Interview with Krishna Mohan Gobburu, Volunteer
Austin Hindu Temple and Community Center |
What is Hinduism? |
Q. Do humans and animals have the same value in your religion?
A: Yes, we believe that all living beings are the same. Q. How do gods and goddesses relate to the animals that represent them? A: They have the qualities of that animal. For example, if a god is represented by a lion, that god will be courageous and fierce. Q. What are the most sacred animals in Hinduism? A: The cow is the most sacred. The cow represents life. We get milk and butter from the cow. Cows help families earn money. They are very important. Q. What do Hindus believe about eating the meat of animals? A: Our religion does not give us rules about what you can and cannot eat. Instead, Hinduism gives us wisdom to make wise choices. We try to do no harm to any living being, so for many Hindus, this means we do not eat meat. Q. What does your religion say about using animal products? A: We can use whatever an animal can give us. For example, cows give milk so we can drink milk because this doesn't harm the cow. Q. Why are many Hindus vegetarian? A: Well, we don't want to harm living beings, and most people do not need animal protein. If you are a soldier, then you may need the extra energy that animal protein provides. Q. What happens if you are starving? A: Then it may be necessary to eat animal protein to survive. |
Hindus are a little different compared to other religions because they do not have specific rules about what they can eat. As Krishna Mohan Gobburu said, although many Hindus are vegetarians, Hinduism does not mention anything about not eating meat. Many Hindus decide to be vegetarians because they only want to kill an animal if they must have that strength and protein. But, if a Hindu is a soldier or has a physically demanding job, they may decide to eat meat.
The sacred text of Hindus are the Vedas and the Bhagavad Gita. These texts give the wisdom Hindus use to make decisions about how they live and what they eat. One of the most important rules of Hinduism is to treat animals in well. In contrast to many religions, Hindus think that all living begins have the same value; there is no superior animal. God is in all beings. One animal that many Hindus adore are rats. They have a temple called Karni Mata, located in Rajasthan, India. Hindus believe that the rat symbolizes the cognitive mind. Rats are very intelligent animals and share many behavioral characteristics with humans. They even have the ability to reflect cognitively. The elephant god Ganesh usually rides a rat, and Ganesh is the god of wisdom. Another sacred animal in Hinduism is the cow. Cows can walk the streets, and in Indian culture, it is more wrong to kill a cow than a person. In the Hindu religion, cows take care of humans because they give us milk, meat, leather and other things to sustain life. If you want to learn more about Hinduism visit Austin Hindu Temple and Community Center at www.austinhindutemple.org/
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