The Kow, the Léon & the Tyger

अर्धनारीश्वर Ardhanārīśhvara (शिव-पार्वती Shiva-Parvati) कैलाश राज Kailash Raj

अर्धनारीश्वर, Ardhanārīśwara (Siva Parvati)

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• The cow symbolizes wealth, compassion, motherliness, righteousness (dharma), motherhood, divinity, sattvic nature, sacrifice, service, purity, and auspiciousness. In ancient India, a person’s social and economic status depended upon the number of cattle he possessed. One of the prime duties of the students in ancient India who studied the Vedas in the गुरुकुलों gurukuls was to help their teachers by looking after their cows. From the उपनिषदों Upanishads, we know that served their teachers by taking their cows into the forest for grazing and returned in the evening. भगवान कृष्ण Lord Krishna grew up in a family of cowherds and personally tended the cows and other domestic animals in his childhood. The पुराणों Puranas suggest that the animals and friends around him were mesmerized by the melody of his flute and stayed calm. कृष्ण Shiva is known as गोरखनाथी Gorakhnath, means the lord of the cows. He is also known as, पसुपतिनाथी Pasupathinath, the lord of all animals. According to some scholars, कृष्ण Shiva’s association with cows and bulls might date back to the सिंधु घाटी Indus Valley period. Cows have a special significance in हिन्दू धर्म Hinduism, as aspects of Mother Goddess and as symbols of selfless service. 
• Images of bulls were found in several सिंधु घाटी की मुहरें Indus Valley seals. They suggest that since the earliest times bulls had a socio-religious significance in ancient India. In the वैदिक Vedic world, the bull represented masculinity, virility, strength, aggression, and fighting power. The Sanskrit word वृषण vrishan, derived from the root world, वृषो vrish, was originally used in the वेद Vedas to denote all males, including men. However, another of its derivatives, वृषभ Vrishabha was used to denote various types of bulls, including horse bulls and male boar. The वेद  Vedas describe इंद्र Indra as a strong bull of manliness and mighty strength. They also signify the sexual prowess of the bulls by stating that अग्नि Agni or इंद्र Indra descend from heaven to earth roaring like a husband to his wives. The bull has a special significance in शैव Shaivism and हिंदू तंत्र Hindu Tantra. भगवान शिव Lord Shiva is known as वृषभनाथी Vrishabhanath, lord of the bulls. His vehicle is नंदी Nandi, the divine bull, also known as बसव Basava, who is worshipped by devotees individually as a personal god and in association with शिव Shiva as his vehicle. According to some, नंदी Nandi is not a bull in the ordinary sense, but a divine being, and a close confidant of भगवान शिव Lord Shiva, whose anthropomorphic form is represented by a half-human and half bull body. He is known for his knowledge, devotion, obedience, surrender, virtue, and dedication to शिव Shiva and his devotees of शिव Shiva, and fought many battles to protect the gods, slay the demons and uphold dharma. However, in Hinduism bulls symbolically represent both positive and negative qualities. On the positive side, they represent manliness, virility, manly strength, sexual prowess, and fighting spirit. On the negative side, they symbolize darkness, brute power, excessive sexuality, lust, anger, aggression, promiscuity, waywardness, ignorance, and delusion. On specific occasions, हिंदुओं Hindus worship bulls and make them offerings of food. Since they are considered sacred, as in the case of cows, hurting or harming them is strictly prohibited in हिन्दू धर्म Hinduism.
• One of the seals found in the सिंधु घाटी Indus Valley shows a seated deity in a yoga posture with the horns of a buffalo. It refers to the possibility that in those days, buffalo horns signified a person’s social status, royalty, authority, or divinity. Some of the seals show human figures in a conflict with a buffalo figure, who may be a prototype of a buffalo demon or a rival king. The वेदों Vedas contain references to the buffalos and their ritual significance. The buffalo is a savage beast. Unlike the cow, it has a dark mane, and a gross body, suggestive of its तामसिक tamasic (resistant, dark and destructive) nature. However, buffalos in हिन्दू धर्म Hinduism represent both positive and negative qualities. On the negative side, buffalos represent darkness (तमस tamas), delusion, ignorance, lust, demonic nature and brute power. On the positive side, they represent strength, divinity, support, and ferocity. The water buffalo is the vehicle of भगवान यम Lord Yama, the lord of the underworld, who is regarded as the lord of justice. महिष Mahisha is a buffalo god whereas महिषासुर Mahishasura is a buffalo demon. The he-buffalo (महिष Mahisha) represent a king, or the ruler of the earth, while the she-buffalo (महिषियो Mahishi) his wife. Hence, the first wife of a king in Hinduism is called पत्ता महिषी Patta Mahishi. In the वैदिक Vedic ritual of horse sacrifice (अश्वमेध यज्ञ Asvamedha yajna) she used to have a prominent role as the sacrificial offering to the divine horse, ब्रह्म Brahman. महिषासुर Mahishasura, who represents the brute force of the he-buffalo was a powerful demon who became a tormentor of the worlds. None of the male gods could defeat him due to a boon he obtained. He was eventually killed by दुर्गा Durga, the Mother Goddess. In a broader sense, the buffalo symbolizes all mortal beings who live upon the earth and who are a mixture of both positive and negative qualities. According to कालिका पुराण Kalika Purana, a buffalo is an auspicious animal with an excellent form that gives life, wealth and fame. There is a story in devotional हिन्दू धर्म Hinduism, according to which a saint named ज्ञानेश्वर Jnaneshwar once taught the वेदों Vedas to a buffalo to prove that the same spirit pervaded all and existed in all. One may not take that story literally, but it does point to an important belief of हिंदुओं Hindus and their attitude towards animals. Both commercially or spiritually, the buffalo is not as popular as the cow or the bull, but it has its own place in हिन्दू धर्म Hinduism. Compared to the cows and the bulls, the buffalos are sturdier and better suited to the harsh conditions of temperate climate. Hence, they are widely used in rural India as beasts of burden and in the cultivation of lands. Traditionally, buffalos have been used in वैदिक Vedic rituals, next to the horse, and offered as a sacrifice to appease gods. They are also the main sacrificial animals in the worship of शक्ति Shakti, especially during the दुर्गा पूजा Durga puja. However, although buffalos are sacrificed during rituals, as in the case of cows and bulls हिंदुओं Hindus are prohibited from eating buffalo meat.

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• There are no references to बाघों/वियाघर tigers in the ऋग्वेद Rigveda. However, यजुर्वेद Yajurveda and अथर्ववेद Atharvaveda contain a few references to them. They contain prayers and spells to subdue tigers and protect people, cowherds and shepherds from the menace of tigers, besides invocations that extol gods by ascribing to them the power and the qualities of tigers. For example, a hymn (5.7) in the  यजुर्वेद Yajurveda to रुद्र Rudra and अग्नि Agni describes that they possess the ferocity of a tiger. Another hymn (5.21) suggests that a tiger is worthy of sacrifice to इंद्र Indra. In some hymns, the domestic fires are compared to the tigers that guard the house. भगवान शिव Lord Shiva is shown to wear tiger skin. Indian forests were home to Asiatic tigers. Tiger hunting was a favourite royal sport. Kings were allowed to hunt them to protect the people from their menace. Vedic humans unambiguously described the tiger as the foremost animal among the beasts of prey. A spell (4.6) from the अथर्ववेद Atharvaveda suggests that in rural areas tigers and lions were a menace to the cattle owners as they frequently attacked their cattle and carried them away. Tigers also figure prominently in many Indian folk-tales, जातक Jataka-stories, and the पंचतंत्र Panchatantra. Like elephants, tigers represent royalty, majesty, fearlessness, strength, and ferocity. On the negative side, they represent death, aggression, anger, cruelty, and violence. The tiger is the most popular and well-known vehicle of शक्ति Shakti and her numerous manifestations. In the images and sculptures, she is shown as riding or sitting upon a tiger. Spiritually, tigers are considered advanced beings. Some of them might be humans in their past lives or may assume a human birth in their next lives. For example, मनुस्मृति Manusmriti (12.59) declares that those who take pleasure in hurting others will be born as carnivorous animals such as tigers, whereas those who eat forbidden food become worms. In many tribal traditions of इंडिया India, the tiger (or lion) is worshipped as a god. The गोंड Gonds in Central India worship a tiger god named बाग देव Bagh Deo, who is considered the saviour and protector of his devotees. The मुरियास Murias worship चित्तन देव Chitan Deo, who is a hunting tiger god, while the भारियासो Bharias worship भागेश्वरी Bhageshwar. Worship of the tiger god under different names is prevalent in many other tribes of India.
• Lions and tigers enjoy an exalted status in हिन्दू धर्म Hinduism as symbols of royalty, strength, and ferocity. However, because of the large size of their population and their wider geographical presence, tigers receive more attention and religious importance than lions. One of the ten incarnations of विष्णु Vishnu is नरसिंह Narasimha, who has the head and shoulders of a lion, but the torso of a human. नरसिंह Narasimha is one of the fiercest forms of विष्णु Vishnu in his aspect of कला Kala, or Death. He manifested as a lion to destroy the demon king, हिरण्यकश्यपु Hiranyakasipu and save his son प्रहलाद Prahlada from his father’s abuse. Many शक्तिसी Shaktis have either a lion or a tiger, or both as their vehicles, suggesting that from a symbolic perspective they represent the same qualities and energies. Lions are mentioned in the वेदों Vedas and the पुराणों Puranas. देवी दुर्गा Goddess Durga, a fierce form of पार्वती Parvathi or शक्ति Shakti, has a golden lion as her vehicle, while राहु Rahu, a planetary guard, rides upon a black lion as his vehicle. Like the tigers and elephants, lions represent royalty, ferocity, majesty, strength, courage and commanding power. Lions form an important part of हिंदू Hindu religious art. The face of the lion (सिंह-मुख Simha-Mukha) is used in images and sculpture in many हिंदू Hindu temples to decorate the doors, walls, arches, and windows. Their fierce form, bloodshot eyes, and large teeth represent कला Kala, the devourer. A similar form is used in the masks, कीर्ति मुखा Kirti Mukhas, which are worn by actors in traditional हिंदू Hindu dance dramas to enact ancient legends and stories from the पुराणों Puranas and the epics. Lions also appear in the art of ancient इंडिया India as symbols of royal authority. The memorial pillar at सारनाथी Saranath which was erected by अशोक Ashoka after his conversion to Buddhism contains four beautifully carved standing lions at the top on a round abacus representing the imperial power. They now constitute the official emblem of the government of इंडिया India.

भगवान शिव Lord शिव Shiva and Tiger Skin

― The Reason why Shiva wears a Tiger's hide

Or why शिव śivá, “the auspicious one” hides His nudity below the hide of a Tyger

व्याघ्र vyāghrá, “tiger”

भगवान शिव Lord Shiva is usually depicted as sitting or meditating on a tiger skin and usually portrayed as wearing a tiger skin for a garment. Tiger symbolically represents power.

That शिव Shiva sits on a tiger's skin and wears it, symbolically, means that He is beyond all power and dominates over all the powers.

There is an interesting story in the शिव पुराण Shiva Purana which narrates about how भगवान शिव Lord Shiva got the tiger skin.

Once भगवान शिव Lord Shiva was roaming around the world as an अवधूत Avadhūta. He was completely naked and was so immersed in this meditation that he was unaware of any other existence. During that roaming, He reached a forest inhabited by a group of saints who lived along with their families. The arrival of a naked mendicant created a flutter within their small and confined society. The women in the community were attracted by शिव Shiva and there was some disturbance in the daily routines of the आश्रम āśrama, Ashram. Upon realizing that it was the new mendicant that was responsible for the wayward behaviour of the females in their society, the saints became furious and decided to teach that young beggar a lesson and consequently dug a pit on his usual way. As भगवान शिव Lord Shiva passed over the pit, the saints, using their powers, created a tiger which was easily overpowered by शिव śivá that removed the hide and made cloth out of it. The saints ― realizing that the mendicant was no ordinary Avadhuta ― prayed for forgiveness. भगवान शिव Lord Shiva appeared and blessed them. From that day onwards शिव Shiva started wearing the tiger's skin.