Book description
Belief in the sanctity of animals originated from ideas of karma and
the transmigration of souls-thus an ant or a tiger could be one's past
or future identity. Sacred Animals of India draws on the ancient
religious traditions of India-Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism-to explore
the customs and practices that engendered the veneration of animals in
India. Animals are worshipped in India as deities, as, for instance, the
elephant-god Ganesha and the monkey-god Hanuman, or as the fish,
tortoise and boar-forms or avatars that Vishnu is believed to have taken
on earth. Some species, such as the swan, bull, lion and tiger, regarded
as vahanas-vehicles of deities- developed sanctity by association.
Others, such as the snake, are worshipped out of fear. Birds such as the
crow are regarded as the abode of the dead, or the souls of ancestors,
while the cow's sanctity may derive from its economic value. There are
also hero-animals, such as the vanaras, and animals that were totemic
symbols of tribes that were assimilated in Vedic Hinduism. This book
also examines the traditions that gave animals in India protection, and
is a reminder of the role of animal species in the earth's biodiversity.
