Keep the horses happy

Q: Expensive and time-consuming efforts are being made to rescue and rehabilitate animals threatened by the Gulf oil spill. Do animals have rights? Do animals have souls? What does your faith say about animal consciousness, suffering, sacrifice and stewardship? Dr. Paul Waldau, a lecturer in animal law at Harvard Law School , says, "Religion is a major player in the way humans think about other living beings." What does that mean to you?

Hindus believe that humans can be reborn as animals and animals as human beings.

Out of ten avatars (incarnations) of Vishnu, three-and-a-half--Matsya (fish), Kurma (tortoise), Varaha (boar), Narasimha (man-lion)--were animal forms.

"Keep the horses happy", says Rig-Veda, the oldest existing scripture of Hinduism and mankind. "The great heavenly bird with wonderful wings...I call to him for help", Rig-Veda adds.

Talking about the faces of God, Svetasvatara Upanisad points out: You are the dark blue bird, you are the green bird...

Hanuman, sometimes referred to as monkey-god, is greatly revered in Hinduism. Besides incredible strength and changing shape at will and flying, Hanuman was believed to be a perfect grammarian, great scholar and excelled in all the sciences. According to a legend, even while he was still an infant, he intimidated the sun. In Mahabharata war, flag on Arjuna's chariot driven by Krishna displayed Hanuman. According to a belief, all the planets were under his control.

Everything related to cow is considered sacred. There is profuse vocabulary in Hinduism about various stages of cow's life and Krishna was associated with it. A Chola king is said to have proclaimed execution of his son for accidental cow killing. Hindus establish gosalas, homes for cows, where cows are looked after and fed till they die of natural causes.

Many Hindu deities are linked to an animal vahana (vehicle), like Durga with lion. Upanisads, Puranas, and other Hindu writings classify the animal kingdom. Siva is said to have given life to different species while Brahma also had some hand in it. Snakes, bulls, peacocks, elephants, etc., enjoy special religious attention. Birds are considered to have approach to heavenly domains. One of the earliest Nathas, Matsyendra, was linked to a fish. A fish named Timi finds mention in ancient Hindu writings, who with its associate fishes created infinite cosmic column. Crocodile Makara significantly figures in Hindu literature, being associated with Kama and Varuna. Many temple carvings show pictures of various animals. Upanisads often give simile of fish, snake, spider, birds, etc.

Animal-knowledge used to be considered a necessary study if one wished to understand the universal mysteries. Ayurveda provided cures for animal illnesses.

By Rajan Zed  |  June 14, 2010; 9:26 PM ET Save & Share:                 
Previous: The 'compromised pacifist' position on animal rights | Next: Non-human animal rights and souls

The comments to this entry are closed.