... cream and cheese made up a ritual offering named ida. The cow was also a great prize of war. Even cows' urine has medicinal qualities as it can be used to cure ailments. The state of Gujarat in India encourages sufferers of ailments to drink the urine and doctors prescribe it. Shiva's vehicle is Nandi the bull and temples devoted to Shiva are normally dedicated to bulls as well as a sign of piety or in fulfilment of a vow. In stories involving Krishna, he milks and plays with the cows. For the reasons above, Gandhi said, "For me the cow represents the totality of the sub-human world. Through it human beings are made aware of their identity with all living things. To protect the cow is to protect all in the divine creation which is not endowed with the word." This is why farmers may treat their cows as ...

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