NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, ODISHA

SUBJECT
SOCIOLOGY OF SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION
“SEMINAR PAPER”
TOPIC: HOW HINDUISM TREATS ANIMALS AND NATURE
THIRD SEMESTER B.A. L L.B (August-November i2020, Batch of 2019)

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF

Prof. Rita Ray (Adjunct Professor, Sociology)

Ananya Karnwal (2019/B.A.LL.B./020)

1) Treatment of animals by Hindu Gods and myths related to it.

METHODOLOGY

The research method is doctrinal research and analysis. It will be theoretical in nature. Where
the author has opted for interpretation approach, trying to cover the topic in depth. The
readings of various authors and researchers has helped in supporting the research questions.
The paper covers both subjective and objective knowledge based on the readings.

ABSTRACT

Hinduism has a cosmic, rather than anthropocentric, view of the world. Hinduism’s reverence
for nature is not just built into its scriptures, but is encoded, as it were, in its DNA—its
understanding of the cosmos and its devotion to the welfare not just of human beings but of
all creation: plant, animal, or other.

Hindus are expected to see the world around us as something of which we are an
interdependent part; we are embedded in, indeed part of, nature and individual humans are
microcosms of the universe. The five elements—space, air, fire, water and earth—are the
foundation of an interconnected web of life. The essence of the earth, the air we breathe, the
water we drink, is no different from the tree we chop down, the cow we milk, or the mother
we love: all are different manifestations of the same divine spirit or atman into which all will
ultimately merge. The Hindu (and Buddhist and Jain) idea of ahimsa or non-violence applies
to all forms of human, animal and plant life; violence against any of these harms the same
divine essence of which we ourselves are a part.

Hinduism is therefore arguably more profoundly concerned with the relationship between
humans and the environment than any other faith. The scriptures urge people to use the world
unselfishly and with respect for the rest of creation. Environmental movements like the

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Chipko Andolan, in which hill-dwelling women hugged trees to prevent them being razed by
timber contractors, and cultural practices like vegetarianism reflect a deep-seated respect for
life and for the environment that is inbred in most Hindus.

Only Hinduism could have created such a strong belief in cow-worship and opposition to cow
slaughter. Only Hindus could worship nature—many Hindus see the Ganga as a goddess, for
instance—and see the presence of God in the environment. The Hindu respect for frugality
and asceticism, the instinct to recycle and re-use rather than discard, are all born of
consciousness that nature should be treated with care.

Hinduism contains numerous references to the worship of the divine in nature in its
scriptures, in particular the Vedas, which reflect a strong practice of nature-worship, but also
in the Upanishads, Puranas, and other sacred texts. Many Hindus recite mantras that reflect
praise for and concern about the well- being of rivers, mountains, trees, and even animals.
Hindu belief in dharma includes the responsibility to care for nature, and that our treatment of
nature affects our karma in the life beyond.

Hindu traditions envision the earth as a goddess, Devi, a mother deserving of our respect and
gratitude daily for her sustenance of us. Many Hindus are brought up to touch the floor before
getting out of bed every morning, to beg the goddess’ forgiveness for walking upon her. An
example of this is a Hindu housewife cleaning the space outside her doorway to create a
Kolam, a beautiful design made of rice flour—both as an offering to Devi and as an
aesthetically pleasing work of art, but also as a practical way of keeping ants out of her home
by feeding them outside.

The paper examines the importance of animals in Hinduism and how they are treated in
general by various sections people. Animals occupy an important place in Hinduism. They
are frequently mentioned in the Hindu myths and legends and enjoy a place of their own in
Hindu pantheon as vehicles of many gods and goddesses, as divinities and also as
incarnations or aspects of Vishnu or Siva. They embellish and beautify Hindu decorative art
and temple architecture, adorning the outer walls and towers of temples as objects of beauty
or being installed inside as objects of veneration. Animals appear in Buddhism and Jainism
both as divinities and as a part of their decorative art and architecture. Before Mahayana
Buddhism became popular the Buddha was depicted symbolically as an elephant. Mahavira,
the founder of Jainism, is often shown under the hood of a multi headed serpent, a practice,
according to some, was later followed by Vaishnavism.

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Hindus revere many divinities in animal form. Lord Vishnu incarnated upon earth first as a
fish, then as a tortoise and next as a boar. In another incarnation he appeared as half lion and
half man. He is worshipped in all these forms. Lord Siva appeared once in the form of a
sharabha a mythical monster with multiple horns, legs and spikes instead of hair on the body.
Hanuman is a monkey god who assisted Lord Rama ably in the battle of Ramayana. He is
worshipped throughout India and, though of a lesser god, ranks among the foremost in the
Hindu pantheon. Ganesha the elephant headed god and son of Lord Siva and Parvathi is
equally popular, if not more.

Adishesha is a thousand hooded primeval serpent associated with Lord Vishnu, who arises
from the primeval waters (ksiramudra) in the beginning of creation resting on his endless
coils, his thousand hoods providing him the canopy. The serpent symbolically represents the
time and the thousand hoods divisions of time.

Besides Hanuman, animals played an important role in the epic battle of Ramayana.
Jatayuvu, a mythical bird, loses his life fighting against Ravana when he is carrying away
Sita after kidnapping her. During his wanderings in search of Sita, accompanied by his
brother Lakshman, Rama comes across Sugriva, the monkey king of Kishkindha whom he
helps against his brother Bali. Jatayuvu's brother provides a clue to the search party of
monkeys headed by Hanuman that Sita was held in captive by the demon king Ravana. Then
accompanied by an army of monkeys, bears and other animals Rama leaves for Lanka to
rescue his wailing wife. The monkeys and other animals build an incredible bridge across the
ocean to the island country of Ravana. They destroy the vast army of Ravana and help Rama
in rescuing his wife. The story of Ramayana is a reminder of the Hindu belief that in the
universal scheme of things God does not distinguish between humans and animals and that all
living beings have an equal status but play different roles.

In the Hindu pantheon, each god and goddess are associated with an animal as a vehicle.
Symbolically the vehicles represent the animal energies or qualities or skills which need to be
strengthened or sublimated in our lower nature with the help of the divinities who can
transform them. The knowledge of vehicles is therefore very useful in knowing which
divinity can help us in transforming our inner energies.

The paper further focuses on establishing a comparative study about the treatment of animals
in ancient Hindu times and that in the current times. In today’s world, conservation of
animals and environment has come out as one of the most important issues across the globe.

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Constant poaching of animals, grazing of forests, and pollution, global warming, and forest
wildfires have further deteriorated the situation and has resulted in extinction of many rare
animal species. It is high time that we as human beings should learn from the ancient Hindu
practices and beliefs that how animals and nature should be cared for.

In ancient India ascetics and religious teachers lived in forests surrounded by wild life,
practicing tapas (austerities) or teaching students in the gurukulas (religious schools). The
adverse and difficult conditions in the forests offered them an opportunity to practice the
virtues of detachment, humility, equanimity and compassion. Living in harmony with nature,
carrying no weapons and embracing the insecurity and fear they tried to tame and transcend
their animal nature and achieve liberation.

Excavations at the Indus valley sites show that animals played an important role in the
religious and economic lives of the Indus people. The Indus people domesticated cows,
buffaloes, sheep and bulls and probably worshipped animals along with mother goddess and a
prototype of Lord Siva who is depicted in the seals as a yogi seated in a meditative pose
surrounded by animals. Unfortunately, the Indus seals have not been deciphered so far. So we
do not know much about what the Indus people did or how they lived.

Vedic people valued cattle as wealth and preferred to receive them as gifts. The scriptures
repeatedly emphasize the virtue of donating cows to Brahmins on every opportunity. But they
were not much into worshipping animal divinities. They used animals for milk, ghee
(clarified butter), leather, medicine, barter, gifts, cooking and sacrifices. The early Vedic
people sacrificed cows, sheep, oxen, buffaloes and horses. They protected their farmlands
from birds, pests and insects and hunted animals both for recreation and protection of their
villages and cattle. They tanned the hides of animals and used the leather to make bags,
reigns, slings and bowstrings. Animals were also used for meat. Cooking was considered an
art. Both Bhima and Nala excelled in the art of cooking. As time went by, sacrificial
ceremonies became increasingly symbolic with the exception of horse sacrifice. Cows
became sacred animals which cannot be killed both for religious and economic reasons.
Killing cows became a social taboo and a capital offence. The paper concludes with an
overall analysis including a comparative study of ancient and present times. The main issues
include treatment of animals and nature in Hinduism and other beliefs, rituals, and practices
related to it.

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Keywords: History, Animals and Nature, Hinduism, Hindu Gods, Present Laws, Ancient
India

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