cows in India

I have to write about cows in India.
There are two kinds of cows in India. There are cows that are "kept" , tied up to something by humans, and cows that are free to roam and fend for themselves. These are the ones that you can commonly catch in the market eating plastic bags with some tasty morsel that was smeared on the inside, or nibbling paper posters off of concrete walls, or munching cardboard boxes (what do you think the nutritional value of a cardboard box is?)
There is a cow in our neighborhood. She is white. In the 8 months that I have been coming and going from this neighborhood, she has been here. She is one of the wandering cows, fending for herself. She is a doe eyed, long eyelashed beauty with two short horns portruding from her forehead. I have seen this particular cow, on more than one occasion, stand at the gate of some house or hotel and moo, begging for scraps. Just like the wandering ascetics of India used to do, the holy men, go house to house and receive donations of food from householders. She does the same thing, and she hangs around exclusively in this neigbourhood. It is the most uncanny thing.
Today I noticed she seems to be looking a bit on the thin side. I stopped and chatted to her and petted her, explaining I was sorry I had no food to give her. She seemed understanding.

Cows, as you probably all know, are holy or sacred to the Hindus. Why is this? you wonder.
I will have to trace it back into the history and mythology of the religion. There is some history of cowherding. I believe the god Shiva was a cowherd and it is thought to be the most noble of tasks to take care of the cows. Cowherding or cow caretaking, is a divine task. And foods taken from the cow: milk, yogurt, butter, etc, are considered of the utmost nutritional value. So she is treated with great respect.

India values different virtues than we do in the west. Whereas we value ambition and strength and possessing material wealth, the Indians value things like patience, forbearance and the ability to gracefully accept conditions as they are. They also value generosity and humility it seems.
The cow is revered for its patient and forebearing nature. The cow is not aggressive, the cow does not throw a tantrum when you have no food to give it, she patiently accepts the situation and waits for a more profitable one to present itself. She is in no hurry. Whatever befalls her, good or bad, she bears it without protest, without opinion. She seems equanimous.

I am having the opinion that cows are different in India. Perhaps because they are considered sacred and revered. Cows are different in India than they are in Nepal even, where you can get a nice juicy steak served up in no time at any restaurant. Cows in India have a different nature, a different quality, a different look on their face.
People don't consider eating meat here because they believe that we are all one and that we are reincarnated. They believe in not taking the life of another creature. They don't believe they have the right to take the life of another. Of course this is a great contradiction because you hear of murders here in this country, every day, just as you hear of murders in all the other countries everyday. But they do believe that they are not separate from the animals, and that all of creation is one creation and by causing suffering (death) to another, they are essentially causing suffereing to themselves, as we are not separate. It is a very different outlook, isn't it.
That they don't even consider eating flesh. They are as aghaust at the idea of eating flesh as if I proposed to you that you could eat human flesh when hungry. The same disgust would arise in them. Its fascinating to see the different perspectives.
So then, the cow exists peacefully amongst the hustle and bustle of the town. They hold up traffic as if they know how important they are. They sleep in the middle of bridges and intersections and traffic finds its way around. Calmly, patiently, she soaks up the sun and waits for her next meal.
In India it is considered auspicious to feed something or someone else besides yourself. To offer food not only to god, as thanks, but also to any dog, monkey or especially cow or stranger that is in the vacinity before taking food for yourself, is considered proper conduct. It is tradition.
These things leave me deep in thought about my life.