Why Do Hindus Worship A Cow?

Add as a preferred source on Google

The cow is considered to be holy in Hinduism. But do you know why? Respect for animals has been an age old trait in Hinduism. There are many reasons as to why a cow is considered holy in Hinduism. We follow some traditions and rituals without even knowing the cause behind it. Here are a few explanations as to why we consider a cow to be holy and worship it in Hindu religion.

Historical Facts- Hindu Vedic religion propagate eating non-vegetarian over meat, eggs and fish. But considering cow as a holy animal in Hindu religion has not been there since the start. It was when the importance of this animal in the day to day life of an individual was realised, that this practice started.

• Cow can be considered as one of the most important animals in the life of an individual. In the olden days, it was an integral part of the life of a man. A cow provides us with milk and other dairy products. All of them are important sources of nutrition. They are one of the most important sources of food supply. Hence we come to respect and worship a cow.

• Also a cow had great significance in the farming business. It was and is still used in many parts of the globe for agriculture. They are made to carry a plough to till the agricultural land.

• A cow cart is also used as a means of communication and travel. There were no rails, buses and airways in the olden days. Most of the people used to avail such animal carts as a mode of travel.

• Even the cow dung is used for multiple purposes in the rural homes till date. They are an excellent source of manure for the plants. Dried cow dung acts as an awesome fuel. People in the rural areas use this to cook their food in a 'chulha' (an oven made with mud). These are the many reasons that give us an explanation as to why a cow is considered to be holy.

• All these facts depict the importance of a cow. This compelled a man to think that it is better not to kill them as they provide us multiple benefits in day to day life.

Religion- According to one of the moist popular Hindu beliefs, cow is considered to be a holy animal. The reason behind it is that Lord Krishna is often depicted in all the pictures with a cow. He is considered to be the protector of a cow. That is why it is prohibited in Hinduism to kill or eat a cow. People believe that if you do so, you would offend the Gods. Due to its multiple benefits, a cow is also considered to be the mother of all animals. And this is one of the reasons as to why we worship a cow.

All of them are the reasons that made a cow to be considered as holy in the life of a Hindu man.