OUR To take care of cows, calves and bulls in a religious and spiritual manner.
Why should we protect and serve cows ?
The Garuda Puran says,
The gift of cow is equal to the gift of land.
Towards the end , a cow should be given, should give a cow to overcome death, another to absolve himself of debts, another for the gaining of liberation.
With special rites, O Bird should the gift of a cow for Vaitarna be made, the cows verily carry the man beyond the three kinds of hell.
Hindu Religion
Kamadhenu,
the sacred cow which grants all wishes and desires, is an integral part of
Hindu mythology. This divine cow, which lives in swargalok (heaven), emerged
from the ocean of milk (ksheerasagar) at the time of samudramanthan (the great
churning of the ocean by the gods (suras) and demons (asuras). It was presented
to the seven sages by the Gods, and in course of time came into the possession
of Sage Vasishta.
Kamadhenu's
complexion is like the white clouds. Every part of cow's body has a religious
significance. Its four legs symbolize the four Vedas, and its teats the four
Purusharthas. Its horns symbolize the gods, its face the sun and the moon, its
shoulders Agni (the god of fire), and its legs the Himalayas .
Kamadhenu
is also well-known through its other five forms: Nanda, Sunanda, Surabhi,
Susheela and Sumana.
Why
should we protect and serve cows ?
Mythologically,
Brahma (the creator) created the brahmins (priests) and the cow at the same
time, the Brahmins were to recite the religious scriptures while the cow was to
afford ghee (clarified butter) for offerings in religious sacrifices. Brahma
also affirmed it to be the mother of gods, ought to be worshipped and anybody
who killed a cow or allows another to kill it, was deemed to rot in hell, for
as many years as there are hair upon his body.
The
cow symbolizes the dharma itself. It is said to have stood steadily upon the
earth with its four feet during the Satyug (world's first age of truth), upon
three feet during the Tretayug (the second stage of less than perfection), upon
two feet during the Dwaparyug (the third stage of dwindling and disappearing
perfection) and only on one leg during Kaliyug (the fourth and current age of
decadence).
THE
ACTUAL PHILOSOPHICAL REASON FOR COW PROTECTION IS VERY SIMPLE:
First
of all, all living entities should be protected from slaughter and other
violence at the hands of humans. Not only cows, but animals have SOULS the same
as we do. All are children of God, all are dear to Him. With this view in mind,
it can be seen that slaughter is a form of MURDER.
The
cow, however, is our MOTHER. Vedic philosophy teaches there are 7 mothers:
1)
the birth mother,
2)
the nurse,
3)
the wife of the brahmana,
4)
the wife of the king,
5)
the wife of the spiritual master,
6)
the earth, and
7)
the cow.
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