Harnessing the Energy of Indian Cow Breeds: A Holistic Approach to Biodiversity

Abstract: In India, the belief that the cow symbolizes divine and natural beneficence and should so be conserved and worshiped could be traced to the Vedic period. Even though cows were sacrificed and their flesh was consumed in ancient India, killing milk-producing cows became more and more outlawed. The Manu-smirti, a religious and ethical law, forbids it in certain passages of the epic Mahabharata, while the milk cow was already described in the Rigveda as being "unslayable."Cattle have contributed to the survival of both humans and other animals for thousands of years. For more than 10,000 years now, our ancestors utilized them for meat, milk, to make leather, and as draft animals. Hence this paper further highlights and appreciates the motherly nature of cow that creates positivity by its presence.