foreign
get asked why do we worship animal gods and goddesses now I know in some of your previous
talks you've mentioned we have a very close link with the animal kingdom I'm wondering if there's
a more mature reason for this and if so why do we still do it is in fact the reason why animals
get intertwined in our narrative or in a colorful storytelling because since ancient times we will
recognized if you like that we are a continuation of the animal kingdom we are not something apart
from the Animal Kingdom in fact a lot of these attributes the animals possess are still very
amiable they're very nice so in a way by invoking The Animals within our system with our gods and
goddesses we are in a way of saying that some of the aspects are very endearing very likable about
animals so that is why they get Incorporated but the main thing is this this is why we are
laying at your religion we've been thinking about this thing for many years thousands of years and
we know so what Darwin discovered recently just is very new stuff for them but for us it's very
ancient stuff that we are the continuation of the Animal Kingdom so the respective show for
Life cannot be restricted just to the humankind it must be extended into the animal kingdom that
is why you see with all the gods and goddesses they'll have a vehicle so in a way kind of giving
them Elevate elevating the state of animals linking them with the gods and goddesses
so we are in a way uplifting the animal kingdom
and in a way giving them more reverence so reverence for life is the main idea
that Isa that is why I say some Hindus will be not only vegetarian they'll be vegan even so
this is why we kind of recognize Divinity of all living in the whole living Kingdom
and that is why in a nice colorful manner we've Incorporated these animal features in our story
so like the vehicles of the Gods and courtesies or sometimes even the faces you know like Ganesh head
so anyway incorporating the idea that human and animal are not that different they're intertwined
so in a way this is why we in a way it's a very mature religion recognizing the importance of the
whole living Kingdom not just the human Kingdom and the more than their world that we live in is
also recognizing it and say you must now you know be less cruel to Animal Kingdom must be
take great care of animal welfare situations so the world is beginning to recognize this
and I'm also quite confident that within 50 years the world will turn vegetarian
quite confident it's not because Hindus are saying so put a lot of English
schools lots of English girls school especially sometimes 20 percent of the girls are vegetarian
they tell their mom no meat for me you know make vegetables or whatever lasagna whatever no meat
so now I'm finding I've just been to a swarkly girls school and they were vibrant and when I
present some of the ideas Hindus and they were kind of jumped about and become my you know like
you know groupies you know so that because they really fall in love with Hinduism because of this
idea of reverence for life so it's not a minor thing and many other people criticizing them
saying oh you've got animal headed gods and animal features in your religions your your worshiping
it's such a nasty thing to say we are saying give reverence to the whole Animal Kingdom thank you