| Indian
Cows: Blessed Bovines! |
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Part
2: Religious Significance of the Cow
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Join the Discussion |
"I would consider
it an insult to God to worship an animal alongside the Almighty..."
FALLEN1HINDU |
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The Holy Nandi Bull |
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Cow
Worship
Though the cow is held sacred to the Hindus, it is not exactly worshipped as
a deity by all. On the 12th day of the 12th month of the Hindu calendar, a cow
ritual is performed in Jodhpur palace.
Bull
Temples
Nandi Bull,
the vehicle of Lord Shiva is considered the symbol of respect for all male cattle.
The Nandi Bull holy site at Madurai and the Shiva temple at Mahabalipuram are
the most venerated bovine shrines. Even non-Hindus are allowed to enter the
the 16th century Bull Temple in Bangalore. The Vishwanath Temple of Jhansi,
believed to have been built in 1002, also has a large statue of the Nandi Bull.
History
The cow was venerated as the mother goddess in the early Mediterranean civilizations.
The cow became important in India, first in the Vedic period (1500 - 900 BCE),
but only as a symbol of wealth. For the Vedic man cows were 'the "real
life" substratum of the goods of life', writes JC Heesterman in The
Encyclopedia Of Religion, vol. 5.
Symbol
of Sacrifice
Cows form the core of religious sacrifices, for without ghee or butter,
which is produced from cow's milk, no sacrifice can be performed.
In the Mahabharata,
we have Bhishma saying: "Cows represent sacrifice. Without them, there
can be no sacrifice…Cows are guileless in their behaviour and from them
flow sacrifices…and milk and curds and butter. Hence cows are sacred..."
Bhishma also observes
that the cow acts as a surrogate mother by providing milk to human beings for
the whole life. So the cow is truly the mother of the world.
Next page > The
Cow as a Useful Gift! > Page 1, 2, 3
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