There are many unique qualities about the Hindu religion and one of them is the advocacy of compassion towards animals and in fact, all creatures in the world. Animals are considered sacred in Hinduism. Not only do Hindus worship various animals but they also show their compassion and respect towards them by following practices like pure vegetarianism and non-violence towards animals.
They hold a lot of significance and are associated with various Gods and Goddesses as their mounts. For instance, the mouse is considered to be Lord Ganesha’s mount while the lion is considered to be the mount of Goddess Durga.
The Dashavatara of Lord Vishnu also sheds special emphasis on the significance of animal forms. Lord Vishnu took many avataras like the Matsya Avatara which was the fish form, the Kurma Avatara which was the tortoise form, and the Varaha Avatara which was the boar form to restore order on earth.
Hindu epics like Ramayana mention the significance of birds and animals in various forms like Jatayu who not only tried to stop Ravana from abducting Mata Sita but also informed Lord Rama about the incident. Also, creatures as tiny as squirrels helped Lord Rama build the Rama Setu to Lanka.
Let’s take a look at the animals that are significant in Hinduism.
Hinduism is one of the religions that advocates kindness towards all living beings. Hinduism encourages people to show compassion towards animals and treat them with kindness.
Practices like consuming a vegetarian diet are encouraged in the Hindu religion. In addition to this, animals like cows and horses have a lot of ritual importance in the Hindu religion. Various animals are also revered because either they are the mounts of Gods and Goddesses or because they are incarnations of certain deities. Many animals are also part of Hindu epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana as pivotal characters as well.
According to beliefs in Hinduism, God resides within every living being and that is why harming any creature no matter how big or small is considered a sin in the Hindu religion.
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