The Cow and Its Position in Indian Society

The cow has a long and cherished tradition in Hindu folklore and mythology that dates back to the Vedic period.  All cows are descended from the symbolic cow of supreme abundance, the celestial cow, KAMADHENU.  Possessing the face of a lovely woman and yielding to her master all the milk that he desired, Kamadhenu today is sculpted and painted throughout India.           Indians find it strange that their cows should be the great concern that they are to the rest of the world.  They also find it quite disgusting that others eat them.  And when Westerners point out that 335 million livestock in India are competing with people for food, the Indian smiles and shakes his head.  His patience usually comes to an end when someone suggests that those cows who no longer produce milk should, if not eaten, at least be killed for their hides.  In such cases a Hindu might point out that the cow is rarely referred to as an animal.  Usually it is reverently or tenderly called Mother Cow.  And it is not killed after its milk has dried up for much the same reason that you don't kill your dog when it begins to get old.  The slaughter of cows to an Indian ranks with the murder of any man.  In Indian mythology when the forces of Good save a population from destruction, they always save the women, children, and the cows.  Lord Krishna, one of the human forms of Vishnu, is associated with cows and is also known as Lord of the Cows.  Those who tend cows are promised special consideration, for the cow is the symbolic nourisher of the earth. Living, I yield milk, butter and      curd, to sustain mankind My dung is as fuel used, Also to wash floor and wall; Or burnt, becomes the sacred ash      on forehead, When dead, of my skin are      sandals made, 'Or the bellows at the blacksmith's      furnace; Of my bones are buttons made.....      but of what use are you, O Man?            For Indians, the above poem contains much truth.  An important relationship exists between man and cow in India.  Each is an absolute necessity for the existence of the other.  Livestock in India are divided between cattle and water buffalo, with cattle having about a two to one edge in numbers.  The water buffalo does much of the plowing but by no means all.  Castrated bulls and cows both are used as general beasts of burden.  When plowing and planting are necessary, Indians need a great number of these livestock.  Furthermore, cow dung has long been the chief fertilizer used in India.  Human waste is not used in India as it has been, for example, in China or Japan.  Thus the Indian faces a considerable dilemma.  His fields certainly need the fertilizer, yet traditionally he has cooked his rice and boiled his tea with dried dung.  It is estimated that Indians would have to mine and somehow set up distribution facilities for about 35 million tons of coal a year for fuel if dung were not available.  As a source of food for children, milk and milk by-products play a valuable role as a supplier of protein.  This is especially important when on considers that Indians are for the most part vegetarians.  When you add to the above the importance of leather goods and such traditional uses as urine for the ritual cleansing of kitchens, the particular importance of cows to Indians becomes more apparent.           This attitude, however, may be changing for some.  About 25% of India's hide production is from slaughtered cows.  Muslims in India do not share quite the same reverence for the cow and occasionally eat beef.  Scientific breeding of cattle for milk production is a part of many state-supported colleges and universities.  Major cities attempt to control the cows in congested downtown areas.  Bombay, Delhi, and Madras have all found the cow to be incompatible with the automobile. SADDHUS [holy men] and the Jan Sangh Party have both tried to force legislation in the past years to outlaw the killing of cows.  Riots in New Delhi and bitter arguments in the Indian parliament have taken place over this issue.  Can Indians continue to ignore cows as a source of protein?  Will the traditional Indian attitude toward the cow persist as India moves into the 21c?