Are Dogs lesser Animals?
Dogs have often been quoted as lesser beings by humans. They are looked down upon as either pestilence or pets. It all depends upon their utility to the humans. A dog with a collar and a leash is considered a pet but the same dog if found on Street is termed a nuisance.
Even the pet ones are deemed a nuisance if they bark at odd hours. So, is a dog merely one of the two? Have they always been so? Were they always a stray animal? Or were they merely pets to be kept chained and leashed?
The answer to these questions and riddles can be found in our ancient texts.
Dogs are important in hinduism
Dog popularly referred to as Shvan has a vital role in Hinduism. As per Vedic verses, dogs are guardians of gates of both hell and heaven. A black dog is also often portrayed as the companion of Kaalbhairav, an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Lord Duttatreya, the combined incarnation of Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh is always depicted with 4 dogs. Each dog is supposed to represent Vedas that is source of knowledge.
Needless to say, Dogs hold an eminent position in Hinduism.
Tale of Dharma and dog
Mention must also be made of the saga of Yuddhisthir, the eldest Pandava. When Yuddhisthir arrived at the gates of heaven, he demanded that the dog who accompanied him throughout his journey for penance, be allowed in the heaven too. On being declined, he refused to enter heaven himself. That is when the truth was revealed that Yamaraj, the god of death had himself taken the form of that dog.
This establishes the status of dogs in the society as an important cog in the wheel of human development.
In his book Sarama and his children, noted economist Bibek Debroy tells the tale of a Dog who was allowed in the court of lord Rama to lodge his complain. In the same story, a Brahman was given punishment for merely hitting a dog with a stick. Needless to say, that cruelty against a dog was considered a crime by lord Ram himself.
Tribal Gods
Dogs also hold a prominent place in the folklore of various communities across India.
Certain tribes in Maharashtra, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh worship a warrior god under different names but each incarnation of that warrior god is depicted with a dog.
A community in Gujarat worships Hadkai Mata, a goddess that fights demons with help of her trustworthy dog.
The Korku tribes in MP and Maharashtra are considered to be descendants of Ravana. This tribe worships Dogs along with Shiva and Ravana because as per their folklore two dogs saved them from Indra’s wrath and chased him away.
Watchdogs of just and justice
Dogs are also mentioned in Hinduism as having the ability to smell evil and see death. This is why even to this date, barking or whining of dogs at night is considered both as a warning of either lurking evil or impending death.
Needless to say, Dogs have always been accorded respect in ancient Hindu texts. They are celebrated, worshipped, and feared at the same time. It is also said that adopting and feeding a dog is bound to create a path to heaven. No wonder that from the deep south to the Himalayas, dogs are an important part of our heritage, our mythology, and our history. Even to this date, residents of Nepal celebrate a Thanksgiving festival Tihar exclusively for dogs. Thus, we see that Dogs are an important part of our existence. The modern outlook of treating strays with disdain is contradictory to the tenets of Hinduism. Hitting dogs, starving them, killing them, or even keeping them chained is an act that goes against the care, respect and compassion enshrined in our ancient texts. In short, Hinduism teaches us to respect dogs and so it shall be done.
