Importance of Cow dung and urine in Hinduism
by Sulaiman Razvi
Cow is so revered in Hinduism that even its wastes are considered sacred. In support for consumption of Cow dung and urine, Hindus often say that it has the ability to cure many diseases. They have even launched products made from cow urine and dung. In a bizarre way, Hindu argue that after a research they have found gold in cow urine and dung hence it is very healthy and useful for consumption, no reliable research team has ever found such thing in cow’s urine or dung. If advising others to consume cow dung and urine is justified in this manner, then will the apologist eat his own faeces? As recent study has found that gold exists in human faeces [1, 2]. The most awkward thing is that Hindutva forces are shamelessly promoting such outdated and useless religious commandment.
Hindus obsession with Cow Dung and Urine
Readers may like to go through the following links,
Cow urine for your skin? Panchgavya repackaged for a new gen
http://www.hindustantimes.com/health-and-fitness/cow-urine-for-your-skin-panchgavya-repackaged-for-a-new-gen/story-8p2LagTXTJLU6mQsjM18zN.html
Dadri lynching: Akhlaq’s village to be ‘purified’ by cow urine, gangajal
http://zeenews.india.com/news/india/dadri-lynching-akhlaqs-village-to-be-purified-by-cow-urine-gangajal_1831438.html
BJP Yuva Morcha shocker: Cow urine sprinkled to ‘purify’ venue after Prakash Raj speech
https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/bjp-yuva-morcha-shocker-cow-urine-sprinkled-purify-venue-after-prakash-raj-speech-74843
Priests ‘purify’ Shani temple after women activists enter shrine
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Priests-purify-Shani-temple-after-women-activists-enter-shrine/articleshow/50307298.cms
Cow urine cleaner to replace phenyl in government offices
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/cow-urine-cleaner-to-replace-phenyl-in-government-offices/1/412383.html
To Get Cleopatra’s Beauty, Use Cow Urine, Milk And Dung: Gujarat Gauseva Board
http://www.huffingtonpost.in/2016/10/11/use-cow-urine-dung-and-milk-to-get-the-beauty-of-cleopatra-say/
RSS to market ‘Modi’ kurtas, cow urine products online
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/agra/rss-for-online-sale-of-cow-urine-products/articleshow/58993617.cms
India Carrying out ‘Scientific Research’ on Cow Dung, Urine: Harsh Vardhan
http://www.news18.com/news/india/india-carrying-out-scientific-research-on-cow-dung-urine-harsh-vardhan-1428223.html
Cow panel wants cow dung cakes used in cremation
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/cow-panel-wants-cow-dung-cakes-used-in-cremation/articleshow/58757184.cms
Government panel set up to research ‘scientific benefits’ of cow urine, dung
http://www.timesnownews.com/india/article/cow-urine-scientific-benefits-dung-bjp-rss-panchgavya-harsh-vardhan/66048
Urine capsules, dung insect repellent: Meet the people behind IIT-Delhi’s cow research project
https://scroll.in/article/829567/urine-capsules-dung-insect-repellent-meet-the-people-behind-iit-delhis-cow-research-project
Iftar at Krishna Mutt: Sri Rama Sene to ‘purify’ hall using cow urine
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/iftar-at-krishna-mutt-sri-rama-sene-to-hold-prayers-tomorrow/article19189946.ece
In annual Ugadi ritual, people in Andhra village throw cow-dung at each other
http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/video-annual-ugadi-ritual-people-andhra-village-throw-cow-dung-each-other-59545
Ganesha idol made of cow dung draws huge crowds
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/Ganesha-idol-made-of-cow-dung-draws-huge-crowds/article14632985.ece
Uttar Pradesh govt moots use of cow urine to make medicines
http://indianexpress.com/article/news-archive/uttar-pradesh-govt-moots-use-of-cow-urine-to-make-medicines-5050999/
“At a rally organised by Bharatiya Gau Kranti Manch in Bhopal as part of a nationwide campaign seeking death sentence for cow slaughter on Sunday, speakers said that cow milk can even reduce corruption, reported Indian Express. “Even when he was 120 years old, Lord Krishna looked like a 12-year-old because his soap was made from cow dung, the speakers said. What more? “Once you consume cow milk you won’t commit any crime. ”
http://www.firstpost.com/living/cow-dung-for-indigestion-urine-for-pimples-vishwa-hindu-parishads-guide-to-a-healthy-life-1850279.html
Hindu researchers in Gujarat finds gold in cow urine,
http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/gold-cow-urine-junagadh-agricultural-university-test-result-2882431/
“One, she declared, contained cow’s milk, another cow’s urine, a third “dung juice” created by soaking cow excrement in water, while into the last had been poured clarified butter, or ghee.
The purpose of the witches’ kitchen-like set-up was to heat and combine all four to create a wonder drug for humans. “It will cure 99 per cent of all diseases,” Dr Bhojraj declared.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/a-cure-for-cancer-ndash-or-just-a-very-political-animal-2031253.html
India makes cola from cow urine
To millions of devout Hindus, it’s the real thing: a cola made from the urine of India’s sacred cows.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/4592608/India-makes-cola-from-cow-urine.html
India’s Ultimate Obsession With ‘Cow Urine’
http://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/indias-ultimate-obsession-with-cow-urine-231302.html
Beef served at Mysuru event, BJP activists ‘purify’ venue with cow urine
http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/beef-served-mysuru-event-bjp-activists-purify-venue-cow-urine-64255
Cow horns absorb radioactivity, dung has plutonium: Gems from a Kerala swami
http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/cow-horns-absorb-radioactivity-dung-has-plutonium-gems-from-kerala-swami-65152
Cow meat poison, its dung can be used for making bunkers: RSS leader Indresh Kumar
http://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay.aspx?newsID=464622
Chhattisgarh panel to govt: Purchase cow urine to stop people from abandoning cows
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/chhattisgarh-panel-suggestion-to-govt-purchase-cow-urine-to-stop-people-from-abandoning-cows/story-Lcv2jyNGLEdt6YkhaZbubP.html
Cow urine to be promoted as health drink in UP
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bareilly/cow-urine-to-be-promoted-as-health-drink-in-up/articleshow/62795498.cms
Revellers welcomed with gau mutra at garba venue by members of Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/revellers-welcomed-with-gau-mutra-at-garba-venue/articleshow/60800528.cms
Cow Dung and Urine harmful for consumption proves Science
Cow urine is harmful for consumption and can even lead to death. Studies concerning ingesting individual components of Panchagavya, such as cow urine, have shown no positive benefit, and significant side effects, including convulsion, depressed respiration, and death.
“Results of the experiments show that both “cow’s urine” and nicotine cause excitement in low doses and cause convulsion and/or death in higher doses. Both also depress respiration. The role of “cow’s urine” toxicity following administration to patients with convulsion and the possible aetiology of the neurological sequelae of “cow’s urine” poisoning are discussed.”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1179485
Citrobacter, Klebsiella, Proteus, E. coli and Shigella were also the most recovered bacterial species from urine of cows in this study.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3032614/
A 1976 study on dogs showed that repeated administration of cow urine concoction as used in Nigerian folk medicine, resulted in hypotension and tachypnea, and also death.
http://trstmh.oxfordjournals.org/content/71/2/127.short
Cow’s urine can also be a source of harmful bacteria and infectious diseases, including leptospirosis.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/epidemiology-and-infection/article/leptospiral-carrier-state-and-seroprevalence-among-animal-population-a-cross-sectional-sample-survey-in-andaman-and-nicobar-islands/BDBBA5C65A8BCCA5960647EC98E9BF0B
“Cow’s urine” concoction (CUPR) is a traditional remedy for convulsive seizures in Nigeria. Its administration has been associated with severe poisoning, sometimes with a fatal outcome in Nigerian children. Recently, we showed that several of the components of the concoction are toxic. We have demonstrated in the present study certain cardio-respiratory effects of cow’s urine concoction in dogs. On the cardiovascular system, an initial bradycardia followed by tachycardia and a biphasic effect on blood pressure characterized by a fall followed by a rise were demonstrated. Progressive hypotension following repreated administration of CUPR was also shown in all experimental dogs. On the respiratory system, a short period of respiratory arrest and/or respiratory depression, followed by tachyponoea with associated hypoventilation of the lungs, were observed. The possible explanations for the observed cardiorespiratory effects of the concoction were discussed. On the basis of our findings, an hypothesis is advanced for the possible mechanisms of the neurological sequelae and/or death following cow’s urine poisoning.
http://trstmh.oxfordjournals.org/content/71/2/127.short-accessdate=29
19 die due to leptospirosis this year
“While the quantity of urine discharged by mice is just around 1 to 3 ml, cattle like cows, buffaloes and bullocks, which are reared by people in rural areas, pass around half to 3 litre of urine. In cattle sheds, the urine and dung is mixed and the floor, if it is kuccha, tends to remain damp, helping the bacteria breed and infect people,” said a senior health department official.
“The volume of cattle urine is more and people come into contact with it more often,” he explained.
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-19-die-due-to-leptospirosis-this-year-2125261
“Observations of CUC poisoning in man and experimental animals showed that the main effects of CUC are severe depression of respiration, cardiovascular system, the central nervous system and hypoglycaemia. These toxic effects acting singly or in combination are believed to be the cause(s) of death from CUC. Management is geared towards correcting these adverse effects.”
http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/6314793
“But medical doctors warn they can be harmful, despite being “all natural,” and critics argue that the government is promoting alternative medicines without seeking to test their efficacy and develop them into modern treatments.”
“Doctors complain that patients come to them when their cancer has progressed too far for surgery or when hepatitis has already resulted in liver failure, because they’ve spent weeks or months in the care of alternative practitioners. Meanwhile, as an ongoing outbreak of dengue fever in New Delhi has illustrated, the public health system is creaking its way toward abject failure, says Dr. Sumit Ray, vice chairman of critical care at the capital’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.”
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/10/08/hindus-india-cows/73567552/
Those dung cakes could be harmful: Study
“We are explaining the harmful consequences of burning cow dung cakes. By using this as fuel, people from rural areas are prone to suffer from a lot of health problems.
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/232244/those-dung-cakes-could-harmful.html
Cow urine doesn’t cure cancer
http://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/cow-urine-cures-cancer-not-really-bjp-heres-why-231156.html
“Dr Donald Hensrud, chairman of preventive medicine at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, told ABC News: “I think I’m perfectly comfortable in saying that I’m aware of no data that cow’s urine – or any other species’ urine – holds any promise… in treating or preventing cancer.” Such opinions will do nothing to deter the friendly and charming people at the Go-vigyan Kendra.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/a-cure-for-cancer-ndash-or-just-a-very-political-animal-2031253.html
An eye injury in Haryana that almost led to blindness from using cow urine treatment
https://www.altnews.in/eye-injury-haryana-almost-lead-blindness-using-cow-urine-treatment/
MUCKING DEADLY Experts claim a whiff of cow dung can ’cause cancer and heart disease’ as shock stats reveal farming emissions are major source of air pollution in Scotland
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/1576920/cow-dung-cancer-heart-disease-farming-emissions-air-pollution/
Reverence of Cow Dung and Urine in Hindu scriptures
Cow dung and urine are praised in the following way in the Hindu scriptures,
“Pañca-gavya, the five products received from the cow, namely milk, yogurt, ghee, cow dung and cow urine, are required in all ritualistic ceremonies performed according to the Vedic directions. Cow urine and cow dung are uncontaminated, and since even the urine and dung of a cow are important, we can just imagine how important this animal is for human civilization…” A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada on Srimad Bhagavatam 8.8.11 http://vanisource.org/wiki/SB_8.8.11
Vishnu Smriti 99.11 “(I reside) in fresh cow dung, in a noble elephant in rut…”
Vishnu Smriti 23.61 In the urine of cows dwells the Ganges, prosperity (dwells) in the dust (rising from their couch), good fortune in cow dung, and virtue in saluting them. Therefore should they be constantly saluted.
Agni Purana 230.1 “Pushkara said:- Cereals, paddies except those of the black species, cotton, hay, cowdung and coins are auspicious things and ensure the success of his mission, when looked as by a man just at the time of leaving his house.” Tr. M.N. Dutt
Agni Purana 292.1-5 “…Bad luck never sticks to the place, which has once been sprinkled over with the urine of a cow. Even a particle of water, dropped down from the horn of a cow engaged in scratching her body, is possessed of the virtue of expiating all sins. A man having had a bad dream in the night, should take a composition, consisting of the dung and the urine of a cow, as well as of curd, cream, etc., prepared out of the thickened milk of a cow, mixed with the the substance known as the Rochona. The urine of a cow is endued with the efficacy of neutralising all sorts of poison, and of keeping off the undesired intrutions of demons and monsters on the household…” Tr. M.N. Dutt
Devi Bhagvatam 11.11 Narayana said :—” O Narada! I am now talking of the three kinds of ashes; hearing this even destroys one’s sins and brings in good fame. When a cow evacuates her dung ,just as the cow dang leaves her and is far from reaching the ground, one should catch it with one’s hand and this cowdung burnt with “Sadyojatadi i.e. Brahma Mantra” becomes ashes which are called “Santika Bhasma,” i.e. ashes producing peace. Before the cowdung is about to reach the ground, the devotee should take it with his hand and uttering the six lettered Mantra, he is to burn the cowdung. The ashes from this are called ” Paustik Bhasma” i.e. ashes leading to nourishment. If the cowdung be burned with the Mantra “Haum,” the ashes of this are called “Kamala Bhasma” i.e., ashes leading to the granting of desires.
Matsya Purana 267.5-6 “Cow’s urine should be placed after reciting the sacred Gayatri cowdung by reciting ‘Gandhadvara,’ milk after reciting ‘Apyayasva,’ curds by reciting ‘Dadhikravna,’ clarified butter after reciting ‘Tejost’, etc.,’ water after reciting ‘Tad Devasya-tva etc.’ All these are mixed and then Kusa is thrown therein. Thus Panchagavya is prepared. The idol should be bathed with this Panchagavya of the jar thus filled in.” Tr. Various Sanskrit Scholar, edited by B.D. Basu
Markandeya Purana 29.8 …her [cow’s] ordure and urine are tranquillity and prosperity…
Mahabharata 13.78 One should never feel any repugnance for the urine and the dung of the cow.
Panchgavya or five products of cow are claimed to be very useful for human beings, they are said to be boon given by god. The definition of Panchagavya given by Hindu scriptures is as follows,
Definition of Panchagavya
Parasara Smriti 11.27-28 “Holy and sin absolving is Panchagavyam, which is a compound of cow’s urine, cow dung, cow’s milk, curdled cow milk, cow butter in a clarified state, and the washings of Kusa grass. The urine of a black cow, the cowdung of a white cow, the milk of a copper coloured cow, and the curdled milk of a red cow should be collected (for the compound, Panchagavyam).” Tr. M.N. Dutt
Garuda Purana 1.222.63-66 “The constituents of Pancagavya are as follows: Milk taken from a gold colored cow, the cow dung of a white cow, urine of a copper colored cow, clarified butter of the milk of a blue cow and the curd of the milk of a black cow. Water added should be consecrated by Kusa grass. Eight Masas of cow’s urine, four Masas of dung, twelve Masas of milk, ten Masas of curd and five Masas of ghee form the correct proportion. This Pancagavya removes all impurities.” Tr. J.L. Shastri
Cow Dung and Urine for protection against Demons
Srimad Bhagavatam 10.6.19-21 Thereafter, mother Yaśodā and Rohiṇī, along with the other elderly gopīs, waved about the switch of a cow to give full protection to the child Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The child was thoroughly washed with cow urine and then smeared with the dust raised by the movements of the cows. Then different names of the Lord were applied with cow dung on twelve different parts of His body, beginning with the forehead, as done in applying tilaka. In this way, the child was given protection. The gopīs first executed the process of ācamana, drinking a sip of water from the right hand. They purified their bodies and hands with the nyāsa-mantra and then applied the same mantra upon the body of the child.
Agni Purana 299.19-23 “…The monstress Putana, attacks child that has just completed its first month of life. The disease which is ascribed to her, is ushered in by the following symptoms: The child moans like a crow. The respiration becomes difficult. The body emits a smell like that of urine, and the eye-lids remain completely closed, or half shut. The remedy consists in washing the body of the child with the urine of cow, and in fumigating it with the vapours of Godanta…” Tr. M.N. Dutt
Consuming Cow Dung and Urine
Other than drinking Cow Urine, Hindus also eats Cow Dung in concoction known as Panchagavya,
“We make pregnant women eat cow dung and urine paste to ensure a normal delivery..” says Shankar Lall, RSS’s Akhil Bhartiya Gau Sewa Pradhan
http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/we-make-pregnant-women-eat-cow-dung-and-urine-paste-to-ensure-a-normal-delivery-says-shankar-lall-rsss-akhil-bhartiya-gau-sewa-pradhan/340736/
Sadhvi Pragya says cow urine cured her cancer. Doctors not convinced
Sadhvi Pragya, who is also an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case, is a breast cancer survivor. “I was a patient of cancer and I cured myself by consuming cow urine and panchgavya-mixed ayurvedic herbs,” she said.
Panchagavya is a mixture of five cow products and used in traditional Hindu rituals. These are cow dung, urine, milk, curd and ghee. These are mixed in proper ratio and then allowed to ferment. Sadhvi Pragya called the cure scientific, saying, “I am a living example of its effectiveness.”
https://www.indiatoday.in/elections/lok-sabha-2019/story/sadhvi-pragya-cow-urine-cured-cancer-doctors-not-convinced-1508297-2019-04-23
Eating peppered cow dung and learning the Hindutva way to poop at Chennai spiritual fair
http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/eating-peppered-cow-dung-and-learning-hindutva-way-poop-chennai-spiritual-fair-47697
Girl forced to eat cow dung as a remedy for ‘black magic’
http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/girl-forced-to-eat-cow-dung-as-a-remedy-for-black-magic-4702548/
Cow dung for indigestion, urine for pimples: Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s guide to a healthy life
http://www.firstpost.com/living/cow-dung-for-indigestion-urine-for-pimples-vishwa-hindu-parishads-guide-to-a-healthy-life-1850279.html
Meet the cow-obsessed Indian man who abandoned his family to spend his time drinking cow urine, eating cow dung and even letting the beasts sleep in his bed
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4552397/cow-obsessed-indian-man-urine-dung-family-health/
`Panchagavya – Jeevana Bhavya`: The Miraculous Drink Can Cure Any Human Disease
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2nQPKrS–g
Mantra while drinking Panchagavya
http://www.ashram.org/ArticleViewer/ArtMID/1724/ArticleID/9720/mantra-while-drinking-panchagavya
Among other things, the treatment at the hospital required me to drink a concoction made of cow urine, dung, ghee, curd and milk (panchagavya) and coat myself with cow dung by exposing myself physically.
https://thewire.in/7281/mind-cows-challenges-of-cancer/
“I had been polluted so I had to be purified. My grandmother made the panchagavya, [a mix] of curd, milk, ghee [clarified butter] and cow’s urine and dung and said I had to drink it,” he says.
http://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1794985/holy-cow-push-outlaw-beef-india-seen-cultural-oppression
Cow dung and urine ‘healthy’
The dung is generally dried for over a week, then blended at a very high temperature to kill all harmful bacteria and germs. The final product, a dung powder, is mixed with variety of ingredients to make the medicines and toiletries.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatnews/7398029/Cow-dung-and-urine-healthy.html
‘Panchgavya medicines panacea for many ills’
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/panchgavya-medicines-panacea-for-many-ills/articleshow/59059614.cms
Varaha Purana 206.28 “By drinking Pancagavya, the result of performing the Vajimedha sacrifice is obtained. The products got from cow are the most pure. There is none else like them.” Tr. Venkitasubromania Iyer, edited by J.L. Shastri
Agni Purana 279.41-44 “…powder of Vidanga taken with the urine of a cow, should be known as a strong vermifuge…” Tr. M.N. Dutt
Baudhayana Dharma Shastra 1.5.12.38. He who is bitten by a worm will become pure on bathing (daily) during three days and drinking (a mixture of) cow’s urine, cowdung, milk, sour milk, butter, and water boiled with Kusa grass.
Kurma Purana II.34.35 “If a Brahmana eats the leavings of the food (of unspecified persons), he becomes purified by drinking cow’s urine, eating (for food) barley cooked in cow’s urine or by drinking the water that remains after cows have drunk.” Tr. G.V. Tagare
Purifying the idol of God with Panchagavya
Matsya Purana 265.2-12 “…There should be great rejoicings at the time of consecrating the idols, which should first be taken to the bathing mandapa and washed with Panchgavya, Panchakasaya, earth, ash, and water while reciting the four Vedic mantras, viz. (1) Samudra Jystha etc., (2) Apodivya, (3) Yasamraja (4) Apohista. Then the idol should be purified with Panchagavya and other three substances and then bathed…” Tr. Various Sanskrit Scholars, edited by B.D. Basu
Shiva Purana, Vayavaiyasamhita section I, 33.31-32 “After installing the phallic image in accordance with the rules with due conseccrations the pedestal shall be conceived along with the idol of five faces. The ablution shall be performed with golden vessels, filled with Pancagavya collected in accordance with one’s capacity.” Tr. Board of Scholars, edited by J.L. Shastri
Agni Purana 91.1-4 “…A man who bathes the gods, with the composition known as the Panchagavya, carries with him into the region of bliss, the souls of all his departed manes and progenies…”
Shiva Purana, Vidyeshvara Samhita 1, 16.111-112 “The ceremonial ablution of the phallic emblem with Pancagavya on Sundays is specially recommended. Pancagavya is the compound of cow’s urine, dung, milk, curd and ghee…” Tr. J.L. Shastri
Shiva Purana Vayaviya Samhita section I 7.31.31-32 “After installing the phallic image in accordance with the rules with due consecrations the pedestal shall be conceived along with the idol of five faces. The ablution shall be performed with golden vessels, filled with Pancagavya collected in accordance with one’s capacity.” Tr. Board of Scholars, edited by J.L. Shastri
Agni Purana 60.6 “Both the inside and the exterior surface of the image should be cleansed and purified with the composition known as the Panchagabya (cows milk, and its curd, cow butter in a clarified state, and the urine and dung of a cow), and thoroughly washed over with river water and the washings of the Kusha grass.” Tr. M.N. Dutt
Making idol of God with Cow Dung
Some Hindus in south India makes idol of Ganesh from cow dung and worships it during the festival called Ganesh Chaturti. Hindu scriptures allows one to make idol from cow dung and worship it,
Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Krishna Janma Khanda 75.73-82 “…Even the worship of Siva’s male organ for one time after having constructed it with clay or cow dung and sand secures dwelling in heaven for a hundred ages: and whoever worships a hundred such organs obtains the desired meed…” Tr. Rajendra Nath Sen
Narada Purana III.75.77 “He shall make the image of Hanuman hanging therefrom. The image is made of cowdung. The deity is painted as holding something on the top of the palm with his left hand and sharing the gesture of perfect knowledge (janan mudrika) with his right hand.” Tr. G.V. Tagare
Skanda Purana II.iv.10.15 “On that day, an idol should be made with cowdung in the courtyard; curds should be sprinkled there in front of it.” Tr. G.V. Tagare
Cleaning the Temple with Cow Dung
Srimad Bhagavatam 11.11.39 “To render service in my house (temple) like a sincere servant by sweeping and washing, plastering with cow dung the floor and decorating it with ornamental drawings figures without expecting anything in return for this service.” Tr. G.V. Tagare
Varaha Purana 139.1 “Varaha said:- O goddess, listen. I shall tell you what merit accrues to a person who smears (the floor of the temple with cowdung). He remains in heaven for as many thousands of years as the number of steps he smears with cowdung.” Tr. Venkitasubramonia Iyer, edited by J.L. Shastri
Vishnu Smriti 91.18 The same reward is also obtained by scouring a temple, by smearing it (with cow-dung and the like), by removing the leavings of the food of a Brahmana, by washing his feet, and by nursing him when sick.
Cleaning the sacrificial spot before the Sacrifice
Kurma Purana II.22.1-2 “Having purified the ground with cowdung and water on the day previous to that of Sraddha, the performer of Sraddha should invite the Brahmanas with the above mentioned qualifications, through good persons with the invitation…” Tr. G.V. Tagare
Matsya Purana 25-29 “After thus putting together articles for worship, the worshipper should draw a circle by the urine of cow on the floor plastered with cowdung, and there he should worship the circle with unhusked rice and flowers. The worshipper should then wash the feet of his Brahmana guests with great respect and courtesy…” Tr. Taluqdar of Oudh, edited by B.D. Basu
Vishnu Smriti 91.18 “By scouring the floor of a divine temple, by smearing it with cowdung etc., by removing the leavings of a Brahmana’s meal, by washing the feet of a Brahmana with water, by attending a Brahmana during illness, one acquires the merit of making the gift of a cow.” Tr. Manmatha Nath Dutt
Washing utensils with Cow Dung and Urine
Baudhayana Dharma Shastra 1.6.14.4-7 (Vessels) made of metal (must be) washed, after having been scrubbed as (directed) above. The materials (to be used) for scrubbing (are) cowdung, earth, ashes, and so forth. Those which have been defiled by urine, ordure, blood, semen, and the like (must be) recast, Or (they must) be kept during seven (days and) nights completely immersed in cow’s urine,
Parasara Smriti 10.39 “Copper vessels (kept in such a house) should be purified by washing them with Panchagavyam, and utensils made of bell-metal and found therein should be purified by rubbing them with ten kinds of ashes” Tr. Manmatha Nath Dutt
Cow Dung as a substance for purification
Baudhayana Dharma Shastra 1.5.8.52. ‘Time, fire, purity of mind, water and the like (fluids), smearing with cowdung and ignorance (of defilement) are declared to be the sixfold (means of) purification for created beings.’
Vishnu Smriti 22.87 “Knowledge, ascetic austerities, fire, food, earth, mind, water, smearing [with cowdung], religious acts, the sun and the time are purifiers of embodied creatures.” Tr. Manmatha Nath Dutt
Bathing with Cow dung
Mahabharata book 13 section 78 One should always bathe, using cow-dung at the time. One should sit on dried cowdung. One should never cast one’s urine and excreta and other secretions on cowdung.
Garuda Purana 1.50.11 “Smearing the body with the dust of dried cow dung is the excellent form in bath called Vayavya…” Tr. Board of scholars, edited by J.L. Shastri
Srimad Bhagavatam 10.6.20 The child was thoroughly washed with cow urine and then smeared with the dust raised by the movements of the cows. Then different names of the Lord were applied with cow dung on twelve different parts of His body, beginning with the forehead, as done in applying tilaka. In this way, the child was given protection.
Usana Samhita 5.1 “Having purified himself with cow-dung and water and being self-controlled, [the performer of a S’raddha] saluting all the twice-born, should invite them with welcome words.” Tr. Manmatha Nath Dutt
Agni Purana 267.4-6 “Now I shall describe the other sorts of religious ablutions which grant success to their performers. A bath, after having lubricated the body with clarified butter, tends to increase the duration of life of a man, while by bathing with cowdung, a man becomes a favorite with fortune. Similarly, a bathing, done by rubbing the body with the urine of a cow, makes the bather free from all impieties…” Tr. M.N. Dutt
Bhagawad Puran 11.11.34.41 …and then one should further cleanse with water and cow dung…
Devi Bhagawatam 12.1-5 The pure cowdung of the Kapila (brown) cow is to be taken up by the hand before it reaches the ground.
BHIKSHUKA UPANISHAḌ of Shukla Yajur Veda …partaking daily of cow’s urine and cow’s dung, observing Chānḍrāyaṇa…
Agni Purana 90.7-14 “…The body of the disciple should be rubbed over with Kanjika, (decotion of rice), ashes of burnt clay, grass, cow dung, Golaka, white mustard, and washings of curd…” Tr. M.N. Dutt
Cow Dung as a beauty cream
Hindus have launched COWSmatics which includes shampoos, soaps, beauty creams, oils, everything made from Panchagavya.
Srimad Bhagavatam 10.8.22-23 When Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, with the strength of Their legs, crawled in the muddy places created in Vraja by cow dung and cow urine, Their crawling resembled the crawling of serpents, and the sound of Their ankle bells was very charming. Very much pleased by the sound of other people’s ankle bells, They used to follow these people as if going to Their mothers, but when They saw that these were other people, They became afraid and returned to Their real mothers, Yaśodā and Rohiṇī. Dressed with muddy earth mixed with cow dung and cow urine, the babies looked very beautiful, and when They went to Their mothers, both Yaśodā and Rohiṇī picked Them up with great affection, embraced Them and allowed Them to suck the milk flowing from their breasts. While sucking the breast, the babies smiled, and Their small teeth were visible. Their mothers, upon seeing those beautiful teeth, enjoyed great transcendental bliss.
Cow Dung and Urine for curing illness/disease
Garuda Purana 1.177.44 “Watery portion squeezed out of cowdung mixed with the juice of Kakajangha and drunk with milk quells Vismajvara (chronic intermitten fever).” Tr. Board of scholars, edited by J.L. Shastri
Harivamsa Purana, Vishnu Parva 2.80.6-8 If the woman faithful to her husband desires comfort for her head, she shall wash it with cow dung. She shall wash her head also with fruits of Bel, Aegle Marmelos or wood apple tree (bilva) and shrIphala. The beautiful woman shall do so on the fourteenth day during the fifteen days when moon is waning. She shall drink cow’s urine. She shall mix cows urine in the water for bathing. She will not become a widow. She will become fortunate. She will not have fever. Her body will not become hot due to any disease of the head.
Agni Purana 283.38-41 “…A decoction of Shunti, Daru, Punarnava, Kshira, Vyosha, Phalam, alkali, mixed with Ayoraja and the urine of cow, should be deemed as a specific for all sorts of edematous swelling…” Tr. M.N. Dutt
Agni Purana 285.37-46 “A man suffering from an excess of wind and phlegm, should take each morning, oil, salt, and Haritaki boiled in the urine of a cow…” Tr. M.N. Dutt
Agni Purana 285.52-62 “…Pills made of powdered Patha, Nikumbha, the drugs known as the Trikatu, and Triphala treated with the essence of Agni and the urine of a cow, often prove beneficial to patients laid up with an abdominal tumour, or with an enlarged spleen…” Tr. M.N. Dutt
Agni Purana 289.28-36 “…A paste composed of Go, Sarjika, Kustha, Rajani, sesmum and mustard, pestled with the urine of a cow, would prove beneficial to all sorts of itches, or itching sensation of the skin.” Tr. M.N. Dutt
Cow Dung and Urine for expiatory rite
Varaha Purana 211.9 “He who drinks Pancagavya at the auspicious time, immediately gets absolved of all sins acquired from birth.” Tr. Veniktasubamonia Iyer, edited by J.L. Shastri
Parasara Smriti 3.43 Where a Brahman from ignorance follows the corpse of one who belongs to the military caste, he becomes impure for a single night, and purifies himself by eating the fivefold products of a cow.
Parasara Smriti 11.28. Urine of the cow, cow-dung, milk, curd, and ghee, these five are the five articles derived from a cow. They, and water in which the kusa grass has been dipped, — are themselves pure, and therefore purify the sin.
Garuda Purana 1.105.60 “O Brahmins, the Pancagavya consists of cow’s milk, ghee, curd, urine and dung. The expiator should swallow these and fast for the next day. This is called Santapana Krcchra.” Tr. Board of scholars, edited by J.L. Shastri
Manu Smriti 11.166. (To swallow) the five products of the cow (pankagavya) is the atonement for stealing eatables of various kinds, a vehicle, a bed, a seat, flowers, roots, or fruit.
Kurma Purana II.34.4 “Drinking the Pancagavya is the expiation for the theft of food stuffs and edibles, of vehicles, beds and seats, of flowers, roots and fruits.” Tr. G.V. Tagare
Manu Smriti 11.213 (Subsisting on) the urine of cows, cowdung, milk, sour milk, clarified butter, and a decoction of Kusa-grass, and fasting during one (day and) night, (that is) called a Samtapana Krikkhra.
Mahabharata 13.76 Commencing again from that lunation, numbering the eight, which is known by the name of Kamya, he should pass three nights, supporting himself entirely on milk and urine and dung of the cow.
Mahabharata 13.81 One should, indeed, always confer happiness on them. One should, always reverence kine and worship them, with bends of one’s head. He who does this, restraining his senses the while and filled with cheerfulness, succeeds in attaining to that felicity which is enjoyed by kine (and which kine alone can confer). One should for three days drink the hot urine of the cow.
Parasara Smriti 3.49 “By unwillingly following the corpse of a deceased Kshatriya (to the cremation ground), a Brahmana remains unclean for that day only and becomes clean by taking Panchagavyam.” Tr. Manmatha Nath Dutt
Manu Smriti 11.91-92 A twice-born man who has (intentionally) drunk, through delusion of mind, (the spirituous liquor called) Sura shall drink that liquor boiling-hot; when his body has been completely scalded by that, he is freed from his guilt; Or he may drink cow’s urine, water, milk, clarified butter or (liquid) cowdung boiling-hot, until he dies;
Expiation using Cow Dung and Urine for eating the remnants of food or coming into contact with a Shudra/Chandala
Parasara Smriti 6.32-33 When a Brahman through ignorance chances to eat any food that belongs to one of the Chandala caste, he should purify himself by living on half-ripe barley and cow’s urine for ten nights. The barley should be steeped in the cow’s urine, and one mouthful thereof should be taken day by day ; for ten days he must live a blameless life ; this is the penance prescribed for him.
Agni Purana 170.18-25 “…While drinking of the same well with the Chandalas, the man who thinks himself to have been polluted by their vile contact, should eat the composition known as the Panchavya, or should work out his purification by observing a single day’s fast…” Tr. M.N. Dutt
Garuda Purana ch 231 “Articles of Indian bell metal, smelled by kine or defiled by the touch of residue of a Sudra’s meal, or by the contact of a dog or a crow, are purified by being rubbed with ten kinds of ashes. Having partaken his meal out of the saucer of a Sudra, a Brahmana shall regain his purity by fasting for a day, and by taking Panchgavya as well.” Tr. M.N. Dutt
Garuda Purana 1.222.2 “If inadvertenly a brahmin takes food defiled by the Ucchista (residual of food partaken) of a Sudra he should fast for a day and night and drink Pancagavya. He shall be purified.” Tr. J.L. Shastri
Garuda Purana 1.222.20-21 “…A brahmin defiled by the touch of a dog or a Sudra defiled by Ucchista shall fast for a night and drink Pancagayva. He shall become pure. Touched by an outcaste he shall fast for five nights.” Tr. J.L. Shastri
Kurma Purana II.34.38 “On drinking the water touched by a Candala, and excellent Brahmana becomes purified by means of Pancagavya (preparation of the five products of cows viz. urine, faeces, milk curds and ghee) as well as the chief expiatory rite for three days.” Tr. G.V. Tagare
Samvarta Samhita verse 30 “He, who takes his food or drink from a Sudra’s hands, should get himself purified with the Panchagavya after fasting for a day and night. [32] By taking food in a vessel belonging to a Sudra or in a broken plate, one should get himself purified with the Panchagavya after fasting for a day and night.” Tr. Manmatha Nath Dutt
Apastamba Samhita 2.2 “Having drunk water in a Prapa, or that lieing accumulated in a forest or in the furrows of a ploughed field, as well as that which is flowing out of a pond, or is owned by a Svapak or a Chandala, one should regain one’s purity by drinking Panchagavyam. [5] Having drunk water out of, or bathed in, a well or tank, caused to be excavated by another, one should regain one’s purity by drinking Panchagavyam.” Tr. Manmatha Nath Dutt
Angiras Samhita 1.9-10 “If he on any occasion, touched by a Sudra who has not washed his mouth after taking meals, he should bathe and recite [the Gayatri] and shall become purified by [fasting for] half a day. If a Vipra is [similarly] touched by a Vaisya, a dog or a Sudra, he shall after fasting for one night become purified with the Panchagavya” Tr. Manmatha Nath Dath
Samvarta Samhita verses 197 “By associating with an outcast for a month or a half, one would become purified, in half-a-month, by living upon barley and the urine of cow.” Tr. Manmatha Nath Dutt
Usana Samhita 9.49 “By drinking water touched by a Chandala, the foremost of the twice-born becomes purified [by fasting] for three nights or by taking the Panchagavyam.” Tr. Manmatha Nath Dutt
Samvarta Samhita verses 182 “By drinking well water contaminated by a Chandala’s vessel, one becomes purified by living on barley and the urine of a cow for three nights.” Tr. Manmatha Nath Dutt
Shudra not allowed to drink Panchagavya
Apastamba Samhita 5.4 “Sudras should not be enjoined to drink Panchagavyam, inasmuch as they are not privileged to utter any Mantras. A Sudra, guilty of any delinquency, should regain his purity by confessing it to a Brahmana and by making gifts.” Tr. Manmatha Nath Dutt
Vishnu Smriti 54.7 “If a Sudra drinks Panchagavyam, and if a Brahmana drinks wine, both of them will go to the great howling hell (Maha-rauravam).” Tr. Manmatha Nath Dutt
Shudra is not even allowed to drink milk of a tawny cow,
Garuda Purana 4.22 “The Śūdra who studies the letter of the Vedas, who drinks the milk of the tawny cow, who wears the sacred thread or consorts with Brāhmiṇ women. [23] Having come all along the path the sinful reach the abode of Yama, and having come, by command of Yama, the messengers hurl them into that river again.” Tr. Ernest Wood and S.V. Subrahmanyam
House/Kitchen should be purified/plastered with Cow Dung
Vishnu Smriti 23.56 A house is purified by scouring it with a broom and plastering the ground with cow dung, and a manuscript or book by sprinkling water over it. Land is cleansed by scouring, by plastering it with cow dung.
Manu Smriti 5.124. Land is purified by (the following) five (modes, viz.) by sweeping, by smearing (it with cowdung), by sprinkling (it with cows’ urine or milk), by scraping, and by cows staying (on it during a day and night).
Shiva Purana, Rudrasamhita 2, Sristi Khanda I 13.18 “In a clean place washed and smeared with cowdung, the devotee shall take his seat, O Brahmins.” Tr. J.L. Shastri
Srimad Bhagavatam 7.11.26 “A pious lady should keep the house clean by sweeping and plastering (with cowdung), and decorating it with auspicious coloured diagrams and pictures on the floor.” Tr. G.V. Tagare
”The place that has been plastered with a thin coating of mud and dung properly mixed together looks nice. If the kitchen, wherein food is… The kitchen, therefore, should be properly plastered with mud and dung, swept and kept thoroughly clean.” by Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Satyarth Prakash Ch 10, p.325, Tr. Dr. Chiranjiva Bhardwaja
Parasara Smriti 6.47. But an earthen vessel filled with an oily substance need not be thrown away. The house should be washed with cow-dung and water, mixed together.
Manu Smriti 5.122. Grass, wood, and straw become pure by being sprinkled (with water), a house by sweeping and smearing (it with cowdung or whitewash), an earthen (vessel) by a second burning.
Mahabharata 13.146 That woman who always takes a pleasure in rising at early down, who is devoted to the discharge of all household duties, who always keeps her house clean, who rubs her house daily with cowdung, who always attends to the domestic fire (for pouring libations upon it)
