Holy Cow! - Part 5 "Why The Cow Is Considered Sacred"

Hope you've enjoyed this series of postings on "The Holy Cow!" Today's is the last of five excerpts from Tarun Chopra's book of the same title.

[One reasons] the cow is considered sacred is based on the belief that Hindus can reach heaven only after crossing a mythological river by holding the tail of a cow. Besides, the ceremony for the passage of a dead man's soul to heaven includes the donation of a cow to a Brahmin priest.

...there are thousands of tales extolling the importance of the cow. One of the most popular ones tells us about a powerful king in the ancient kingdom of Patliputra, who had everything...[except] a son, an heir to his throne. [In seeking an answer to why he had no son, he visited a guru who lived deep in a jungle. This guru] informed the king, "once while you were returning from the temple after saying your prayers you ignored a Kamdhenu cow standing outside the temple. That cow had magical powers. Now, if you are to beget a son, you will have to look after a cow."

[The king and his wife did so diligently for days on end.] A day came, when while grazing, a tiger attacked the cow. Seeing this, the king was shattered. He folded his hands before the tiger and requested it to leave the cow alone. The tiger replied, "Your Majesty, I serve Goddess Durga and must have my prey." The king fell on his knees and pleaded with the tiger to spare the cow and have his life instead. Seeing his devotion, the goddess showered the king with flowers and the cow - for it was a Holy Cow - spoke up, "My Lord, stand up. The tiger was merely an illusion created by me to test your devotion." The cow then asked the king and the queen to drink some milk as a sacred offering and within a year they were blessed with a son...

...the cow occupies pride of place. So much so, that even today there are scores of organizations devoted to 'cow protection'. Only recently, many of these groups have joined hands to demand from the government that India's national animal, the tiger, be replaced by the cow! In years to come the authorities may well be cowed into submission.

[Tarun Chopra, The Holy Cow, pp 12-13, Prakash Books, 2008]

Holy Cow! - Part 4 "Wandering Cows"

Happy Indian Independence Day! (Today, August 15)

Today's posting on "Holy Cow!" is the 4th of 5. May you enjoy this window into a unique part of Indian culture...

...since Indians are by-and-large vegetarian (and beef, certainly is a big No-No), the cow, given its holier-than-thou status, has rarely been exploited for meat. But the flip side of the cow's ritualistic postion means that no sooner than it stops producing milk, its owner finds it politically correct to abandon the unfortunate creature on the streets, rather than pack it off to the slaughterhouse. Hindus also believe that should a cow tethered in their home die, its owner has to perforce undertake a pilgrimage to all the holy cities in India to atone for the sin. And upon his return, he had to feed the Brahmins in his village. Rather than be laid low by a double-whammy, as it were, letting the cows loose on the streets is an altogether agreeable and cost-effective option.

Indeed, once out on the streets, cows hardly starve. Every time a meal is cooked in a Hindu household, the first roti (unleavened bread), is left out especially for a cow to consume. And if a cow is spotted on the street, it is called to the door and fed various delicacies prepared to propitiate the gods. On auspicious days of the Hindu calendar, wandering cows are offered sweets and grass as an act of piety.

(today's excerpt from Tarun Chopra, The Holy Cow, p. 11, Prakash Books, 2008)

Holy Cow (Part 3: "Legal Tender & Other Economic Issues)

Sorry - no pictures this time. we'd love to have some of the cow-dung patties, but alas we seemed to have missed that scene - prevalent in the villages, but not very common here in Delhi.

Our one-time, up-close-and-personal experience was the flight to India in 2006 when someone seemed to have conducted a puja on the back of our seats leaving behind ceremonial cow-dung markings (along with the lingering fragrance of fresh cow dung!). An interesting get-acquainted experience with India.

For this posting, here's more from Tarun Chopra on the "Holy Cow":

Much before the Pharoahs built the Pyramids or Hammurabi devised laws or the Chines invented paper, Indians had given up a nomadic existence - which was still the hallmark of the African , European, American and other Asian people - and developed an agriculture-based civilization which supported not only neighboring cities but empires. And though maharajas had started to mint coins which were circulated in cities and used mainly by traders, money had not come into vogue in the countryside where wealth was determined by the number of cows that a family possessed. So, the humble cow became legal tender - exchanged for goods and services, proudly presented as dowry at weddings and reluctantly given away to meet tax obligations. Besides keeping the taxman at bay, adorning a daughter's trousseau, or taking care of monthly bills, the cow's milk was the main source of nourishment for the country's vast population. Moreover, the cow sustained the economy in more ways than one. Indeed, its dung is used as fuel even today. Cow-dung mixed with hay is fashioned into patties and after being sun-dried not only hearth and home, but also keeps the kitchen fire burning for nearly three-quarters of India's rural populace. Cow-dung mixed with clay is wunder-material used for plastering huts, which makes it easty to sweep floors and acts as an effective insecticide as well. No wonder the eco-friendly, cost-effective cow dung has been the rage down the centuries in this part of the world! (Tarun Chopra, Holy Cow, pp 9-10, Prakash Books, 2008)

Holy Cow! (Part 2)

We're posting these excerpts to help display the unique culture in which we are living. The cow tends to be one of those topics that causes many questions from outsiders.

Here's more from Tarun Chopra (The Holy Cow, pp 8-9, Prakash Books, 2008)

For most cows, the place to be is in the middle of the street. They herd at traffic lights, in all likelihood misleading you into believing they're there to assist the traffic cop! Of course, that's only half-true. So, really, what are the cows doing in the middle of Indian roads? Why aren't they on farms where they belong? Of course, they're not suffering from the Mad Cow Disease. But there is a method in their apparent madness. As recent studies have demonstrated, Indian cows seem to prefer hanging around on busy roads because the exhaust fumes from the smoke belching buses (and trucks, auto-rickshaws and tractors) seem to discourage flies, while the toxic fumes get them high. Now, that's a typical Indian solution to a vexed problem.

In India, all animals are sacred, even though the people's attitude towards them may lead you to believe otherwise. An in the pantheon of these sacred creatures, the cow stands heads and shoulders above the rest. Referred to as Gau Mata or Mother Cow, this gentle bovine occupies a special niche in the Indian psyche.

(Next posting: Holy Cow! (Part 3 - "Legal Tender & Other Economic Issues")

Holy Cow! (Part 1)

Wow! It's been a long time since our last posting...

• a sudden unexpected need to change flats,
• a surge of requests for Creativity Workshops,
• preparations for our first trip back to the U.S., and
• the 2 1/2 month U.S. trip concluded with a 10-day stay in S. Korea for a conference,

have led to this major interruption of postings.

But we're back!

We arrived in Delhi very early on the morning of July 29th. It's good to be back, but we're reminded of how different life can be living cross-culturally. For example...

[the text below (and in coming Holy Cow! postings) excerpted from Tarun Chopra, Holy Cow, Prakash Books 2008]

...for a visitor, driving on Indian roads is a hair-raising experience, with motorized vehicles, animal-drawn wagons and human-powered handcarts competing with each other to get from Point A to Point B.
The former U.S. ambassador to India, Daniel Moynihan, called it "functional anarchy". In fact, he couldn't have been more accurate. If in the States people stick to the right lane and in Britain people keep to the left, in India they seem to drive everywhere. And pedestrians be damned. Of course, street-smart as they are brought up to be, pedestrians in India too, contribute their mite to make the chaos worse confounded. For example, given the unruly nature of the traffic, people never look for a zebra crossing (even if there is one it is to decorate the street). And, if visitors were to think that motorists would stop for them merely because they're crossing the road on a zebra crossing, they're in for a nasty surprise - in India, traffic stops for no one. Not even on a zebra crossing. It's a jungle out there, even without the zebras.

So, the golden rule while crossing Indian roads is to first look right, then left and then run for dear life across the street, before someone or something knocks you over. It's like being a player in a computer game. The only difference is that this is not virtual reality but the real thing. No wonder Indians seem to have such a profound belief in reincarnation, or life after death.

Bang in the middle of this mad-house, strolls a serene creature oblivious to the bedlam around it. This is the Holy Cow. (And as holy things go in India, women and cows are venerated in equal measure).

[today's excerpts pp. 8-9]
--- coming soon: Holy Cow! postings #'s 2-5 ---

Palm Sunday (Kajura Itvar)

Our househelper, a follower of Christ, told us of a walk she went on with her church last Sunday - Palm Sunday (Hindi - "Kajura Itvar"). It has been an annual event for many years in Central Delhi with many churches participating; this Sunday there were over 2,000 walking.

The participants walked through various neighborhoods of Central Delhi from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm, sang bajans, played instruments, prayed and listened to occasional talks by pastors and other leaders. Out of respect, as they walked in prayer, they walked without shoes. There were banners, one of which was the ten commandments, in Urdu, written in gold.

April and May are the peak months of the high summer heat in Delhi, so, as usual, it was a very hot day. Our helper told us the walkers were never without cold drinks, water or juice. Someone from the neighborhoods was always supplying them with drinks.

They were especially welcomed in the Sikh and Muslim neighborhoods, where they were greeted with handshakes, men hugged men, women hugged women, families offered drinks and food like rice, chole, samosas and ladoos. They were also greeted in the Sikh and Muslim neighborhoods with "malahs" or "phulo ka har" (i.e. garlands of flowers - a traditional honorific greeting). In the Muslim neighborhoods, the residents handed out pink roses.

It was a three hour walk but the people experienced refreshment and at the end enjoyed a short service at a church which included dinner for all.

Art in Mandakini Neighborhood

We've completely moved from the other flat now, though there are a few things still to put away. We've had enormous difficulties in getting internet service re-established, so this is a quick posting of Janis with some children from our new neighborhood in an impromptu art session...









Sorry, despite several times correcting the orientation, these photos insist on being posted sideways!