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.. stuff deleted ..
As Mr. Varadarajan has insisted without details that what I've stated
here is wrong, I have decided to provide general references, and am
willing to provide specific references should he require:
Can someone explain the supreme position of the cow among the animals?
The cow has a special position in Vaishnavism. Legends indicate that
special religious significance was ascribed to the cow during the
churning of the Upanisads. However, as to what that religious
significance entailed, I have no idea.
That the cow and the horse emerged during the "Sagar Manthan" is a
well-known fact. But Mr. Varadarajan can consult the Skanda Purana if
he wishes to read the details. Obviously I have not presumed that
because the cow emerged it must be excluded from being eaten as the
same was obviously not true of the horse. Horse sacrifices were quite
common and known as Ashwamedha yagna.
The Vedas seem use the cow as a metaphor for describing natural
cycles, rain being milk from the udders of the cow received by the
Earth to cause the herbs to grow etc.
This can be found in the Atharva Veda and several slokas of the Rg Veda.
Later on, the cow seems to have become rather special or sacred to the
Brahmins (priest castes) of ancient Bharat (India). Some books
describe the Brahmin belief that one could go to heaven holding on to
the tail of the cow. Thus the breed of cows in Bharat is called by
the name of "Brahmin cattle."
The Brahmin belief that they could go to heaven by holding the tail, I
believe I read in Rawlinson, A Short Cultural History of India. I may
have also read that in Durant. That the breed of cows of Bharat is
called "Brahmin" cattle I learned due to the fact that American cows
were interbred with Indian "Brahmin" cattle due to their higher
resilience to disease though with lower milk production than American
cows.
There are legends describing fights between the Kshatriyas (warrior
castes) and Brahmins over the issue of eating cows, Brahmins refusing
to allow Kshatriyas to kill or eat cows and even refusing to recognize
several lineages of ancient Kshatriyas in an attempt to wipe out the
practice. The Puranas thus describe several Kshatriya lineages as
having become Shudra (menial labor) due to their disrespect for
Brahmins and cows. Subsequently the tradition seems to have stuck,
with the killing of cows gradually disappearing from the Indian
subcontinent due to the restrictions imposed by Brahmins.
Several legends including those of Haihaiya Kshatriya lineages can be
read regarding the above in the Brahma Purana.
As for the reason, I don't think anyone knows if there was one! Thus
far it seems to me that it was largely due to the emotional attachment
of Brahmins towards their cows.
This is obviously my own statement.
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