Why is cow dung and urine considered sacred in worship and rituals ?

According to Hindu scriptures, 33 crore gods reside in cows. That is why cow is considered a sacred animal. There is a belief in Hindu religion that there is Surya Ketu Nadi in the spine of the cow which imbibes the qualities of the Sun. This is the reason why cow urine, cow dung milk, curd and ghee have medicinal properties. This nadi is the destroyer of all diseases and all poisons. When it comes in contact with the sun, this nadi produces gold, which is found in cow's urine, milk and dung and this gold goes into the human body by drinking milk and into the fields through dung.

Panchgavya is made from desi cow's milk, curd, ghee, urine and cow dung which is beneficial in many diseases. Even a patent has been taken for the usefulness of Panchagavya in cancer, 6 patents have been taken so far for various effects of cow urine.

Why is cow dung considered sacred?

However, out of Panchagavya, cow urine and dung are considered the most sacred from the religious point of view. That is why it has been given special importance in worship and rituals. Cow dung is very useful for human life. Cow dung has many uses in rural areas of India. Actually, according to the scriptures, Goddess Lakshmi is considered to reside in cow dung. Therefore, whenever any religious work like puja or havan is performed, that place is smeared with cow dung.

Cow dung is helpful in curing even terrible diseases. Therefore, in olden times, when food was prepared from cow dung cakes and wood, many types of diseases did not occur. The smoke of cow dung also keeps the environment around it pure. Its smoke increases the positive energy of the house. Therefore, cow dung is considered very sacred.

In any religious function the place is purified with cow dung. The fire of Havan Kund is lit with cow dung cake. Even today, women in villages wake up in the morning and smear the main entrance of the house with cow dung. It is believed that this keeps the abode of Goddess Lakshmi. In ancient times, sages and saints used to take bath by rubbing mud and cow dung on their bodies. The religious reason behind this is that Goddess Lakshmi is believed to reside in cow dung.

Cow Urine: A Medicine and Religious Symbol

According to the scriptures, Mother Ganga resides in cow urine. Therefore, in Ayurveda, it is also advised to drink cow urine for treatment. Even from scientific point of view, cow dung has been said to be beneficial in skin diseases and cow urine in many diseases. Cow's milk is considered the best food. Cow urine not only has an important place in ancient medical science, but current research has accepted cow urine as an important medicine by calling it the nectar of the age. Cow urine is bitter, pungent and hot. It is a carminative because it is alkaline. Scientific analysis- Cow urine contains elements like potassium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, urea, phosphate, ammonia, creatinine etc.

Cow urine is miraculous as a medicine

The medical importance of cow urine has been described in Ayurveda and other scriptures. Apart from being a pain reliever, cow urine also cures diseases like gout, stomach diseases vasti etc. In Ayurveda, leprosy and other skin diseases are treated with cow urine. Respiratory diseases, gastroenteritis and jaundice are also cured by cow urine. Mouth diseases, eye diseases, diarrhoea, urinary tract infections and worm diseases are also treated with cow urine. In case of ear pain, adding two-four drops of cow urine helps in relieving the ear pain.

Modern medical scientists consider cow urine to be effective in dangerous diseases like heart disease, cancer, TB, jaundice, epilepsy, hysteria. Cow urine is also being used extensively as an agricultural pesticide. Cow urine contains acid which kills the bacteria causing diseases. For this reason, there was a tradition of smearing the house with cow dung and sprinkling it with cow urine. In the ancient scriptures on cow urine, there is mention of sages etc. who used cow urine for treatment.

Cow is the form of the entire world-universe

Overall, cow urine and dung are considered sacred because they have insecticide properties. This is the reason why before the puja, coating with cow dung and sprinkling of cow urine is done. Cow urine is also included in Panchagavya in the worship methods. This is the reason why it is said in Arthveda – Etad Vai Vishwaroopam Sarvaroopam Gorupam. That means cow is the form of the entire world-universe.