Cows

Hindus do not worship cows. Period. Hindus are culturally expected to respect cows. This originated from the ancient Indian civilization that for so many years was very dependant on cows for milk, dairy, farming, fertilizer. Due to the huge dependence on cows for their survival, Hindus have come to revere cows. Often being referred to as "mata", the role of cows are likened by some to an almost maternal role in that cows give unconditionally (though this is of course just an analogy and not a hard comparison since one could argue that cows haven't really a choice in the matter). For this reason, Hindus are expected not to eat beef, and to generally treat cows with respect. Part of this confusion may have rooted from the early chapters of the Mahabharata where Krishna speaks to his foster mother Yashoda regarding a pooja (religious ceremony) she's preparing for Indra out of fear of him. There, Krishna halts the pooja and advises his mother to not appreciate a deity that demands worship through intimidation, and rather appreciate the mountain that brings their village rain and the cows upon which their village depends. When translating from sanskrit to english it is easy to mistake what Krishna said as "appreciate" for "worship".

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