Even before the Rishi came, cow-slaughter was rampant in India. Dayananda not only raised his powerful voice against such killing, but also started a campaign to mobilize public opinion in support of his stand. At Agra, he wrote and published a booklet titled Go Karuna Nidhi [Compassion For The Cow] explaining reasons for cow-protection on economic grounds. He initiated a fund to take care of old and dry cows. This was graciously supported even by some Muslims. His plan was to submit to Queen Victoria a petition signed by thirty million [three crore] people, pleading for a ban on cow slaughter. Through his active encouragement, Arya workers collected hundreds of thousands of signatures. Even kings and princes signed on to the petition. Unfortunately, the Rishi’s untimely death disrupted this noble venture.
Rishi Dayananda explained that in Vedas cow is called Aghnyaa, she who must never be killed. The Rishi knew that opposition to cow-slaughter was perhaps the only issue which would unite all Hindus. Cow is mother and no one would want matricide, he urged. The Swami argued that one cow, throughout its years of bearing calves and yielding milk, would feed 100,000 people all throughout, whereas its meat could hardly feed 80 people. In the category of cow, the Swami included other domesticated animals like buffaloes, bulls, goats and sheep. He pleaded that their indiscriminate and wholesale slaughter was ruining the economy of India.
In addition to the economic argument in favor of preserving the cow, there is also the question of Hindu sentiment and tradition. In an agricultural country like India, cow and bull are almost deified. Mythology says that the earth rests on the horns of the bull, meaning that, in the absence of agricultural machines, the bull is the mainstay of our agriculture and economy. For this reason, the ancient Rishis maintained thousands of cows, and India was famous for being the land flowing with nutritious milk. Children and adults depend on milk and milk-products like yogurt, butter and Ghee to maintain good physical health.
Comments