Cow that it is considered "holy" and not for all the symbolic dairy products it gives to mankind. An animal's satvic nature can be directly experienced through a person's subtle senses. The reasons why a cow is regarded as a symbolic "Mother" and why she is regarded as "Holy" are two different things. A Cow is regarded as a mother because it is the Bull that it gives birth to, which is the most domesticated and

hardworking animal in the field for the Farmer. No other animal can match the work done by a bull. Thus it demonstrates all satvic qualities like hardwork and efficiency due to which Agriculture was sustained and the society was being fed ! Compare that to a male buffalo, which is a bad worker and keeps lazing all the day in water demonstrating Tamasic Quality of inertia. Calling the cow as Mother is a symbolic indication of the grattitude shown by the society to the animal due to which it received foodgrains, crops etc and not because it gives profitable dairy products ! It acts as a nourisher, and in accordance with the Sanskrit axiom, "Mata Samam Naasti Shareerposhanam", it is considered as a Mother. So the argument about giving and selling milk and profitable dairy products does not hold good here. Now for "Cow Worship". It

must be indicated that what is worshipped is not the Cow, as an entity, but the Brahman that has manifested as the cow. The mind cannot suddenly leave and nullify all substances and experience the Brahman, the prabhu of all. The Brahma Sutras indicate that the Brahman, the Supreme Self, the Self of all, is the summum bonum and the root subject of Vedas and upanishads. The word "Veda", itself means the "process of knowing". And knowing what ? Knowing the Brahman itself. The sacrifices, rituals in the Vedas and its Ruchas are arranged in such a way that a person systematically enters from many substances to the one inherent "substratum". If the mind is forced to suddenly leave and nullify all the seen substances, there is a danger of entering into a "Void" and thinking that Void itself to be Brahman, which is false knowledge. To know one's Blissful self, the self of all, one must therefore systematically train the mind to go

from many into one. Therefore a multitude of deities culminating into the ultimate knowledge of the one Brahman. Vedas appreciate Indra, Agni, Varun, Vayu, Rudra and substances like Voice deity, Place deity, Village Deity, Herbs, Foodgrains, crops etc, whereas the Upanishads describe the invincible Brahman that destroys the ego of Indra, that which is explained to Child Nachiketa by Yamadharma, the God of death. Thus they prevent the mind from going null or void while taking it systematically into the single "substratum". Here the substratum is not mentioned explicitly but experienced. Upanishads are the "Vedanta", the end of acquiring knowledge. Upanishads merely confirm by mentioning explicitly, that the Blissful Spiritual Divine experience of that "ONE" Substratum attained due to Vedic Sacrifices is nothing but the "Brahman" and is the "Self". That is the end of veda, "Vedanta". The cow is ritualistically worshipped, not as a deity but as a manifestation of Brahman. Thus not only the cow, but there are several things considered by Hindus to be ritually worshipped, for instance, one's new house, one's apartment, one's books and scriptures etc. All Hindus should proudly state that "yes, we are not just cow worshippers, but the worshippers of all substances and our worship reaches that one Substratum, the Self of all, the Brahman which is the bliss ultimate and whose very nature is liberation ! " In Short and simple words, at the level of Devotion, "sarva devam namaskaram keshavam pratigacchhati" (Namaskars done to all Gods ultimately reach Keshava! ). "Keshava" here simply denotes

Saguna "Brahman". (The Sectarianists take literal meaning of this, leaving the larger meaning aside and fall in for Sectarianist trap. This leads to narrow-minded Sects like Vaishnavism and Shaivism , which monopolise the Saguna aspect to any one form or Deity. Hence they are called Apabhramshas(corruptions) of the Spiritual knowledge of Vedas. ) Now is it necessary to say that all the modern arguments about how the Cow's useful profitable dairy products Caused it to become sacred are wrong ? So also the theories about Vedic people being beef eaters are wrong ! For knowing the Ritualistic essence and Spiritual Significance

of Hindu Rituals, All must read the Books on Science of Spirituality by H.H.Dr. Jayant Athavale, founder, Sanatan Sanstha and the divine knowledge about Hindu Rituals received by the Seekers of Spiritual Science Research Foundation. Regards, Prasad Athalye. "Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest of life by the power of the spirit." - Aurobindo.

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