The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1882-04-07
Hlndoo Cow Worship.

Della Vale, the Roman traveller, who
visited Western India in the reign OF
James l., says thot the Hindoos in
Cambay, in Guzerat, prevailed on the
Mogul governor with large sum OF
money to prohibit the slaughter OF COWS
or calves under heavy penalties; and
any man at Canbay, Musselman or
otherwise, who disobeyed this order
was in danger OF losing his life. The
Emperor Aurrngzebe was more intol-
Grant, and was detested by the Rsjpoot
princes because he slaughtered cows in
Bajpootana, not for the sake of the
beef, but in spirit Of prosecution and
revenge. As late as the end OF the last
century Tippoo Sultan excited horror
throughout Southern India because he
compelled large numbers of Hindoos
to eat beef, in order to pollute them
beyond all hope of being restored to
their caste, and thus forced them, as it
were, to become Mohammedans. Strange
to say, nearly all the civil posts in his
government were filled by Brahmans !;
while his prime minister was Brahman
of the purest caste. They oil pocketed
the affront TO their religion considera-
tion as they were pocketing large sums
OF money ont of the Golfers OF the State !;
while Tippoo Sultan could not dispense
with their services, since they were the
only educated men in his dominion.
II may naturally be asked what there
is in the COW to command such super
stitious reverence. As q matter Of fact
the worship Of the COW is associated
with one Of the oldest religions in the
world. From the remotest antiquity
the COW has been regarded as the incar.
nation Of the female element in nature
the universal mother, as well as the
giver Of milk and butter, which are the
choicest delicacies in the eyes of pious
and primitive people. The Egyptians
worshiped tho goddess Isis in the form
Of woman with the horns of COW,
The Hindoos worship the COW as an
incarnation Of Lakshmi, the wife OF
Vishnu, the holy, beautiful and pure
ideal Of woman, who rose from out OF
the sea like another Aphrodite. To
wake up In the morning and see COW
is the best omen Of good luck that can
befall Hindoo, just in the same way
that to wake up and see widow drives
him into state OF the most acute appre.
hension Of coming misfortunes. The
ideas OF Hindoos as to beef arc alto
gether different from those of Budd-
hists. The Hindoos regard the COW as
adeity. 1t has been said they would
eat human flesh rather than taste beef !;
and they have been known to perish OF
starvation on board ship rather than
eat salt beef. Yet for all this Brah-
mana krayo1,ur 10 EpOlapJ boro l~oon
known to eat beef and like it. Indeed,
one Brahman boasted during visit to
England that the sacrilegious nourish-
ment cured him OF bad asthma which
had affected him for years, and which
had been originally brought ON by
series of bathings in sacred rivers,
undertaken with the pious view OF
washing away tho sins OF his deceased
father. Buddhists, on tho contrary,
have no superstitious belief in the COW
as divine incarnation, but only object
to killing animals for any purpose
whatever rs contrary to the law of
benevolence and loving kindness and
their objection vanishes in the case of
animals that have died OF natural
death or killed by 30 me one elso. Gotana
Buddha himself died-or rather passed
away into the nothingness OF Nirvana-
from having unfortunately eaten too
much sucking-pig. which had been
provided for his supper by faithful
disciple and Notwithstanding all that
has been said about the respect Of the
Buddhists for anything that has life, it
is certain some OF them will eat almost
anything after it is dead, including rats,
snakes and slugs, provided only that
they theme elves have had nothing to do
with the slaughter.-Pau Mall Gazette