hey i wanted to learn about a couple of things in the hindu religion. Now i know there is a tendency of a lot of ppl to start the holier than thou arguments and they would love to take this oppertunity to bash one religion or the other. But i am opening this thread just for educational purposes so if u have nothin constructive to add then please dont respong. thanx in advance.
so here are the two questions i want to ask:
why is the cow considered holy? i am a punjabi and there is a saying in punjabi which goes like " maaN mar jai tay paaldi eh, dudh nahin gaaN de dudh jeya", which means after the death of a human mother, the cow’s milk sustains the child and as such there is no other milk like the milk of a cow. Could that be the reason or is it somthing else? Where does this holiness of the cow originate.
*]why is the river ganga considered holy? i think hindus bath in it caz in their view it purifies them. Is it so? if yes then where does this tradition come from, and wot are the reasons its considered a purifier?
please dont take it as an attempt to redicule the religion. i genuinely dont know so i tought i should ask all the hindus here to educate me on this.
why is the cow considered holy? i am a punjabi and there is a saying in punjabi which goes like " maaN mar jai tay paaldi eh, dudh nahin gaaN de dudh jeya", which means after the death of a human mother, the cow's milk sustains the child and as such there is no other milk like the milk of a cow. Could that be the reason or is it somthing else? Where does this holiness of the cow originate.
Chachajaan,
**
This remark is quite true in the sense that cow's milk is in fact nutritious. Cow finds it mention in several Hindu scriptures hence it is termed as holy. It also symbolises prosperity. *
*It is a different issue that holy cows (who no longer can yield milk) can be seen roaming in the streets of Delhi and hence become traffic hazards.
why is the river ganga considered holy? i think hindus bath in it caz in their view it purifies them. Is it so? if yes then where does this tradition come from, and wot are the reasons its considered a purifier?
Ancient scriptures once again. Millions of Hindus take a holy dip in Ganga although these days it is very much polluted and I can't figure out how that is really purifying their sins..seeing the rampant corruption in society. But let me tell you one thing Banaras...an ancient city on the banks of Ganga...carries a mystic aura with. One need to visit this city to feel it.
please dont take it as an attempt to redicule the religion. i genuinely dont know so i tought i should ask all the hindus here to educate me on this.
Concept of holy water originated in Ancient Hinduism and has been followed in all religions. What is Zam Zam. If you go deep into this subject..it is because of the simple fact that water is elixir of life. Without it life is not possible.
**
**
**
thanx for ur reply DSpathania. u said that it is mentioned in the ancient scriptures. do the scriptures tell hindus to consider the cow holy and bath in ganga or do they narrate a holy person doing these things and hindus do it out of reverence for that person? can you please privide a link for the passage.
u can try to link your query from this site.. it answersa bout cow.. cows were very dear to lord krishna and also till this day in india cow’s milk is considered more useful than buffalo milk.. in ayurveda many medicines are made having cow’s milkas main ingredient.. many scriptures has mentioned it. and in india cow slaughter is banned by law..
I checked the link u provided . These are some of the things mentioned in your holy books. I wonder how seriously do the hindus take the things mentioned in here.
Vyasa said:
Cows are sacred. They are embodiments of merit. They are high and most efficacious cleansers of all. One should for three days drink the hot urine of the cow. For the next three days one should drink the hot milk of the cow. Having thus drunk for three days hot milk, one should next drink hot ghee for three days. Having in this way drunk hot ghee for three days, one should subsist for the next three days on air only.
Vasishtha said: By bathing in water mixed with cow-dung, people shall become sanctified. The deities and men, shall use cow-dung for the purpose of purifying all creatures mobile and immobile. One can sit on dried cow dung
The various parts of the body of the cow in which the deities, the revered sages, the various elements, are believed to dwell are given as follows:
47) The Anus The heavenly & Celestial Beings 'Devagana' :D
you have mentioned and highlighted too the quotes from site..
well cow urine has medicinal effects which can cure cancer ( i have seen myself a blod cancer patient getting cured by this therapy )as well therefore in treatment in india cow’s urine is given .. the act called by VYAS rishi must be followed by sages and is part of meditation
**
see this
its now been scientifically proved also by USA**
next to Vashishta rishi
in india when floors were not pucca putting cow dung on floor and walls was common practise and is considered very pious.. in rural areas its prevalent nowdays too.. so no problem
u have highlighted Anus part as deity . we hindus believe god to be omni present and cow as feeding mother as the thing said by user chacha too. so there’s no obscenity or anything wrong equating the body parts to diety who feed and shower whatever it has to us..and it need to be viewed through positive angle not to have giggles on that
til this day cow’s milk is considered more nutritious and healthy than camel’s buffalo etc..
So far as cow dung is concerned I have seen in villages people using cow dung paste to smear floor and walls. I does drive flies away. Some people add natural colours to give it an appealing look.
why is the cow considered holy? i am a punjabi and there is a saying in punjabi which goes like " maaN mar jai tay paaldi eh, dudh nahin gaaN de dudh jeya", which means after the death of a human mother, the cow's milk sustains the child and as such there is no other milk like the milk of a cow. Could that be the reason or is it somthing else? Where does this holiness of the cow originate.
[/QUOTE]
I have interest in learning about ancient cultures. May be, i can help you understand this. Vedic settlers were aryans from central asia mainly settled in what is now pak after roughing it out with their ideological aryan twin Ahuras asuras].
Vedic aryans had no passion for cows, they sarificed cattles to please their god indra and also ate its flesh.
If you know lil about hindu mythology tales from vedic times, most of the demons were asuras who appeared as black oxen.
After vedic aryan [alais devas] settled in india they came across customs of local adivasis and other settlers like dravids, who were originally elamites from mesopotamia]. Dravids were traditionally farmers and they too considered cattle imp for their agricultural proffession shiva was a dravid god with ox as his chief carrier]...vedic aryans after hundreds of years mellowed down and adopted importance of cattle and animal life in their civilisation...Aryans started revering to dravidian gods and vice versa...this merging is what Hinduism really is. Originally named "Dharma".
Many Dravidians adopted brahminism and vedic way of life, but they also introduced cow worship amongst other things to aryans..which latter became an integral part of hinduism.
If you see it logically cow had a big role to play back than , she gave milk which was one of the chief diet of the locals, her urine was used as world's first known incesticide in what was once a major occupation of residents... this could be why the idea of purification of soul by drinking its urine became a hindu brahmin custom], her turd was useful as fuel and also as building material...this made cow an important animal whose value started getting counted in economical terms, and in absence of papper or metal money, ppl back than judged each other's economical status, by the number of cows they owned. It became even more imp for them to look after her and preserve her...
Btw, present day hindus dont worship cows ...they consider it their duty to look after it becoz they see cow equivalent to the status of mother since we draw milk from her. I think its a wonderful idea.
Cow slaughter is not banned in complete india but only in few states
One more thing i want to add to the discussion
Cow(Kamadhenu) is the first thing which come out of the ksher sagara madhanam (when devas and rakshas milking the milk ocean for amruth
and if you see Ramanad sagar ramayan you can find out what is kamadhenu is and all the details
and about bathing in rivers
you have heard about kumbhmela
there are about 12 major rivers in india where this mela takes place
each year along one river
it is said that if you take bath in during that time in the river and you will get purified
and some reaserch had been done on this and they found out some minerals comes to the rivers which cures human injuries
Cow(Kamadhenu) is the first thing which come out of the ksher sagara madhanam (when devas and rakshas milking the milk ocean for amruth
and if you see Ramanad sagar ramayan you can find out what is kamadhenu is and all the details
and about bathing in rivers
you have heard about kumbhmela
there are about 12 major rivers in india where this mela takes place
each year along one river
it is said that if you take bath in during that time in the river and you will get purified
and some reaserch had been done on this and they found out some minerals comes to the rivers which cures human injuries
This was true when rivers were running clean. Today they carry untreated sewage and industrial effluents. Looking at the corruption in India, taking a dip in rivers and expecting sins would be washed away is foolish...similarly Muslims who visit mecca and thow stone at kaba beliving that it would kill satan are also fools.