Hinduism and The Cow?

Question

Can you please expalin why the cow is so scared and why you don't eat it?

Wouldn't it be an honor to eat the flesh of the cow, since it is so sacred, and wear it also?

Can you also explain the how relatives our seen as rats, after they die, does everyone automatically become a rat, then go back into the reincarnation cycle? How does that work?

Answer 1

hinduism was not founded 3000 years ago...infact the latest facts say that hinduism existed around 8000 BCE. the original hindu texts which are known as Vedic were used untile 500 BCE...thats 500 years before christ.

i would also like to point out that cow is not scared in hinduism however it is scared in the indian culture because it symbolizes a mother. in indian culture it is believed that a relationship between a mother and her kids is the only true form of love on our planet. cow gives milk and it is symbolized as a mother.
and family members are not seen as rats. after they die...either they reincarnat to a form of life (which is like hindu version of hell) or they reach nirvana and end the cycle of life and death (which is like hindu version of heaven).
and if you don't understand reincarnation then here is a short 5 word phrase that will explain it all...."what goes around comes around" and no not everyone becomes a rat....but if you live your human life like a rat (for example...making a mess, eating s*it, living in a guter) then in your next life u will be a rat.
and this cycle of "what goes around comes around" never ends untill you reach nirvana (which is a hindu word by the way).
u can reach nirvana by being the best u can be...no guidlines like other western religions....that u must do that and must do this. do what u think is right and if you truly believe that it is right then you reach nirvana.

Answer 2

In the simpliest terms, the cow is a work animal that is used to plow fields and it also gives milk. Even dried cow dung is used for fuel. If you eat the cow, you lost your milk, your work animal and so on. A lot more food can be produced by a living cow than a dead one. The cow has become a kind of symbol of God because of what they give.

Hindus do wear leather; it's supposed to be made from cows that died naturally. I have been to India and almost everybody was wearing leather sandals.

There are a lot of different groups within Hinduism, most of them don't eat meat but some of them do.

My wife is a Hindu.

I'm not sure what you mean about "relatives being rats" and how do you know my family?

Okay, that was a joke. Hindus believe people are reborn as another person or as an animal after they die, and you have to keep doing that over and over until you live life as a really good person and all of your debts are paid off. Then when you die, you attain Moksha, which means your soul goes to God and you don't have to take any more births and deaths.

Answer 3

Sorry buddy if I have repeated this in your other question:


The only reason that the cow is considered sacred is because of its "symbolic value". The cow is an animal that provides us with milk and because of this, along with it's peaceful nature, it is perceived as being a mother.

The cow is NOT a Hindu deity that Hindus worship (you may have come across many stupid insults against Hindus as being cow worshipers). It is only sacred due to its symbolic value. Hinduism, like all Asian religions (Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Shintoism), is obsessed with symbolism. A certain animal symbolizes a certain concept, a certain color symbolizes a certain concept while a certain season symbolizes a certain concept.

Eg. the cow is sacred because it symbolizes motherhood; the bull symbolizes virility; black symbolizes power etc.

I would like to unequivocally and categorically clarify one Major major major misconception:

HINDUS DO NOT DRINK COW PISS

I REPEAT

HINDUS DO NOT DRINK COW PISS

I don't have a clue where this stupid notion even came from. Hindus are among the most intelligent people on the face of the earth (that's why they don't blow themselves up believing that they will end up in paradise with dozens of virgins), we are not stupid that we will drink cow piss.

Answer 4

According to the Vedic scriptures, there are seven mothers. The real mother, from whose body we have taken our birth, the wife of teacher. The wife of a brähmana, the queen, the nurse, the planet earth and the cow. The people are taking care of mother land, where they are born. That is good. But they should take care of mother cow also. But they are not taking care of mother. Therefore they are sinful. They must suffer. They must have, earthquake, there must be war, pestilence, famine. As soon as people become sinful, immediately nature's punishment will come automatically. You cannot avoid it. Killing cow for eating is so sinful that nature will punish.
Krishna says in Bhagavad gita:
"It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kunti, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father".
PURPORT
In this verse it is clearly explained that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is the original father of all living entities. The living entities are combinations of the material nature and the spiritual nature.

Nobody dies from not eating meat. That's a fact. When we were babies we depended on milk, either our mother's breast-milk or cow's milk. Therefore the cow is also our mother. Just as we drink breast-milk from our mother, we drink milk from mother cow.

I heard about this rat cult, I've been all over India, but I've never seen it. May be in some remote village. India is so big land.

According to your karma(work, activities ) mother nature provide you a body according to your desires, no necessary a rat.
You can be a human being, or you can go to hell also as Cristian claim.

Answer 5

Well, the cow is sacred (I'm not sure why), but it also has many uses, such as milk. So, it's in everyone's best interest, especially the cow's, to keep it alive.

Also, I believe that according to hinduism, you reincarnate depending on your karma. If you were good in your past life, you'd go up the chain (maybe becoming a cow?) or go down the chain (maybe becoming a rat).

That's what I think's the case.

Answer 6

Cow is a sacred animal for Hindus. Not a so scared as in the question. One day or the other day the person(s) who is committing the heinous act would suffer. It is symbol of universe and spiritual values. We pray Cow on the Deepavali festival also.There are so many cow protection Acts but of no use. In this present state confusion, materialistic attitude, with cruel nurture of habits, Cinema, Politics, virus is spread like any thing. Thanking you.

Answer 7

1) You should first understand that Hindus regard all living creatures as sacred-mammals, fishes, birds and more. The cow symbolically represents all other creatures to the Hindu.
2) The cow represents life and the sustainance of life to the Hindu. It represents our soul, our obstinate intellect, our unruly emotions, but the cow supersedes us because it is so giving, taking nothing but grass and grain. It gives and gives and gives, as does the soul give and give and give.
3) The cow is so vital to life, the virtual sustainer of life for humans. In a society if you only had cows and no other domestic animals or agricultural pursuits, you could still survive and the children could survive with the butter, the cream and the milk to feed the children. The cow is a complete ecology, a gentle creature and a symbol of abundance.

Answer 8

Eating flesh of any living being is a sin,and as cow is worshiped by Hindus mas a sacred animal and respect it like a mother.

Answer 9

I feel that the cow is a symbol of a mother since it gives us milk to physically & mentally strengthen us just as a mother weans her new born by breastfeeding the child.This thought coupled with the fact that cows are shown as regular companions of Lord Krishna gives the cow a religious standing making it sacreligious to even think of consuming cow flesh. While all this may sound as a positive deed but what would one do if stranded on an island with no food & only a cow which is also about to die? Would one die himself instead of killing the cow for its meat - food for thought, I suppose?

Answer 10

Apparently there are temples in India dedicated to rats, because some believe that they are reincarnated ancestors. I'm fairly sure most Hindus don't necessarily believe that, it's more of a regional thing.

Most Hindus believe you earn the body in your next life based on your actions in this one. Ideally you want to be emancipated from the cycle of births and deaths, or at least move up the caste ladder, so to speak.