The Holy Cow vs. The Loyal Dog

There is a global question as to why the cow is regarded as holy/sacred in India by Hindus. This article attempts to demystify this by analysing the cultural reasons for the attitudes towards cows and also understand why certain other cultures love dogs. This article will focus on the Anglo-Saxon base cultures with respect to dogs, since many nations in the world, India included, emulate these cultures. 

Historically, in traditional India, dogs had no place in society; however, Indians learnt to adopt dogs as pets during colonisation. You will also find in this article, the curious reason as to why in India, dogs are generally given Anglican names and spoken to usually in English by the educated, while cows are given traditional names and spoken to only in vernacular.

At a deeper level, humans tend to associate with those animals with whom their cultural psychology (which is mostly sub-conscious) matches, and one can find that while Western cultures equate dogs with humans, Hindus in India elevate the cow to divinity.

Note: Reference to cows in this article is to ‘Asiatic cows’ indigenous to India, with respect to the temperament and general behaviour of cows.

THE LOYAL DOG

Geography and Culture:

Cultural Psychology develops over large periods of time, and naturally, the longer it takes, the longer it lasts. Geography plays a crucial role in the development of a culture and its philosophies. In order to understand this, let us travel back in time to the 5th century A.D, to Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands which were occupied by tribes such as the Saxons, Angles and Jutes.

The winters were long and bitter, and of course there was no technology of the sort that exists today. Life was mostly about surviving the coming winter. There was limited time, perhaps restricted to a few summer months, to build and repair shelters, hunt, gather and store food, and even fight wars. Time and material management were inherently crucial to survival.

Psychologically, there would be an aversion in these cultures to winter, since it is a killer. Winter however is cyclic, and the aversion could have caused an anti-cyclic mentality which then becomes conducive to linearity. The Anglo-Saxon culture, over time, shaped by events like the industrial revolution, became a highly linear minded culture and sought to conquer nature, which through its cyclic winters, appeared year after year that one had to survive.

Hunting was the prime source of procuring meat. The animal that assists the hunter is the dog.

Meat and other food that is procured needed to be guarded from thieves and scavengers, be they animal or human, and it is the dog that provides excellent security and protection. Dogs were quite critical to livestock farming too, serving as deterrents to predators.

Conquest of the external world:

Western civilisation, influenced by its greek roots and the anti-cyclic mentality are both about a conquest of the external world. Greek culture is about winning and the conquest of others, kingdoms and land, and the anti-cyclic mentality is about the conquest of nature.

There is a tendency to control the external world, and the dog is an animal that can be trained to obey, and can display absolute loyalty to it’s mistress/master. This could make the dog suitable to this particular psychology that seeks to impose and maintain control. 

Territoriality & temperament:

Today, dogs provide much emotional support to their owners and could be as, or more pampered than children in homes in the West. One of the most noble and practical uses is that of guide-dogs for the visually challenged, besides their use in crime detection and prevention.

In older days however, their uses would be predominantly in hunting and as guard and shepherd dogs, since by instinct, they tend to be territorial. There is much debate about dogs not being territorial, but one only needs to see them spray scent - marking territory, to disperse ideas to the contrary. Territoriality is also a trait of the Western mind, be it the Roman civilisation, conquest of the Americas or the colonisation of the world. The dog thus finds common ground in certain traits that make it compatible as a pet and animal of practical use.

Dogs are highly excitable creatures and generally, cannot control the display of their emotions, be it vocal or the wagging of the tail or running around burning the ground. They however, can be trained to behave. Called man’s best friend, the release of Oxytocin in both humans and dogs during mutual interactions has proven to be emotionally beneficial. The affection and love that dogs display to their masters is reciprocated well since they too seek the same from their masters. 

We could say that for such reasons as listed above, the dog, with its specific traits matches the role of a pet to the specific cultural psychology that developed in the West.

THE HOLY COW

Geography and Culture:

If we take a detour now to India around the same period - 5th and 6th centuries A.D, for the sake of comparison, one would find relatively moderate weather and while the European tribes dreaded and detested the oncoming winter, Indians eagerly awaited another natural cyclic phenomenon - the life giving monsoon, and that is because of a society that was predominantly agrarian.

Economics:

The animals that are crucial to an agrarian society are cattle.

A conducive climate and mineral enriched soil assured the growth of a variety of spices and vegetables which, in conjunction with religious beliefs, led to high rates of vegetarianism in India.

‘Ghee’ or clarified butter has always been the preferred base cooking element in India. Cattle were equated with wealth. Cows provided milk (from which various by products such as ghee, butter, yoghurt and cheese were extracted) and dung which served as fuel upon drying. Typically, a cow gives much more than one invests in it and for a food culture that depends much on milk and its by-products, it is an economic boon.

Temperament & religious significance:

Just as Western cultures found kinship in dogs due to their cultural development, attitudes towards cows in India too were shaped by its culture and beliefs.

The divinity associated with cows in India is deeply connected to the philosophies and religious beliefs that took root in the land and there are deeply logical reasons as to why the cow is considered sacred.

Conquest of oneself - the quest within:

In contrast to the European dread of winter, Indians looked forward to the cyclic event of the monsoon and would have developed a pro-cyclic mentality which resulted in a predominance of cyclic philosophies and behaviours.

In India, the indigenous religions all sought liberation by the conquest of oneself and turned inwards rather than to the external world. The mind is the instrument of perception and its conquest is necessary in order to find universal truths. It is believed that every truth of the universe exists in the mind and not in the external world. When the apple dropped, the answer to gravity emerged from the mind of Newton and not from the apple. The event was only a stimulus.

Virtues and qualities:

The qualities associated with self realisation from within, are serenity, tranquillity and inner peace. Excitement and sensory stimulation are to be shunned. While the asiatic cow is generally serene and tranquil. dogs as we know, are highly excitable.

The Hindu trinity of gods is quite well known. Shiva is known as the destroyer, however, this destruction is not merely about the destruction of the material world as we know it. It is about the destruction of certain qualities in humans that make them inhuman.

Vishnu is the preserver of the world and the restorer of values when they enter a state of high deterioration, by taking ‘Avatars’ or incarnations to guide mankind back on to the path of righteousness or ‘Dharma’.

Brahma is the creator of the human world as we know it. The creator of humans with their limitations, for if humans were not limited, there would be no material world since everyone would be liberated. Brahma thus is not worshipped, for he has limitations which are echoed in the material world.

In Hinduism, at the highest level, there are two paths to liberation. The path of Shiva, known as the ‘Nivritti Marga’. This is the way of the ascetic who shuns society, and seeks liberation and self realisation, free from the bonds and duties demanded by social life. The dog is associated with the way of the ascetic, although, the dog is never tamed or domesticated and is allowed to live by its own free will unlike in Western society where a dog is leashed and domesticated.

The other path is that of Vishnu, known as ‘Pravritti Marga’ which seeks liberation living within society and performing one’s obligations and duties and living righteously.

The cow is associated with Vishnu’s way and is regarded as holy due to some reasons we will look at. The path of asceticism does not cater to the rules of society, while the householder’s path has several rules of dharma (Righteous conduct) associated with it.

Dogs were not really accepted as pets in traditional Indian culture, while cows were worshipped. The rationale was that dogs are excitable and have no control over their emotions. They do not hesitate in engaging in mating anywhere, once their hormones are in overdrive. Dogs love unconditionally, but they also expect and enjoy being loved in return. Even in the path of Shiva, dogs would generally be left to their independence.

In Hinduism, the earth is equated with a cow, simply because it gives without asking for anything in return. It is a provider with a big heart and has no expectations. and this very quality is equated with the divine.

Similarly, cows ask for nothing, not even love and affection, and they only give. This behaviour in Hinduism represents ‘selfless service’ and is regarded as the highest form of action, where you do things for others with absolutely no expectations whatsoever - not even gratitude.

Cows were seen to represent serenity and perceived to be dignified and representative of the nature of what Hindus strived to be. ‘Selfless service’ is called ‘Nishkama Karma’ or ‘action without desire’ and is considered as one of the best paths to liberation. This is Karmayoga or the path to liberation through selfless service.

Cows, due to their temperament are also perceived to be serene and independent, displaying equanimity. They are emotionally self content, do not seek assurances or affection, nor do they display pride, possessiveness or jealousy, and these are regarded behaviours displayed by the saintly or divine. Dogs on the other hand, represent those human weaknesses that are to be conquered.

Hence while dogs may represent the effects of adrenaline, Hinduism is all about the conquest of adrenaline.

Dharma or ‘Righteous conduct in accordance with nature’:

Dharma is righteous conduct in accordance with nature, meaning one has to be always sensitive to nature and as in Western definitions, this does not merely mean external material nature like mountains trees and wildlife, but the very ‘nature’ or ‘natural tendencies’ of all living beings, human and animals alike,

Hence by its very nature a dog may not be regarded as suitable to domestication while a cow is, since one does not need to exercise control in order to domesticate it. And that is why a dog too is left to its independent will in the path of Shiva. Shiva is also represented by the bull ‘Nandi’ which can never be domesticated unless it is castrated. In Dharma, accordance with the nature of every living being must be maintained.

Cows are also herbivores, and dogs are carnivores. In Hinduism it is believed that to attain purity of mind, one must consume what is known as ‘Sattvic’ food, and meat is excluded.

The inclusive ethos of Hinduism:

While we see that the cow may be associated with Vishnu and the dog with Shiva, nothing in Hinduism is exclusive. While in Western cultures, binary logic and exclusion rule, in traditional Indian culture, multi-valued logic (Wherein all values are true) is predominant. Hence we have the unique incarnation or ‘Avatar’ of ‘Dattatreya’ the wandering saint god who is a combination of the trinity - Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma.

You will find Dattareya accompanied by both cows and dogs. He is a representation of the ultimate oneness of everything in the universe as expounded in Hinduism. You will note that in every picture or representation of Dattatreya, the cow stands serenely and independently, while the dogs keep looking to him for assurance, reflecting the temperaments of both animals. There is much symbolism in Hindu art, and his three heads represent the Hindu trinity of Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. 

Dattatreya is a representation of the ethos of Hinduism that eventually, all are one and are the reflections of the same universal entity.

The colonial period - India adopts dogs:

The East India company landed in India in 1608. When the British systematically occupied India from the 17th century onwards, the thousands of kings in India first picked up on habits from the British such as sports, hunting and yes, dogs.

The British with their organisational, administrative and military skills and technological advances, influenced the kings of India who also began to get involved in hunting. An estimated 100,000 tigers were killed during the British Raj. The common man emulates leaders, as an ancient Sanskrit proverb says, ‘As the king, thus the subject’.

The next three centuries saw the ‘hybridisation’ of Indian culture. This is a rather complex subject, but suffice it to say that Western values, which are in direct contrast with traditional Indian values, were adopted by Indians and due to the unique mentality of Indians, a hybrid culture within which conflicting values existed with no apparent conflict, was created. 

(The subject of Hybridisation is rather complex and f you are interested in details about the hybridisation of Indian culture you can find extensive material in my book ‘The Indian mind at work’)

Achievements to values association:

 ‘Achievements to values association’ is the phenomenon where a certain culture that wishes to reach the levels of achievements of another, considers its values as necessary to that achievement and strives to adopt those values. Indians, exposed to the achievements of the West during the British Raj, began to emulate the colonialists and the West in general. While traditional Hindu society shunned dogs in the past, slowly, the adoption of dogs as pets, came about.

Hybrid Culture in India & the naming of pets:

As mentioned earlier, two conflicting values systems exist in the Indian psyche. One is the traditional values system which results in traditional behaviours. However, the reasons for these behaviours are mostly forgotten, and due to ‘behaviour persistence’, they continue to be enacted over the ages.

The other values system is the one adopted by Indians from the West. These two can be quite at loggerheads, but can co-exist in Indians minds with no apparent conflict. This can though result in rather peculiar behaviours which can cause much confusion to other cultures. Indians however, while generally being blissfully unaware of their hybridity, accept each other’s behaviours since they have collectively grown into the hybrid model.

Several insights about the hybrid values systems in Indians could be had from how one addresses one’s pets. Pet dogs in India are usually given Anglican/Western names. When I was 18, I named my lovely Pomeranian as ‘Fifi’. It is highly unlikely that one would find a dog with a traditional Indian name. There are very few exceptions such as ‘Raja’ which means ‘King’, ‘Moti’ which means ‘Pearl’ and ‘Kaalu’ which means ‘The Black One’. 

You may also find that most educated Indians, converse with their dogs in English. But no Hindu would talk to a cow in English or bestow an Anglican name upon a cow. While you may find dogs called Jimmy, Johnny, Bobby, Julius, Brutus and Rocky in abundance, cows still go by traditional and often, mythological names like Ganga and Saraswati. This phenomenon represents the state of the cultural complexity of the Indian mind, carrying two values systems. This behaviour is representative of India’s hybrid culture.

Thus while the Indian dog owner loves their dog just as any in the world, they may not give it a traditional Indian name, primarily also because most traditional Indian names are connected with the divine, and that honour still resides with the cow.

The author is the founder of Inderact, an organisation dedicated to enhancing India-Global collaborations. He may be contacted on linkedin or at hemant@inderact.com. He is also the author of a book ‘The Indian mind at work’ which is available on amazon.