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3. The murderer of a Brāhmaṇ becomes consumptive, the killer of a cow becomes hump-backed and imbecile, the murderer of a virgin becomes leprous,--all three born as outcastes.

The Garuda Purana, by Ernest Wood and S.V. Subrahmanyam, [1911]

In Hinduism, does the word "cow" refer to just one type of domesticated bovine animals, the Indian cattle or is it more of a concept that applies to all domesticated milk-producing animals?

For example, is the water buffalo (pictured below) considered a cow?

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What about camels, goats and other milk-producing animals?

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If buffaloes, camels and goats are not "cows", then does it follow that there's no sin associated with killing any of these for their meat or at least it's less sinful than killing a cow (gohatya)?

Say No To Censorship
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1 Answers1

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By definition, every 'mammal' produces milk. Dogs are domesticated, cats are domesticated, pigs, goats, camels, horses, elephants - all produce milk.

Even lions and tigers can be domesticated.

And you are asking if, according to Hinduism, all mammals are cows ?

No.

The word 'cow' is derived from Sankrit 'Go' shabda. Pashu means animal. Go-Hatya is the sin mentioned above. Killing other animals may also be a sin depending on circumstances, but not as grave.

In fact, Shastras allow lying in very few circumstances. One of them is to save a cow's life.

ram
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  • Lions and Tigers can be tamed. They are not domesticated. – DirghaChintayanti Nov 20 '17 at 02:11
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    'Dogs are domesticated, cats are domesticated, pigs, goats, camels, horses, elephants - all produce milk' - yes, but from that list, people only drink camel & goat milk AFAIK. What about water buffalo or the 'Jersey' cow? I'm asking which specific species of milch cows does the term 'go' (गो) apply to... – Say No To Censorship Nov 20 '17 at 03:30
  • @sv- "I'm asking which specific species of milch cows does the term 'go' (गो) apply to" Only desi cows. Apparently these have a special nerve in their hump that is missing in other species (of cows and cattle). There is a whole movement going on about a+ milk. Only desi cows produce a+ milk. No other cow species. –  Nov 20 '17 at 03:41
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    @moonstar2001 What about water buffalo, is it desi or not? Wikipedia says they were domesticated in/around India 5000 years ago. – Say No To Censorship Nov 20 '17 at 04:05
  • @sv - It may be indian but the word go does not apply to it. it applies only to desi cows as opposed to jersey cows and other breeds. The operative words are both "desi" and "cow" not just desi and not just any cattle or any mammal. What kind of crazy Q is this anyway sv? Have you ever in your life, ever heard the word go being used for goats, buffaloes, camels , sheep, cats and dogs? Even if you were not aware of the sanskrit/scriptural term? –  Nov 20 '17 at 10:53
  • @moonstar2001 "The operative words are both "desi" and "cow" not just desi and not just any cattle or any mammal." - do you have sources to back this up or this is just your personal philosophy? 'What kind of crazy Q is this' - I find it ironic that as a kid I drank buffalo milk and now (I think) I'm drinking Jersey milk and yet according to you Hinduism doesn't protect these 2 types of cows. – Say No To Censorship Nov 20 '17 at 15:40
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    @moonstar2001 Now one of two explanations can be offered for this 1) The Śāstras themselves are crazy 2) Just the people are crazy to interpret the words of sages literally and apply them to just one desi breed of cows. I think the latter is more plausible. – Say No To Censorship Nov 20 '17 at 15:42
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    @sv 1. re: the penultimate comment - How did you go from "don't kill desi cow" to "kill jersey cows and buffaloes"? 2. re: the last comment - For someone bent on "disproving" sastra, any logical fallacy will do. –  Nov 20 '17 at 17:07
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    @moonstar2001 "How did you go from don't kill desi cow to kill jersey cows and buffaloes?" - Did you know India is one of the biggest exporters of water buffalo meat? Please explain me in layman's terms how most Hindus don't have an objection to killing water buffalo for the meat business and yet the Indian bred cow is considered sacred? So you deliberately choose to overlook the hypocrisy and be content with literal interpretation of the śāstras? – Say No To Censorship Nov 20 '17 at 18:08
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    @moonstar2001 'for someone bent on disproving śāstras...' - like most Hindus I only take the 'good stuff' and ignore the 'bad stuff.' However, sometimes I don't hesitate to question the fundamentals. Genuine criticism of any subject is allowed in Hinduism. That is how knowledge grows, IMO. – Say No To Censorship Nov 20 '17 at 18:18
  • @sv, the questions says "is it more of a concept that applies to all domesticated milk-producing animals" - and now you said "which specific species of milch cows does the term 'go' (गो) apply". Could you edit the question, cos otherwise, it seems like you're asking about dogs & cats too. In general, it would seem cruel to say 'only cows originally from bharata should be saved'. Nowadays we have mixed breeds, and the type of milk they produce may not have been suitable for yagnas done in olden days due to the type of butter/ghee they produced. – ram Nov 20 '17 at 19:16
  • @sv, Since common man cannot differentiate between native breeds (like the ones we see in Brindavan, with droopy ears), and mixed ones from foreign origin, we say to protect cows in general. But if you look at some traditional goshalas, they are particular about protecting the native breeds, since that must have been the intent of shastras. Don't ask me why or which shastra said it. We give lot of importance to purity of bloodline, not because it confers status, but it confers gunas, and not just for humans. – ram Nov 20 '17 at 19:20
  • @sv - Shastras specifically praise 'Go' samrakshanam, not 'Mahishi' (buffalo) samrakshanam. Before you assume and throw out terms like hypocrisy, first read and understand what shastras say. – ram Nov 20 '17 at 19:25
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    @ram 'Could you edit the question, cos otherwise, it seems like you're asking about dogs & cats too.' - I don't think the question needs an edit. Read it again. The first example I gave is clearly talking about the water buffalo. I only mentioned camels, goats and water buffaloes. I never said cats and dogs. By 'milk-producing', I meant for human consumption. It should've been obvious I was only referring to milch animals not all mammals. But you mistakenly assumed all animals/mammals ('Pashu means animal'). "...not 'Mahishi' (buffalo) samrakshanam" - please add this to your answer. – Say No To Censorship Nov 20 '17 at 20:17
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    @ram "first read and understand what shastras say" - since you consider yourself the expert on śāstras, why don't you explain to everyone why you don't see any hypocrisy in exporting one type of beef, the water buffalo meat, but not the indigenous cow meat. From what I understood, the real intent of the shastras is to not indulge in killing any domesticated milch animal - buffalo, goat or camel. Treat them like family. Maybe it's you who doesn't "get" the real meaning of the śāstras. – Say No To Censorship Nov 20 '17 at 20:24
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    @sv, In olden days Vedic people would not drink buffalo milk or goat milk or camel milk. So, there was no need for shastras to say protect them. Like I said earlier, the goal is ahimsa - all animals must be protected. I'm pretty sure Hindus are also against killing buffaloes for meat. Basically, anything whose milk you drink becomes your mother, and you shouldn't kill them for meat after their milch days are over. But that falls under the ahimsa & gratitude umbrella of shastras. Tomorrow, if we start drinking cat's milk, then we should not kill cats either. – ram Nov 21 '17 at 00:04
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    @sv, But maybe shastras didn't go into that detail cos they don't want us drinking non-cow milk. and if circumstances boil down to protecting EITHER cow OR bufallo, the cow is to be protected, because cow's milk is what should be used for ghee, which is used for yagna, which brings rain. In any case, it doesn't seem like your goal is to protect both cows & buffalo. It seems like your goal is to just point out the 'seeming' hypocrisy. I don't know why you always take an antagonistic stance, as though your mission is to either deride (or rectify) Hinduism. – ram Nov 21 '17 at 00:06
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    @ram "Tomorrow, if we start drinking cat's milk, then we should not kill cats either." - maybe you can add this to your answer because that's exactly what I asked in my question as well. '...as though your mission is to either deride (or rectify) Hinduism..' - my only mission is to find the truth on any given subject. Please show me where I've derided Hinduism or Hindu scripture. Simply expressing one's views and pointing out a wide spread hypocrisy among the public and even the śāstras will upset a lot of people. It's difficult to be politically correct these days. – Say No To Censorship Nov 22 '17 at 19:14
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    @ram Also, you need to remember this is a Q&A site. So it's best not to assume things about OP. Better to answer objectively and leave it at that. – Say No To Censorship Nov 22 '17 at 19:16