For example, Hindu texts often praise vegetarianism, and Hindus may also avoid eating beef because cows are traditionally viewed as sacred.
While cows have provided many benefits in their lives. Therefore, most Hindus in the world abstain from consuming beef. And it is not surprising that there are many cow statues found in ancient sites and sacred sites, as a form of respect for these animals.
The cow, a revered animal in Hinduism
It represents Mother Earth, as it is a source of goodness and its milk nourishes all creatures. Krishna, a central Hindu deity, is often portrayed in stories recounting his life as a cowherd and referring to him as the child who protects cows.
Cattle slaughter in India, especially cow slaughter, is controversial because of cattle's status as endeared and respected living beings to adherents of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism; while being an acceptable source of meat for Muslims, Christians and Jews.
Beef Banned States in India
1000 fine, but slaughtering economically worthless animals is prohibited. Similarly, in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, offenders will be punished with imprisonment of 6 months and a fine of Rs. 1000.
Most Hindus generally avoid consuming beef as it is considered to be unethical and immoral. This is because a cow is a sacred animal in the Hindu religion and is worshipped by the people. However, Muslims and Christians engage in the consumption of beef very often.
Penalty for slaughter of cows: Imprisonment which is a minimum of 1 year and a maximum of 7 years AND a fine which is not less than Rs. 5,000.
Hindus do not consider the cow to be a god and they do not worship it. Hindus, however, are vegetarians and they consider the cow to be a sacred symbol of life that should be protected and revered. In the Vedas, the oldest of the Hindu scriptures, the cow is associated with Aditi, the mother of all the gods.
Hindus, who make up about 80 per cent of India's 1.4 billion people, are not prohibited from eating pork, but many consider the meat impure and this has made restaurants wary about putting it on their menus.
For both religious and practical reasons, the Japanese mostly avoided eating meat for more than 12 centuries. Beef was especially taboo, with certain shrines demanding more than 100 days of fasting as penance for consuming it.
In the Hindu tradition, the cow is honoured, garlanded and given special feedings at festivals all over India, most importantly the annual Gopashtama festival.
In Hinduism, the cow is considered a sacred animal and symbolizes wealth, strength, and motherly love. It is believed to be the earthly representative of the divine and nourishing Mother Goddess, who represents fertility and bountifulness. Their milk is believed to have a purifying effect on human bodies.
While many scholars say early Hindus ate beef, most ultimately came to see the cow as a sacred animal to be esteemed, not eaten.
Pork is a food taboo among Jews, Muslims, and some Christian denominations. Swine were prohibited in ancient Syria and Phoenicia, and the pig and its flesh represented a taboo observed, Strabo noted, at Comana in Pontus.
Beef is always avoided because the cow is considered a holy animal, but dairy products are eaten. Animal-derived fats such as lard and dripping are not permitted. Some Hindus do not eat ghee, milk, onions, eggs, coconut, garlic, domestic fowl or salted pork. Alcohol is generally avoided.
As Hindus however, Balinese never or rarely consume beef. This restriction is especially observed by those who belong to Brahmin and Kshatriya castes. Nevertheless, lesser Gusti (nobles) and common Balinese people might consume beef, albeit rarely.
Dietary avoidance out of politeness. Sikhs also generally avoid eating beef because the cow, the buffalo and the ox are an integral part of rural Sikh livelihoods. Similarly, they avoid eating pork when they are in the company of Muslims. However, there is no religious prohibition about eating beef and pork.
The food that a strict Buddhist takes, if not a vegetarian, is also specific. For many Chinese Buddhists, beef and the consumption of large animals and exotic species is avoided. Then there would be the aforementioned "triply clean meat" rule.
Religion, Belief, and Customs
All Hindu informants referred to pigs as deities. They considered pigs to be sacred animals to be raised and worshiped. According to pig raisers, in the Hindu religion, slaughtering pigs is considered the best offering to satisfy God while performing religious rituals (puja).
The highly revered Hindu God, Lord Ganesha, is said to be a remover of obstacles and a provider of fortune and good luck. Considering this beloved God has been envisioned with an elephant head and a human body, elephants are believed to be an incarnation or representation of Ganesha.
Hinduism has monotheistic (one God) as well as polytheistic (many Gods) elements: the one Ultimate Reality or Supreme Being (Brahman) also exists simultaneously in the deities of the Creator (Brahma), the Sustainer (Vishnu) and the Destroyer (Shiva).
Collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. India has the world's largest dairy herd with over 300 million bovines, producing over 187 million tonnes of milk.
Coming to India, cows are considered sacred in Hinduism and across India, many people own cows, especially in the rural areas, and they treat them like their children. The practice of hugging cows is not new to those who have grown up on farms or around cows – it is only new to those who live in metros and cities.
The majority of Muslim leadership in India has, all along, been always in favour of a nationwide ban on cow slaughter, but somehow successive regimes have refrained from banning it. It has been a hundred years since the Muslim community voluntarily gave up eating beef in India.
Newly born male calves are largely unwanted. They are sent to slaughter, or sent out to fend for themselves. Or they are tied to a pole allowed to die slowly of starvation. Their carcasses are collected to make 'ahimsic' leather products.