The cow has been a symbol of wealth in India since ancient times. However, they were neither inviolable nor revered in the same way they are today. The cow was possibly revered because Hindus relied heavily on it for dairy products and for tilling the fields, and on cow dung as a source of fuel and fertilizer. Thus, the cow’s status as a caretaker led to identifying it as an almost maternal figure (hence the term gau mata (cow mother)). In the olden days cattle being limited to select few fortunate folks, the cows enjoyed the status that gold or money enjoys today. In addition, it has been suggested by author and orator Terence McKenna that religious reverence for the cow is a result of early humankinds association of psilocybin mushroom with it, this association having developed as a result of the discovery of said mushrooms in the animals excrement. Panchagavya, a mixture of five products of cow milk, curd, ghee, urine and dung, is consumed in Brahmanical rituals. The mixture is also smeared on ulcers as a healing product.
Posted on: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 10:26:17 +0000
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