Hindus that consume milk- Why are Buffalo allowed to be killed but not cows?

[danieldemol]

From Dairy in India - Wikipedia

'Dairy farmers in the many states prefer buffaloes due to the difficulty in disposing off dry cows due to the revered status of the cow,[78] whereas water buffaloes are usually sold for slaughter once they are past their milk cycle or when the yield reduces.[83] The slaughter of cows is banned in most Indian states.[84]'

So is that arbitrary due to religious texts or is there a certain logic to it because to me it looks as arbitrary as saying let's allow chihuahuas to be put down but not cocker spaniels?

In my opinion.

 

[Sirona]

Ideally, Hindus should be vegetarians and not kill any kind of animal in practice of ahimsa (non-violence). Yet, we all know that people often do not behave ideally.

I heard from the news that a law has been passed in India obliging farmers to keep their cows alive and feed them even after the cows stopped giving milk because cows are sacred in that tradition whereas water buffaloes are not. So it's supposedly like in any other dairy farm run on economic principles. The only way to change something about this to replace milk by plant-based alternatives to milk, but as for me, probably 10% of what I put into my coffee is oat milk, the rest is normal milk. I think unless one is truly vegan, complaining about it may have a whiff of hypocrisy about it, at least in my eyes.

I read on a Hare Krishna page that an an Indian politician (I think it was Modi) stated that the sacredness only covered the breed of cow Bos Indicus that is native there but not breeds of cows from other parts of the world (such as in my region, where cows have no hump and often are not brown but black and white).

Are Western Breed Cows Actually Cows?

www.radha.name

 

[danieldemol]

I think unless one is truly vegan, complaining about it may have a whiff of hypocrisy about it

Perhaps, however if one values human life over other animals, I think it is rather exposing the hypocrisy of those who would kill over a beef sandwich, because by killing over a beef sandwich but not a buffalo sandwich one is implicitly admitting that they value some life forms over others too, which makes it kind of strange for them to condemn other humans to such an extreme degree.

 

[Vinayaka]

Lots of folks value some life forms over others. Dog and horse both come to mind as common foods in some places.

 

[Sand Dancer]

From Dairy in India - Wikipedia

'Dairy farmers in the many states prefer buffaloes due to the difficulty in disposing off dry cows due to the revered status of the cow,[78] whereas water buffaloes are usually sold for slaughter once they are past their milk cycle or when the yield reduces.[83] The slaughter of cows is banned in most Indian states.[84]'

So is that arbitrary due to religious texts or is there a certain logic to it because to me it looks as arbitrary as saying let's allow chihuahuas to be put down but not cocker spaniels?

In my opinion.

There is an ancient cow deity, so maybe that is why?

 

[Jimmy]

Cuz they’re not cows

 

[danieldemol]

There is an ancient cow deity, so maybe that is why?

Yes that is what it seems to boil down to, if there had of been an ancient chicken deity we'd probably see people getting slaughtered over McChickens.

In my opinion.

 

[danieldemol]

Cuz they’re not cows

Sure, and chihuahuas aren't cocker spaniels either

 

[danieldemol]

Lots of folks value some life forms over others. Dog and horse both come to mind as common foods in some places.

Well I can't speak for others, but I wouldn't murder someone for eating a dog. I doubt you would either, but there are people who would murder someone over a beef sandwich.
In my opinion.

 

[SalixIncendium]

From Dairy in India - Wikipedia

'Dairy farmers in the many states prefer buffaloes due to the difficulty in disposing off dry cows due to the revered status of the cow,[78] whereas water buffaloes are usually sold for slaughter once they are past their milk cycle or when the yield reduces.[83] The slaughter of cows is banned in most Indian states.[84]'

So is that arbitrary due to religious texts or is there a certain logic to it because to me it looks as arbitrary as saying let's allow chihuahuas to be put down but not cocker spaniels?

In my opinion.

I’ve never signed off on any buffalo killing.

 

[Vinayaka]

Well I can't speak for others, but I wouldn't murder someone for eating a dog. I doubt you would either, but there are people who would murder someone over a beef sandwich.
In my opinion.

There are senseless murders all around. Women get murdered for not wearing hijabs, husbands murder their wives for looking at another man, people start ethnic wars. There are genocides. Sometimes they get away with it.

 

[SomeRandom]

From Dairy in India - Wikipedia

'Dairy farmers in the many states prefer buffaloes due to the difficulty in disposing off dry cows due to the revered status of the cow,[78] whereas water buffaloes are usually sold for slaughter once they are past their milk cycle or when the yield reduces.[83] The slaughter of cows is banned in most Indian states.[84]'

So is that arbitrary due to religious texts or is there a certain logic to it because to me it looks as arbitrary as saying let's allow chihuahuas to be put down but not cocker spaniels?

In my opinion.

Well yes and no.
Hindus aren’t really that “scriptural based” in general. You can certainly find some who absolutely are, but scripture isn’t treated like the Abrahamics treat theirs. If that makes sense?
Cows were one of the foundational animals that allowed early Hindus to sustain their farming practices and feed their families. Thus they were deified early on. Hell there might even be sects of Hindus that have deified the water buffalo. It wouldn’t surprise me if that’s a thing.

Is this slaughter ideal behaviour? No, but humans aren’t known for being ideal.
Was I beyond appalled to learn about the man killed over allegedly having beef?
You better believe I was.
I’m still speechless over that, truth be told. It disgusted me to my very core. I’ve avoided that thread because even now I’d probably just respond with nothing but profanity and disgust.

My niece was specifically recommended by health professionals to eat beef due to her body lacking (and not making) certain nutrients, minerals etc. This upset her family who are all devout Hindus, but as it was a legitimate health concern, they make sure she eats plenty of steak. Not a single one of my family members or even the various Hindu communities here have condemned her or even admonished the family. You do what you gotta do. Hindus are often pretty pragmatic.

Unfortunately, as you can see with your buffalo slaughter example, it is not without its arbitrary nonsense either.
I mean we are talking about possibly the world’s oldest religion here. Superstitious nonsense is bound to be intertwined somewhere.