Cow’s milk: Wholesome food, improves Sathva Guna

In practical terms, it is only cow’s milk which is a wholesome food. Usually, such a nutritious food will not be easily digested. But cow’s milk can be easily digested even by a small child and also by old people. It is also a food for the sick and the very weak.

Looking at it in terms of Vaidhikam, cow’s milk has the quality to improve sathva guna. This need not be accepted merely on the basis of faith. This will be clear if we look at sadhus who take only milk for their food and or so sathvik in nature.

Before the name Gomatha for Ambal, the name Gurumurthih and Gunanidhih occur. The power of food is among those which helps a person to evolve into a Gurumurthih, Gunanidhih. Milk is such a pure food.

There is something funny in this. Usually, the food that we get from the animal kingdom will affect sathva guna and increase rajasa and thamasa gunas. Sathvam – sathvikam means the mind being clear and being peaceful and at the same time remaining alert and not feeling tired or sleepy. Rajasa or rajasam is being affected by desire, anger etc and being in an agitated state.

Thamasam means having no enthusiasm for anything, feeling exhausted and sleepy and dull. In such a dull stage, noble attitude will not develop but desire and anger will keep coming up. Sathva alone is pure. Cow’s milk though coming from an animal and is almost like its blood should normally affect the development of sathva guna and it also looks like being opposed to ahimsa food.

But our sasthras have allowed cow’s milk as food for the sanyasi whose greatest dharma is ahimsa and who must have sathvik guna till the mind and guna are destroyed. If the cow has something which creates such purity, should it not be greatly divine?