Hindu tradition says that the Sun, Moon, Agni, Varuna, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva salute the person who donates a cow. Such is the merit associated with cow donation in Hindu belief.

Hindus believe that the cow represents the divine, and hence, they venerate it. It is also associated with many Hindu deities like Shiva (whose mount is the bull, Nandi), Indra (who is associated with Kamadhenu, the wish-fulfilling cow), Krishna (who was a cowherd in his youth), and many goddesses (on account of their maternal attributes). The cow is also seen as an animal that gives us many things, including milk, which nourishes us. Hence, it is a symbol of motherhood and Mother Earth.

History of Cow Worship

Indians worshipped cows as early as the Vedic period (2nd millennium–7th century BCE). The Indo-Europeans who arrived in India in the 2nd millennium BCE lived a pastoral life. Cows were important to them in economic terms, and their religion reflected this. While it is true that people in those days sacrificed cattle and also ate their meat, cow slaughter was increasingly frowned upon as they were milch animals. In some parts of the Mahabharata, the great Indian epic, and the Manu Smriti, a religious and ethical code, this is evident. The Rig Veda says that no one should kill a milch cow. The use of Panchagavya, the five products obtained from cows – milk, curd, butter, urine, and dung – for healing, purification, and penance speaks of the veneration shown towards cows.

After the ideal of Ahimsa (nonviolence) took root in the country, the need and desire to harm living creatures lessened considerably, and cow sacrifice became a thing of the past. Also, the cow came to be identified with the priests or Brahmins, so killing a cow became a grave crime, the equivalent of killing a Brahmin. The Gupta kings made cow killing a capital offense in the middle of the 1st millennium CE. In many princely states ruled by Hindu monarchs, there were laws against cow killing well into the 20th century.

The cow’s importance in the Hindu worldview stems from two factors. One concerns religion, and the other concerns science.

Religious Importance

In the Puranas, it is said that all the major Hindu deities dwell in the cow’s body. They include Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Lakshmi, Saraswati, the Pitrus, etc. The Devas reside in the cow’s hair and Dharma in its feet.

Similarly, the Lokas, Vedas, Agni, and Yajna(Fire Worship)are present in the cow. Hence, cows are holy and auspicious.

Panchamrit, which is the ‘nectar of the Gods,’ is used as Prasad (food offered to the gods). Milk, yogurt, ghee, honey, and liquid jaggery are its ingredients. People believe that when they consume it, they will be filled with the divine energy created during the Pooja.

Panchagavya (milk, ghee, curd, butter, dung, and urine of the cow) are all used for worship and death ceremonies. Taking care of one cow is the equivalent of 1000 Yajnas(fire sacrifice).

Cows nourish us by giving us milk. If a newborn baby’s mother dies in childbirth, or she has no breastmilk, cow’s milk is given to it as it is as pure as the mother’s milk.

Scientific Importance:

Supposedly, when cow dung and ghee are burnt as fuel in the sacred fire, it purifies the air due to its anti-pollutant and anti-radiation qualities.

The milk of the cow is very nourishing for children and adults, as it is rich in nutrients.

People use gobar or cow dung as fuel in many Indian households, especially in villages. The methane in it can produce heat and electricity.

Houses in rural India are often plastered with a mixture of mud and cow dung that protects the floors and walls from very hot or cold temperatures.

Cow dung is used as fertilizer as it is rich in minerals.

Go mutra or the urine of cows is believed to have medicinal properties. Supposedly, it can cure ailments like liver disease, obesity, and even cancer.

Benefits of Go Daan or Cow Donation

Go Daan is the practice of donating a cow to a Brahmin. It is an ancient ritual that is still in vogue. In earlier days, kings and other important personages used to donate cows to Brahmins. It was seen as a very meritorious deed that could benefit the giver and his descendants. The belief is that a Hindu should donate at least one cow during their lifetime.

Cow donation is done for many reasons, and they have many benefits. They include:

*Removal of sins (Paap Dhenu Go Daan)

*Relief from debts (Karj Mukti Dhenu Go Daan)

*Helps to attain enlightenment (Moksha Dhenu Go Daan)

*Forgiveness for wrongdoings (Prayaschit Dhenu Go Daan)

*Get Moksha at the end of one’s life (Vaitarani Dhenu Go Daan)

If you want to donate a cow, the good news is that you can now do cow donation online.