Vishwa Mangal Gou Gram Yatra: Supporting Cow Protection

Cows May Be Memory In Near Future

The Cow species which were at one time about 70 plus breeds in India are now reduced to alarming 33 breeds. Even some existing breeds are close to becoming extinct. Result? 80% reduction in numbers of cows post independence. The importance of cow for Indians, especially for the village habitants cannot be denied.



Many Hindus Are Involved In Cow Trade

The "Vishwa Mangala Gou-Gram Yatra" has lately been launched as a global campaign for cow protection and gained immediate support and acceptance of millions worldwide. The signature campaign received wide popularity globally and people are coming forward to champion this prominent cause.

Gou Bachao Yatra v/s Rath Yatra

This yatra is far diverse from the one led by former PM in waiting L.K. Advani as some may try to find a link between the two. Both are poles apart. That was Ram Janambhoomi- Babri Masjid concerned. Unfortunately, the communal flare that followed, the Yatra was supposed to inflame it.

Owing to the great reverence of cows in Hinduism, its protection, at least in India, is a must.

India has lately developed more soft power than any other third world country, only by successfully establishing a multi-lingual, multicultural, pluralistic and secular society. But to maintain this must be the top priority. Naturally, equality among all citizens and giving followers of the each existing faith and it's adherents due respect and right is the best instrument to achieve this. For instance, the Hinduism that proudly has its roots deep in Indian soil is inseparable from it. Its birthplace is India. It has grown in India. Still whenever the word Hinduism is pronounced at any nook and corner of the world the thought of India automatically comes to mind. Owing to the great reverence of cows in Hinduism, its protection, at least in India, is a must.

All Indians Involved in Cow Slaughter

However, it is no less than a tragedy that human greed jeopardizes cows well being. Besides, cows being slaughtered for meat, they have been killed for other business gains as well. More worrisome is the irony that even some Hindus along with the Muslims and Christians are involved in inhuman practice of cow slaughter. They seek to legitimize this practice by pointing out to a few Vedic verses.

Beef in Vedic Era

"In Hinduism, as Swami Vivekananda points out, Vedic age is the most glorious one. And the religion derived from Vedas has come to be considered perfect among Hindus. According to narrations of that time, the cow, on account of its multiple utilities and the many blessings it provided, was considered aghnya (not to be killed). The Atharvaveda regards beef eating as an offence against forefathers. Brahaspati (translated as the lord of prayer or devotion), it is said, takes away the progeny of those who consume beef.


Yatra Map

In some of the Vedic traditions, "a barren cow was killed at the time of marriage and sometimes for guests." The slaughter of a sterile bull too was performed for some sacrifices meant for gods.The Brahmanas who considered host of the guests next to worshipping God Himself would kill a big goat or a barren cow for a distinguished guest.

"There was a time in this very India when, without eating beef, no Brahmin could remain a Brahmin; you read in the Vedas how, when a Sanyasin, a king, or a great man came into a house, the best bullock was killed," Swami Vivekananda testified during an address to the people of Madura (Madurai) in one of his lectures. He also added that in that period, "five Brahmins used to polish off one cow."

Were Aryans Vegetarian?

The Aryan consumed barley, milk, curds, clarified butter, mutton and beef.

The great historian of Azamgarh, Padma Bhushan awardee Maha Pandit Rahul Sankrityayan has written in his book "Rhigvedic Arya" that in the Rigveda era people mostly depended on agriculture. Cows, horses and goats were their wealth. "There was none among them who did not have meat".

Hindu Religious Icons & Meat

A statement that Rama and Sita consumed flesh is to be found. Among the diet of Rama cow flesh and alcohol find mention.

Sita had said to Ravana, who had come in the guise of a saint, "Swamiji! Be seated on this chair. Wash your feet with this water. You can take sustenance as peryourwill from this forest."

"My husband (Rama) will return with fruit, potato and meat etc," said Sita to Ravana. This episode is found in Valmiki Ramayana translated by A.L. Natarajan.

Instances are found in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata of the drinking of wine and the consumption of meat by Rama and Krishna. Sita Devi vows meat, rice, and a thousand jars of wine to the river-goddess, Ganga. "Be merciful to us, O' goddess, and I shall, on my return home, worship thee with a thousand jars of arrack (spirituous liquor) and rice well-dressed with meat." (Ramayana)

According to the Hindu religious scriptures, amongst the God's creations some are eaters while others are to be eaten. Verse 30 in Chapter 5 of Manusmrti says, "The eaters who eat the flesh of those to be eaten do nothing bad, even if he does it day after day, for God Himself created some to be eaten and some to be eaters."
Towards Vegetarianism



Millions of silkworms are killed for preparing silk garments

Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, and Mahavira, the founder of Jainism, preached non-violence and henceforth non- vegetarian diets. It is believed that it was the effect of their preaching that Hindus too adopted vegetarian diets which of course excluded beef. Otherwise, there are traditions that Hindus in India, since the Vedic era, were beef eaters.

"The Buddha and Mahavira impressed upon their followers the need of avoiding slaughter of animals and succeeded to such a great extent in changing the attitude of the people that even Brahmanical works such as the Mahabharata and the Manusmrti prescribe sacrifices where no slaughter of animals is involved," writes the historian Om Prakash.

"While Buddhism, Jainism and the orders of rulers like Asoka and Kumarapala turned Indians into vegetarians, the influence of Vedic religion primarily and later on the influx of many foreign tribes kept Indians still non-vegetarian," he writes in Cultural History of India.

Om Prakash referring to one Buhler says that the rules against the use of meat diet are a later interpolation but it would be perhaps more proper to say that these new rules came in imperceptibly with the change in the outlook of the people as a result of the teachings of Buddha, Mahavira and perhaps also Asoka.

Gautama Buddha wanted to set people free from Brahmins slavery who sacrificed lakhs of animals for God. He would prefer letting animals free than sacrificing them. At the time, people were dependent almost on cattle, hence they found teachings of Buddha more in their favour and embraced Buddhism in large numbers. The Brahmins, seeing this, imposed a ban on animal and cow slaughter in an attempt to prevent the mass conversion to Buddhism and attributed it to Hindu religion. The concoction gave way to the sacredness of the cow as the animal had already some attachments to the religion.

Traditions Contradict

But some other contradictory narrations based on which the controversial historian Dwijendra Narayan Jha has concluded that flesh and meat, even that of cow, constituted the diet of Buddhists and Jains of the early period. Many birds, fish and animals were hunted down and their flesh was served on festive occasions.

More worrisome is the irony that even some Hindus along with the Muslims and Christians are involved in inhuman practice of cow slaughter. They seek to legitimize this practice by pointing out to a few Vedic verses.

Jha says that texts from Mahaparinibbana Sutta and Anguttara Nikaya reveal that Buddhists too ate beef and other meat. "In fact, the Buddha died after eating a meal of pork," he says. He also adds, "Vegetarianism was not a viable option for Buddhist monks in a society that loved meat of all kinds—pig, rhinoceros, cow, buffalo, fish, snake, birds, including crows and peacocks. Only camel and dog meat was taboo in India."

He claims that early Jains were meat eaters. Citing the Bhagavatisutra, Jha points out that Mahavira once ate a chicken meal to gain strength for a yogic battle with an adversary. "His only condition was to ask the woman who cooked the meal to find a chicken already killed by a cat instead of slaughtering a fresh one," says Jha.

The Brahmanas who considered host of the guests next to worshipping God Himself would kill a big goat or a barren cow for a distinguished guest.

Does it not show a double standard by people promoting vegetarianism? They preach that it is inhuman to kill any living creature but use silk dresses prepared after killing numerous silkworms? The advocating of not taking the life of any living thing should be preventing them from using silk clothes. Contrary to that, even the religious leaders of Jainism and Hinduism can be seen attired in silk garments! Where is the claim and where is the humanity?

However, Buddha and Mahavira are known for their preaching of non¬violence and vegetarianism. It is so that majority of Jains and Buddhists consume vegetarian diets which automatically exclude cow meat.

Protection of the Cow Is a Must

As argued earlier protection of the remaining cow breeds should be on high priority list. The majority of Indians living in rural areas who are fully dependent on agriculture require cows for their living. The cows supply a considerable amount of fertilizers for agriculture. Bullock, not only ploughs earth making it viable for cultivation but it also ferries people and luggage in the far off areas where vehicle facilities are still unavailable. The cow products including its milk and other edibles made out of it are of great significance for human beings. Hence, it is desirable that at least the remaining cow breeds are protected and their breeding is done. But banning cow slaughter completely might not be the viable solution.

It is difficult for poor farmers,who find it hard to even manage a square meal a day, to bear the expenses of a cow or bull without any gain.

Injured Bullocks & Barren Cows

Man, naturally, is inclined to invest in what serves his purpose. A bullock which sustains injuries or a cow which does not give milk anymore or has become barren brings no good as per the investment in them. They will be beneficial if handed over to the scores of companies in India dealing in meat products. If cow turns out to be useful at all the stages, it will encourage more and more people in its breeding and they will not be endangered in India anymore. It is difficult for poor farmers, who find it hard to even manage a square meal a day, to bear the expenses of a cow or bull without any gain.

The ideal way of protecting cows is not to advocate a ban on their slaughter .It discourages people who cannot afford feeding an injured bull or an aged or barren cow, from keeping them.

From the business point of view, too, ban on cow slaughter does not look viable. There is a vast scale business of cows, their skins and products related to them. Many Hindus earn their daily bread either by supervising cow related trades or are involved in it in some manner or the other.

The Buddha and Mahavira impressed upon their followers the need of avoiding slaughter of animals and succeeded to such a great extent in changing the attitude of the people that even Brahmanical works such as the Mahabharata and the Manusmrti prescribe sacrifices where no slaughter of animals is involved.

If there is a higher demand for a particular product then to match it there is increase in supply. Most farmers will begin to breed more cows if there is demand for cow products .This way the numbers of the cows in India can be increased. Also it will benefit the farmers financially.

This is evident when comparing the numbers of cows and buffaloes in North India and South India.

Many Muslims Avert Beef

Interestingly, many Muslims residing in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka do not consume cow and bull meat. As they claim, they are pure Sayyid who migrated to India from Arabia, and hence they cannot eat beef.

Likewise, the Shin, Muslims in Dardistan of Pakistan (Dardistan is a term coined by Gottlieb William Leitner for the Northern Areas of Pakistan. It is inhabited by Dards speaking Dardic languages), look down upon the cow, avoid direct contact with them, refuse to drink cow's milk , use cow dung as fuel and reject beef as food.

The timing of this Yathra raises suspicion about its intention after RSS think tank Arun Shourie remarked that the Ram Janambhoomi issue is no longer of interest to the general public. Though the immediate purpose of this journey is stated to ensure cow protection with the help of other religions too, its timing depicts the political gain hidden deep in it.


Arabic terminologies used in goat markets reveal that Muslims originally traded in goats

The Arabs, the fountainhead of Islam, did not eat beef. It was only when the Muslims entered India, that they included beef in their diets. In many areas in India, Arabic terminology is still used in goat markets which indicate that Arabs used to trade in goats primarily compared to other cattle.

Nepal Authorizes Mass Buffalo Slaughter

Even till now, scores of animals including buffalos are sacrificed on festivals. In such a ritual, an estimated 3, 00,000 to 5, 00,000 animals and birds were sacrificed to Goddess Gadhimai. This took place at Gadhimai Temple located in the only Hindu nation Nepal. "If I give you a rough estimate, around 20,000 buffaloes, 30,000-35,000 goats and countless birds and pigeons are flown in on this day and most of them are sacrificed...," said Mahesh Jha, a temple priest.

How Can Killer of Human Beings be Protector of Cows

It is quite surprising that in reality the advocates of cow protection are also the advocates of killing of secular-minded human beings. Even a cursory look on some past historical events reveal that associates with either Ram Janmabhoomi or the Gou Raksha movements have been seen on the forefront when it came to shed the blood of innocents may it be in the post-Babri Masjid demolition riots or the Bhagalpur Riots. Common sense does not accept that those thirsty of human blood can be

The Arabs, the fountainhead of Islam, did not eat beef. It was only when the Muslims entered India, that they included beef in their diets. In many areas in India, Arabic terminology is still used in goat markets which indicate that Arabs used to trade in goats primarily compared to other cattle.

sympathizers for animals like the cow. The logic says that first priority in respecting blood should be given to that of a human being, the most respected of all the creations of God, and not to the animals which according to the purpose of their creation, constitute a diet of human being.

Is Yatra Only Politically Correct?

Many say that the worldwide Cow Protection movement is politically motivated; the same blame which was levelled about the Advani's Rath Yatra. The Yatra, a website devoted to the cause says, has been inspired by Shri Raghaveshwara Bharathi Swamiji, the Shankaracharya of the Ramachandrapura Math in Karnataka. It is a fact that religious sentiments have been utilized for political gains in India whether it is the issue of Ram Mandir or the Gou Raksha.

D N Jha believes that sacredness, in its true spirit, of cow dates back only to the Dayanand Saraswati's cow protection movement in the 19th century. Saraswati (1824 -1883) instigated a nationwide movement for cow protection which later caused many Hindu-Muslim communal riots. "The cow became a tool of mass political mobilisation with the organised cow-protection movement," Jha points out.

This time a 108-day long Vishwa Mangala Gou Grama Yatra commenced on September 30, 2009 at Kurukshethra in Haryana and ended at Nagpur on January 17, 2010. The timing of this Yatra raises suspicion about its intention after RSS think tank Arun Shourie remarked that the Ram Janambhoomi issue is no longer of interest to the general public. Though the immediate purpose of this journey is stated to ensure cow protection with the help of other religions too, its timing depicts the political gain hidden deep in it.

In Indian politics, this is a critical juncture for the RSS-supported BJP and it is in a 'do or die' situation. Therefore, some analysts believe it to be an effort to revive the party by instigating a communal flare as they had done before the demolition of Babri Masjid. The Indian history is filled with the incidents where religion was exploited for pulling off political gains. Right from the periods of Babar, Akbar, Jahangir and Aurangzeb, a restricted ban on cow slaughter was in place to accommodate Jain and Brahmanical sensibilities and the veneration of the cow.

Yatra Not Supported By Many Hindus

As a matter of fact, many Hindus and even Brahmins in South India consume beef. Perhaps, this is the reason that a meagre number of Hindus-12,039 as on January 22nd- signed in support for the Yatra. Among those who have signed up the number of Hindus from India is very less. Though the website, shows that people gave their signatures even from USA, UK, Dubai, Australia, Argentina, Venezuela, Hawaii, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Oman, Canada, Germany, China, Portugal, Poland, Malaysia and Brazil etc.

WILL COMMON SENSE PREVAIL

It is inferred from the facts that many Hindus are beefeaters, but also it is not reasonable for a Hindu who wants to follow his Vedic religion to advocate a ban on cow slaughter. There is no reason that an adherent should be advised not to follow what his religious book says. That many Hindus, even Brahmins, still consume beef testifies that in Hinduism, as per the Vedas, there are not instructions strictly prohibiting cow slaughter. And how can it be when some of the sacrifices remain incomplete until a cow or bull is sacrificed. It is high time that Hindu brethren consider this point and remain unaffected by the politically motivated movement. Or peace in our country will once again be shattered.*

By J. Maseeh Email: junaidmaseeh@yahoo.co.in