I write in response to Mr Jubel D’Cruz’s letter (AV 29 April 2017) titled ‘Government’s priorities’, in which he asks why Hindus, who in his opinion worship cows, do not give the same value to other creatures such as rats and fish, giving their association to various Hindu deities, such as Lord Ganesha’s mount and Matsya avatar (fish) as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. This view is rather myopic and partly false, and I would like to clarify further.
Whereas I concur with his view that in a secular democracy like India, religion should not be politicised, and completely agree that the government needs to do more to stop rape and killings (as any sane government would be expected to do anywhere), I feel that to question the faith of a billion people and their beliefs is insensitive. India is a land that has for millennia welcomed people of all faiths and creeds to her shores. At independence, instead of driving out non-Hindus, the Indian people chose to co-exist in harmony with people of all faiths, as the vast majority have always done so in the past.
Firstly, Hindus venerate rather than worship the cow. You will usually not find in any Hindu temple a main ‘murti’ or image of a cow. The main reason for considering the cow sacred is not even due to Lord Krishna’s liking of cows, rather the cow is given the status of a Mother. Ludicrous as this may sound to some, there is profound science behind this.
In the animal kingdom, ‘Mammals’ stand out from other classes by the ability of the female members to nourish their children with nature’s most nutritious food – milk. The word ‘Mammal’ is related to ‘Mamma’ which in Latin means ‘Mammary gland’ – the organ that produces milk. ‘Mamma’ also means Mother. Milk forms the first bond between a mother and a child, and after our first year of life, this divine task of providing milk for billions of humans world over falls primarily on the cow, and not rats or fishes!
If for thousands of years Hindus regard the cow as a mother, does it not make sense to protect her? Hindus are expected to respect all life with the principles of ‘Ahimsa’ (non-violence) and ‘Pranidaya’ (compassion to all beings), which is also why many choose to be vegetarian.
Even in the Mughal era, the great emperor Akbar who was a devout Muslim abolished killing of cows as a sign of respect for the majority of his subjects – one of many things that earned him his title of greatness.
Dr Jaimin R. Bhatt
Glasgow
