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Contemporary Hindus believe that cows are the most sacred animals and should not be eaten. There are even groups in North India that kill people who eat cows.

However, many of the Dharma Shastras, such as the Apastamba Dharma Sutras, say you can kill cows in Vedic sacrifices and eat them:

  1. [But the meat] of milch-cows and oxen may be eaten.
  2. The Vājasaneyaka declares ‘bull’s flesh is fit for offerings.’

The cow isn't even in the list of "forbidden creatures to eat" list:

  1. Eating the meat of forbidden [creatures],
  2. for example:— a dog, a human, village cocks or pigs or carnivorous animals

However, verse 29 does say this:

  1. [Nor can one eat the meat] of one-hoofed animals, of camels, of the Gayal [wild cow], of village pigs, of Sarabhas, and of cattle.

But it is immediately followed by verse 30 listed above, which says "but milch cows and oxen may be eaten".

Then, later on there is a verse that says this:

  1. [The same penance as for killing a Shudra must be performed], if a milch-cow or a full-grown ox [has been slain] without a reason.

The commentator, Haradatta, says that a reason for hurting a cow is due to anger or for meat:

‘A reason’ for hurting a cow is, according to Haradatta, anger, or for meat.

So this probably means you can eat the breeds of bovine that are limited to milch (dairy) cows, oxen, and bulls, but not other breeds of cattle (such as the Gayal).

So, having said all this, where did the notion that cows are sacred come from?

Ikshvaku
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  • Read manu smriti. People keep using apasthamba dharma sutras on fanatic sites, cows and bulls can be used in yajna, but many smriti says that there is no greater virtue than protecting cow. – Anubhav Jha Feb 12 '18 at 05:16
  • See the following posts: https://hinduism.stackexchange.com/questions/19213/do-the-vedas-order-killing-of-the-sinner-who-kills-a-cow https://hinduism.stackexchange.com/questions/12485/what-does-the-atharva-veda-say-about-cows https://hinduism.stackexchange.com/questions/9247/cow-and-position-of-devas – Rickross Feb 12 '18 at 05:30
  • Rigveda compares, cow to aditi the mother of devas, that's where the "mother cow" comes in India, offcource brahmanas allow to kill cows for sacrifice but milch cows, sacrifice is considered non killing, in short-cow has always been sacred for Hindus, except for purva mimansakas who mostly derive their religion from brahmanam texts. – Anubhav Jha Feb 12 '18 at 06:25
  • Wow! 2 downvotes for an excellent question?! You can find answers in the book: The Myth of the Holy Cow by D. N. Jha. You maybe able to find a free version on archive.org. – Say No To Censorship Feb 12 '18 at 16:53
  • @sv. Holy cow is not a myth, cows are allowed to be sacrificed in yajnas but scriptures also say that there is no great virtue than protecting a cow. Both right wingers and left wingers write books according to their own bias. Cow has always been sacred for Hindus. All texts including Vedas and puranas talk about that. – Anubhav Jha Feb 13 '18 at 06:15
  • @AnubhavJha "Cow has always been sacred for Hindus." - read the book, come back and discuss. If the cow is so pure why is a horse's mouth purer than a cow? (see this question) 'cows are allowed to be sacrificed in yajnas' - humans were also sacrificed in yajnas does that make it right 'under the right circumstances?' – Say No To Censorship Feb 13 '18 at 16:09
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    @sv. I have already read that book, it's hocus pocus by a left winger, also humans were not sacrificed where did you get your information from? Some fanatic propagandist Muslim site? – Anubhav Jha Feb 13 '18 at 16:11
  • @sv. I think you're talking about purush medh and nara medh, they are actually mock rituals not involving actual killing of humans. Read the answer here - https://hinduism.stackexchange.com/questions/11203/why-manushya-bali-human-sacrifice-was-practised-in-ancient-times – Anubhav Jha Feb 13 '18 at 16:14
  • @AnubhavJha "Some fanatic propagandist Muslim site?" - LOL, no, Srimad Bhagavatam a.k.a Bhagavata Purana. Here's the verse [Thereafter, the famous King Hariścandra, one of the exalted persons in history, performed grand sacrifices by sacrificing a man and pleased all the demigods. In this way his dropsy created by Varuṇa was cured.] -- why don't you read your own scriptures with an unbiased mind instead of going around labeling people as 'right wingers' and 'left wingers'? – Say No To Censorship Feb 13 '18 at 16:20
  • @sv. Now read the link I gave above, that link talks about the "purush medh" the same one in bhagvatam, except for its namesake there is no human killing involved, just because it's name is "human sacrifice" does not make it "human-killing-sacrifice" – Anubhav Jha Feb 13 '18 at 16:23
  • @sv. It's a mock ritual, except for its namesake humans are not "actually" killed in it. – Anubhav Jha Feb 13 '18 at 16:24
  • Let us continue this discussion in chat. – Say No To Censorship Feb 13 '18 at 16:24

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