Why is the cow sacred to Hindus?

Question

I'm curious why the cow is sacred and other animals aren't. Doesn't this religion believe in re-incarnation? If so, is being a cow like the highest level or something? I'm not mocking, I'm just curious.

Answer 1

Well there are two main reasons:

1. The cow is associated with several deities, for example, Krishna. Krishna is said to have been raised among cowherds, and therefore grew to love the cows.

2. The cow gives us milk, and we have drunk its milk from a very young age. So, in a sense, it is kind of like a mother, and you respect your mother. Would you eat your mother?

Answer 2

Here's the long truth.

Hinduism is an ancient religion. It has changed over the centuries as to the nitpicky little things, but the concepts have stayed the same. Essentially, the first Hindus were a blend of native Indians(Dravinians) and an invading race called Aryans. Not Hitler's Aryans, the actual ones. These Aryans were nomadic, living off herds of cattle and horse. Cow was their main dietary substance. But as they settled down, their dependence on cows went away. But their reverance for the animal that used to sustain their people did not. Eventually, that reverence turned into worship.

Answer 3

Almost every religious or moral rule has or HAD a logical reason behind it.

Incest is wrong, because the offspring of two relatives tends to develop genetic diseases more easily, and because nature wants us to mix our DNAs as much as possible.

Sex outside of marriage was wrong, because it made it easier for the father of the eventual children to abandon the mothers instead of caring for the child. Now we have condoms and contraceptives.

Adultery is/was wrong, because the fathers wanted to be certain that their wife's sons were also THEIR sons. Now, again, we have contraceptives and DNA tests.

Pork eating is forbidden in Islamic-Hebrew cultures, because of poor food conservation practices which made pork meat go bad very easily, and possibly also because of a particular disease they carried back then. Now hygienic conditions have improved, but the rule remains.

The same applies for cows, I guess... probably a sanitary reason... maybe an early strain of the Mad Cow Disease?

Answer 4

Hinduism believes in reincarnation and the cow is pure according to the hindu scriptures.

Answer 5

Hmmm... I know the monkeys are sacred beacuse It helped a 'god' in the form a human find her husband. I think it's something beacuse cows are some much to a Hindu they provide milk which creates so much help beacuse of low supply of water. Thats why most Hindus are vegtarians.

Answer 6

Just mythology, superstition....... but there might be a practical side: cows give milk, MANURE (used for fertilizer but most important for FUEL!!!) and milk used to be also the main source of cooking fat: ghee ("clarified" butter). Then, bullocks work the fields and pull the wagons!!!

And loose cows wander around the street and EAT everything on the ground, friut peels, discarded fruits & vegetables in markets, LOTS of paper, all kind of rubbish, they the perfect street cleaners. And in the cities, again a very handy source of FUEL (manure).

Killing cows "just" for meat is not economically sound in India any way you look at it!!

You have to actually SEE it to understand it!

But, they DO kill them for leather!! India is right now the world's biggest cheap leather source. They also kill and transport the cows in the most cruel and inhumane fashion. See the PETA India website.

Non-violence??? Holy cows? Hmmm.... Like someone there (up in Rishikesh, a very "holy" site) told me, "the real god in India is not Krishna Bhagavan (Lord Krishna), but RUPEE Bhagavan (Lord Money)!"

Answer 7

I am hindu.
i grown up drinking cows milk
So, i cannot east cows or buffalo's meat.

Answer 8

well, im a Hindu & i eat beef - b/c i think that at one time there was a drought or something & cows became scarce - so to prevent people from eating it, they made it "religious" not to, and that just kinda stuck....that's why some eat beef & some don't...

Answer 9

Here go a couple of links.


http://www.hinduism.co.za/

http://hinduism.about.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism

http://www.religioustolerance.org/hinduism.htm

Answer 10

Hope this helps.
http://hinduism.about.com/b/a/087517.htm