There should be no fixed age limit for cow slaughter, nor should there be any fitness criteria. There ought to be a complete ban on the slaughter of cows. This statement was made on Sunday in Hoshiarpur by Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Nischalanand Saraswati Ji Maharaj, the head of Govardhan Math.
The Shankaracharya criticized the West Bengal government’s decision regarding cow slaughter, which involves criteria based on the cow’s age (specifically 14 years) and fitness. Targeting the BJP, he noted that while Dr. Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister and Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat at the time, Modi used to advocate for a complete ban on cow slaughter; yet, despite having served as the country’s Prime Minister for the last eleven years, Modi has been unable to make a decision to impose such a total ban. He attributed this to a lack of political will within the government.
Responding to a question, the Shankaracharya stated that the cow should be accorded the status of ‘National Gau Mata’ (National Mother Cow) rather than just ‘National Animal,’ so that those engaging in frivolous talk on the matter might be silenced. He added that the cow embodies the presence of gods and goddesses.
He explained that whenever a crisis arises, deities manifest in the form of a cow.
In response to another question, the Shankaracharya remarked that Hindus need to take measures to ensure that no one converts to another religion due to poverty.
