Thailand Food Science University
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The universal brotherhood and comparative relegion , Part 4 ,the cow
The cow in many religious Scriptures and books.
( as in the Torah, Quran, Gita and Bible)
By Prof Ghulam Mohyuddin Wani
BVSC&AH,MVSC(VOG)DVM,PhD
INTRODUCTION
The cow has been respected and honoured creature in all the religious books and scriptures. Most of the riots and killing in India in the past has been on this issue. The warrior factions perhaps never knew that all the religions of the world as viewed from the holly books the Quran,Gita,Bibel and Torah have mention of the cow. The Quran the holly book of GOD names it many times and full chapter is named the COW ,AL-BAQUAR.This articles reviews the information to bring a universal brotherhood and common understanding of One GOD ,call him Allah,khuda or bagvan he is one and only one.
First of all I must apologize for any theological mistakes as I am a scientist of the animal sciences and not of the theology. My intension here is to represent the cow more as a scientific miracle than a religious belief. The cow feeds us all on her milk made of her blood .She like our mother is to have a due respect in all societies and cultures. I know of my culture we in OLD JOOS{may be Jews ,wandering tribe of Israel}Khowaja or now named as wani always call a cow GAW MUOG the mother cow and loved her,the tradition goes even today in kashmir.
We will discuss the cow in three sections .In section 1 we shall reveiw the information from websites on the description and interpretation of various holly books .THIS INFORMATION HAS BEEN COLLECTED FRON THE WEB AND IS ACKNOWLEDGED.The section 2 shall be a scientific interpretation given by the learned in the field of concerned theology .The third and last concluding paras shall be based on our own scientific and philosophic metamorphosis and analysis mostly from the reference materials published by Anil Chawla.
We apologize in advance for omissions and ask all of you to please inform us about your views and criticize it ,so as to act PEERS of our forthcoming book .
Although the chapter 2 of the holly Quran is named the cow or the Al-Baqarah.Being the chapter in which most of the tenements of the religious beliefs and theological questions have been clearfied,naming it as the cow shows the esssensc.,Normally as writers when we sit to write a book we choose to name a chapter with most favoured phrase .Just like a newspaper chooses his headline with care, relevance and to attack attension.
CUSTOMS AND RITES
Many people confuse customs with religious commandments. RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS AND RITE S LIKE clothes, eating habits,language,dress,music ,local habits cannot be equalized as a belief or testimony, The Muslim religion fundamental principles like Aaeman.klama, Nimaz,zakat,haj are the essentials of the faith, The customs are localized and can be different in a country. Unfortunately sometimes religious good is diluted with customs or even the behaviour of a man or women calling him or her belonging to a particular religion.
A THEIF,KILLER OR A PROSTITUTE ,CORRUPT MAN ,ADULATOR,EVIL WHISPHERER,CONSPIRATOR OR A LAIR HAS NO PLACE IN ISLAM. Even if he names himself as a Muslim he cannot be regarded as a muslim.Even names were not changed after conversion during the days of prophet.
“We believe in Allah, and the revelation given to us, and to Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to (all) prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of them: And we bow to Allah (in Islam).”
Universal brotherhood concept.
Thus these verses of Quran make the ISLAM as a religion broader than some of us define or malign it. It has a principle of universal brotherhood. A Muslim is permitted to marry a Jew or a Christian or anyone who believe in one God ,A Muslim is allowed to have food of Jews .Christians or any one provided it is clean and free from forbidden items like blood, swine flesh etc Even under extreme condition he is allowed to eat what is forbidden but it should be in utter need not as a luxury .Thus having a boarder approach to life than the ordinary suicidal tendency and despondency.
.There is no commandment to be non-vegetarian or vegetarian. A Muslim can be one who does not eat meat,. The man has been born and left in the jungle .He was a hunter, all hunt to eat. Thus all ancient culture was non-vegeterian.The Islam does not ask you to eat this or that, but gives us liberty even to eat the forbidden items to keep alive.
It is nothing to do with the TAQWA , ONESS OF God. The essential component of the faith, which is a commonality in all religions. The conceptual principle which determines your faith,Food is optional and allowed under duress or in dare need, but hunger strike s or death by self suicidal acts is strictly forbidden.
The cow named surah or chapter of Quran is revealed in Medina and have details of the legislature and more detailed versions than those revelled to Mohammad in Mecca.
The cow in Herbrew
In herbrew the yellow heifer defines and described as choice of God for sacrifice to Mosses like the Issac to Ibrahim is described as HAEGGEL ,:The sin of the calf .
THE Apis Bull of EGYPT
In Egyypt, the Apis Bull was the object of worship, . Among the Egyptians’ and Hebrews’ the wild bull, was widely worshipped, often as the Lunar Bull .Thus these cultures regarded the cattle more scared than the Hinduss,The one question which come to mind is that it is a custom more than a religious myth as some of immanent scholar of Sanskrit and Vedic literature have reported, Whatever ,the cow or the ox have been important an essential part of the global culture and customs from times immoral ..
MOUNT SINSIS
When Mosses went up onto Mount Sinaia to receive the Ten Commandments (Exodus 19:20 he left the Israelites for forty days and forty nights. The Israelites feared that he would not return .They complied and gathered golden earrings. Then melted them and constructed the golden calf.The Israelites made offerings and celebrated. In Hebrew the incident is known as ???’ ha‘?ggel or “The Sin of the Calf”.
CRETAN BULL OF GREEKS
It is also mentioned as Cretan Bull of Greek myth. Thus the Indian Myth of the cattle being scared is shared by other culture too like the Herbrew,Arabs,Egyptians and Greeks.It is thus a ritual or custom than a command ment of God and thus has different versions. The concept of GOD being the only one to be worshiped and that it has no physical form has been discussed in our earliest discussion in these web pages too. The God is a tagali= light source too powerful and illuminative this realty is accepted in all the religions books including VEDAS
In Moses farewell blessing to the Jewish people, he describes Joseph as an “ox”: “The most eminent, his [is the power of the] ox that is given to him….”(Deut. 33:17) In Jacob’s blessing to Joseph, the same word for “ox” appears, although in a different meaning, that of “wall”: “A fruitful son is Joseph, a fruitful son above the [evil] eye; daughters tread over the wall [to gaze on him]. (Gen. 49:22) The words for “over the wall” in Hebrew are “alei shur“, which if slightly revocalized can be read: “Ascend, O ox!” (”aleh” “shor
Thus they devised to make the Golden Calf, which is also called an “ox”, with the powerful magic tools in their mouths, which upset the order of the supernal realms. All the powers we mentioned combined together – that of the evil [generated by the Jews' sin], that of the magic [powers they possessed], that of the holiness of Aaron’s, and that of the holy Name etched in the golden plate that was used to elevate Joseph from the Nile. This combination produced the Golden Calf, which was animated by the spiritual life-force of their grandfather Be’or. [Be'or] thus ascended from the vegetable to the animal kingdom, and [the Mixed Multitude] accepted him as their leader, who would inform them of the future and tell them whatever they would need to know. And all this was possible by the fact that they made the Israelites sin, as mentioned.
The soul of the wicked Be’or, which was present in this calf, was who yelled out, saying “This is your G-d, O Israel!” (Ex. 32:4) as our sages have stated. (See Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer 25)
DHARMA. Hindus must realize that enriching the life of bovine and other useful animals is DHARMA. Making efforts to build a healthy and large population of cattle in India is DHRAMA. On the path of DHARMA, a wise man is not perturbed by death since he knows that soul is immortal – “Weapons cannot cut it nor can fire burn it ; water cannot drench it nor can wind make it dry.” ANIL CHAWLA ,1999 WROTE – Srimad Bhagavad-Gita (also called Gita) is one of the most sacred books for Hindus. During the war of MAHABHARAT, just before the beginning of the war, Arjuna who was a great warrior suddenly developed self-doubt and raised fundamental existentialist questions about the purpose of life and hence of war which would have led to the annihilation of so many who were very dear to him. Lord Krishna who was a friend of Arjuna and was also driving his chariot during the war delivered the sermon of Gita clarifying the fundamental questions raised.
SWAMI VIVEKANANDA ON BEEF
(This letter was published in Letters to Editor, Hindustan Times dated 3rd January, 2002)
(Please visit ArchivesHT for more details)
Swami Vivekananda said: “You have always to remember that because a little social custom is going to be changed, you are not going to lose your religion, not at all. Remember these customs have already been changed. 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, how in time it was found that as we were an agricultural race, killing the best bulls meant annihilation of the race. Therefore, the practice was stopped, and a voice;
Thus it is clear the respect of the cows and the cattle as a whole is shared by all religious books.Some eat it and some don not is a custom and no a religion.Howerver ,in Jammu and kahmir state of India ,a muslim majority state has the constitution which bans the cow slaughter and one finds very few muslims in Kashmir who willingly eat beef.This is not true of the other Indian or Pakistani muslims who eat beef as choice.Even the jummuiets from the borders and even those coming from tribal belt in Kashmir the Khatans etc do eat beef outside their state but not the kashmiri speaking muslims and Pandits.This too thus indicates it that is a custom of a race and not a religiom.In rest of ASIA ,MIDDLEEAST Goats are sacrificed on EID –UL-BAKAR,.The goat meat is phefered in all these places but not in Kashmir where the muslims and Hindu too like sheep meat and that too with fat and not too lean, These are habits and not religion. Thus a muslim can be Muslim without eating beef.
This verse refers to the story of the golden calf made and worshipped by the Israelites after their exodus from Egypt. While Moses (Musa (as.)) was in communion with God on the heights of mount Sinai, while revelation was in the process of being sent down to him, while God was manifesting His presence to Moses and divulging to him the secrets of creation and of the structure of religion, some of the Israelites (under the direction and supervision of a person called Samiri) constructed and worshipped a statue of a golden calf
COWS AND ENVIRONMENT
The use of degraded agriculture wastes and deoiled cakes by COWS and their conversion into milk. Meat and other valuable products ,saves of wastage and consuming non-edible nitrogenous matter like cellulose and deoiled cakes and in turn adding nitrogen to the soil hells us to maintain soil health and nitrogen cycle. The draught power has been detailed in our earlier articles .It helps India alone to save millions do dollars ,The fossil fuel price and carbon burn is a vital for the climatic change ,thus the role of cows in its desired ratio per hectare is helpful but not harmful,howerve the numbers are to be limited which is happenening as cross breeds give more per animal productivity than locals and cross bred ratio increasing in the Hindi northern belt speaks volumes. The problems encounter both under rained and irrigatated cropping systems is with male and unproductive animals .A survival of the fittest formula even does not apply here, thus serious thought is needed, We have proposed a unified use of these animals for research and development by all drug and medicine testing firms,organizations,vet college, medical experimental stations and the energy requiring institute and NGOs .A detailed plan to mitigate this and other customary problems have been suggested with in framework of the constitution and the populace cultural ethos.
PHILOSOPHY OF GITA by anil chawla describing the economics of the cattle.
(The following extracts are from his free web publications,and are cited here as scolarly references from him and not me)
“For the death of him who is born is certain ; and the rebirth of him who is dead is inevitable. It does not, therefore, behove you to grieve over an inevitable event.” (Verse 27, Chapter 2, Srimad Bhagavad-Gita)
Lord Krishna says that it is wrong to grieve about death since death is like a change of clothes. Soul gives up its old clothes and takes on new ones. Focussing on life and accepting death as an integral part of life – is the essence of Gita which applies to every aspect of human life. It is this philosophy that enabled Krishna to be an animal-lover and yet be a good hunter. Understanding the philosophy of Gita is necessary to comprehend animal-rearing.
In the field of animal rearing Consumption and Protection are two sides of the same coin. One who consumes is the one who protects and vice-versa. Muslims in India sacrifice goats at the time of Eid-ul-zuha and consume the meat. The other facet of this is that Muslims feed and take care of a goat for a full year or alternatively pay a big sum to one who has taken care of the sacrificial goat. On the other hand there are Jains who do not eat meat and do nothing to rear or take care of goats. India is the largest consumer of goat meat in the world and India has the largest goat population in the world. Pakistan does not consume pig-meat and it has almost no pigs. During the past thirty years the consumption of eggs and chicken in India has increased almost tenfold. This has led to the poultry industry getting a big boost and there has been an unprecedented increase in the population of hens. It will not be an exaggeration to say that if mankind stopped consuming eggs and chicken completely, hen as a species may vanish from the surface of earth.
Cow is considered sacred and is worshipped in India while in adjoining Pakistan there are no such beliefs. Yet, when a cow dies in India, its average carcass weight is just about 103 Kg and in Pakistan the average carcass weight is about 185 Kg. The figure for USA and Germany is about 315 Kg. In other words, cows in India are not butchered but are tortured to a slow and painful death by hunger. A foolish interpretation of DHARMA (loosely translated as duty or religion) has led some Indians to oppose cow slaughter leading to a situation where cows are neither cared for nor protected. A refusal to accept death of cow has made life hell for cow. Moving stray on roads Indian cow is forced to eat polythene bags and die a painful death. All talks of non-violence and pity by religious leaders sound nice but cannot give the essential ingredients of life to Indian cows.
Milk Production in India has increased considerably during the past three decades after National Dairy Development Board launched Operation Flood. Yet, the per capita availability of milk in India in 1997 was just about 58.5 Kg per annum. The corresponding figure for Pakistan is 116.3 Kg, Germany – 238.8 Kg, Russia – 145.1 Kg, USA – 251.3 Kg. Some persons may be surprised that the per capita availability of milk in India is just about half of that in Pakistan though economically Pakistan is almost in the same bracket as India. The misguided orthodox zealots who oppose all mechanized slaughter houses and meat exports often argue that continuous slaughtering of progeny of cows will lead to elimination of cows and bulls from the country causing a milk famine. The fact is just opposite – the countries that consume cow-meat have substantially higher milk availability.
The economics of animal rearing is based on milk as well as meat. Whenever any cow or buffalo gives birth, there is an almost equal probability of a male or female calf. A dairy farmer rears a female calf in expectation of milk, while a male is reared for either meat or for use as a draught animal. It is the combined economics of milk, meat and harness that makes investments possible in dairy industry. If any of the three pillars is disturbed, the economics of dairy industry is badly affected. In most developed countries, there is no use of animal in harness but demand for meat helps balance the economics of dairy industry. In ancient India, extensive use of bullocks as draught animals made dairy farming viable even without the use of meat. In modern India, on one hand, subsidies on electricity for farming, tractors, diesel etc. have eliminated the need to use animals for ploughing and carriage of goods. On the other hand, a plethora of restrictions on bovine meat have effectively prevented Indian dairy farmers from getting a reasonable price for bovine meat. This has rendered male bovine animals completely useless thereby affecting the economics and growth of the Indian dairy industry.
India exports almost ten million tonnes of de-oiled cakes every year to countries like Pakistan, Iran, Thailand, Korea, Japan etc. who have a better developed dairy industry. De-oiled cakes are rich in proteins and are primarily used as ingredient for animal feed. In addition to causing protein deficiency in an impoverished country like India, export of de-oiled cakes disturbs the Nitrogen cycle of nature causing the soil to lose fertility. Animals perform a useful ecological function by consuming non-edible nitrogenous matter like cellulose and de-oiled cakes. Faecal matter of animals completes the nitrogen cycle and enriches the soil. In the absence of sufficiently large number of animals, agriculture starts losing its long term viability. Hence, it is necessary that the economics of Indian dairy farming is strengthened so that Indian de-oiled cakes can be fed to Indian animals which are essential pre-requisite for maintaining soil fertility over the long term.
Cow dung also plays a minor albeit important role in dairy economics. Heavy subsidies on chemical fertilizers have reduced the demand for cow dung. This has made it impossible for any dairy farmer to feed a non-milking cow.
Dairy industry plays a vital role in the agro-based economics of India. Strengthening dairy industry is essential for removing poverty of the large majority of Indian population which is living even today in rural areas. The three pillars of dairy farming economics – Milk, Meat and Use in Harness – need to be strengthened. Just as National Dairy Development Board has done commendable work in the field of milk, there is an urgent need for similar work in the field of meat. Government of India should set a target to eliminate exports of de-oiled cakes in the next five to ten years. Subsidies on tractors, diesel, farm-use-electricity, chemical fertilizers should be gradually eliminated. Use of mineral fuel based vehicles should be banned in certain dense areas of cities and in such areas only human and animal powered vehicles should be permitted. This will not only increase utility of animals in harness but will also help reduce pollution in Indian city centres that have become almost inhabitable. Use of modern technology should be promoted in animal powered vehicles.
Hindu religion is based on “SANATAN” truths – facts and principles that have always been true and shall always are. It was this understanding of SANATAN truth that led the Lord Shiva who is known as a God of destruction being also called Lord PASHUPATINATH, the deity that is the owner and protector of all animals. Shiva family carries with it a symbolism that illustrates the concept of mutual dependence of beings for food and other needs. The vehicle of Shiva is a bullock while his wife Parvati’s vehicle is a lion that preys on bullock. Shiva’s son Ganesha moves around on a rat while snakes (who eat rats) hang around the neck of Lord Shiva. On the other hand snakes are devoured by peacock which is the vehicle of Shiva’s other son Kartik. Cycle of nature is based on such mutual dependence and mutual checks & balances. One who understands this cycle and does not get disturbed by death is a wise man. He accepts death as a necessary routine. Commitments towards life rather than concerns about death are the guiding principles for all his actions. DHARMA (loosely translated as duty or religion) is not in avoiding death nor is it in fearing death nor is it in worrying about or grieving over death. Life and living life is DHARMA. If moved by the fears of death non-violence weakens life and if violence accepts death to eventually strengthen life, then violence is DHARMA and non-violence is ADHARMA (antonym or antitheses of DHARMA). This is the philosophy of Gita and this is the way of upliftment of any society.
to be continued
About the Author
Dedicated to my teachers in school like AB AHAD AKOON,MOHD SADULLAH SOFI.SARWAR NAND,NARINGEN NATH AND Gope krishan moza
I have apleasure to refer many views and comments from the Dr Anil Chawlas web paper who access is free for like as of mine,nevertheless I acknowkedge and thank him for its use
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