Cow is the strong foundation of India's religious, cultural and economic base. Without him, religion, culture and economics of India do not exist. Mother cow connects us with religion, and is the basis of livelihood of crores of people. This may have been the reason why tradition declared the cow as Avadhya (one that cannot be killed). She is known as 'Kamadhenu' and 'Gaumata' because she is nurturing like a mother and the giver of all things that provide wealth to humanity.

Mother cow, the pivot of faith and economy, supports us not only during life but also after death. Cow is the pivot of faith and economy. That is why the practice of Godan to cross the Styx still exists today. It is said in the Puranas that Brahma is present at the root of the cow's horn, Vishnu is present in the middle and all the gods are present in the body. Therefore, by feeding the cow, all the Gods and Goddesses are offered offerings.

The legendary cow Kamdhenu is glorified for giving abundant milk like nectar. Agriculture, which came into existence about ten thousand years ago, further increased the importance of the cow, not only because of its nutritious milk, but also because of the strength it provided from its bulls and the ability to maintain the fertility of the soil. In other words, our food security has rested on the shoulders of oxen for thousands of years. This is such an ingredient of cow which hardly has any match.

Cow is the center of reverence for the entire Vedic literature

Vedas are the only facts to understand the real history of ancient India. Cow is important in the entire Vedic and post-Vedic history. Cow is the center of reverence in the entire Vedic literature. From Rigveda to Mahabharata and present day, cow is revered in Indian culture and tradition. Tulsidas cited cow welfare as one of the reasons for the birth of Shri Ram. In Gita, Krishna also described Arjun as a cow as one of his many forms. Kautilya also called cow protection important. Ancient India was a cow worshipper. The 4th century Chinese traveler Fa Hien and 7th century Hsien Tsang conclude that there are no non-vegetarians in India. There were many movements in India against cow slaughter. Gandhiji called ban on cow slaughter a part of Swaraj. Cow is the mother of the Indian economy, the center of reverence for the social system and cultural system.v It is noteworthy that in the rural economy, the five products obtained from cows – milk, curd, ghee, cow dung and urine i.e. Panchgavya – have been an integral part of life in the entire Indian subcontinent. There has been a long tradition of using Panchagavya in food, medicine, farming etc. Cow's milk and ghee are considered like nectar. The feeling behind cow service is eternal. There is a thousands of years old tradition with this feeling, in which the cow has a high position like that of the gods. There is an old saying that the identity of India is Cow, Geeta, Gayatri and Ganga.

The value of a cow is beyond of debate
The cow is so sacred that 'Panchgavya' is made from its milk, curd, ghee, urine and dung to cure many defects. All parts of the cow are considered sacred. Manusmriti has also talked about praising the cow. In Indian tradition, three types of donations are said to be best – cow, land and knowledge. The donation of these three has been called excessive donation. Atidaan means donation with great glory. It is clear that the tradition of Godaan is ancient, which is related to the vision of taking care of the family of a helpless person.

Animal husbandry was spread like cottage industry and small scale industry in our country and crores of people got employment in it. Creating employment is considered a very virtuous act and providing employment to the unemployed is considered the biggest social service in the world.

The value of a cow is beyond any kind of debate. Cow conservation is entirely in the national interest, and is in line with environmental, ecological and socio-economic justice. Cow should be considered as an important source of socio-economic and ecological development of India. India endowed with cow power will indeed be a happy and sustainable India.

Let us together carry forward the noble cause of serving mother cow and make our lives meaningful.