Your Status: Logged out Log in

(a)(iii) Explain the significance of cow protection and vegetarianism in Hinduism  

Member rating: 10 out of 10 stars (1 vote) | Words: | Submitted: Tue Feb 14 2006

Page Preview
Preview
Previous 1 of 2 Next

On the left is an image preview of every page of this document, and below are the first 150 words with formatting removed:

(a)(iii) Explain the significance of cow protection and vegetarianism in Hinduism Cow protection and vegetarianism are significant beliefs and values within Hinduism, as there are many teachings on these two topics. Cow protection is mentioned in the early Hindu scriptures the Vedas. Within these four books are references to herds of cattle, and the cow was a sacrificial animal, being appreciated for its role as an offering to the Gods. So cows were used as a sacrifice and the person offering the sacrifice could gain ascension to heaven, especially if numerous sacrifices were offered. Therefore the cow is regarded sacred because from a religious perspective it was used in ritual sacrifice. In ancient Hindu society a Brahmin had a special role as he understood the Vedas and maintained order in the world by performing sacrifices. Therefore people thought it was important to respect the Brahmin and his cow. The cow was...

Get instant access



  • Instant, unlimited access to our documents in full
  • Swap your work for free access, or pay £4.99
  • To see the full version of this document and 147,050 others
Register Now
OR

Receive email updates for this category



  • Simply tell us your email address and receive a weekly Study Help Email for FREE
  • Receive 3 FREE essay views with each email
  • Get all the latest essays from Coursework.Info & discussion from TheStudentRoom.co.uk