Chapter 7 - Conclusion

The intimacy of man and animals dates back to the times of the cave pictures drawn in the prehistory periods. There are cave pictures of even those animals and birds which are now extinct. Folks of the ancient times used domestic animals for food as well as for agricultural purposes. These animals formed an integral part of their existence. The primitive groups maintained a lot of beliefs and rituals even regarding wild animals. Precise natural knowledge about these animals can be seen in such beliefs. People had their own concepts about the various kinds of creatures that were found in the seas, rivers and forests. Our conclusions are based on these concepts. The ancient people wondered at the special capabilities of certain animals and birds and they even worshipped them as if they were supernatural beings. Such worship is still found in many forms in many villages and towns here.

In the original forms of folk arts the main item is animals. Many of them are reminiscences of the times when people lived in close communion with nature. In the habitation system, rearing cattle was the main means of livelihood for the ancient agricultural communities. Man tamed animals that used to roam in the forests. In the life cycle of the agricultural communities animals played a significant role. Each civilization acquired its own separate cultural identities in matters of food, treatment, use of animals in work and so on. Animals also had much importance in the social life of man. In India, the variety of animals is mindboggling. There are so many regional varieties and they are often unique and very famous. People have gained a lot of knowledge about animals and birds because they have been rearing them and taking care of them in different ways and thus they have firsthand and ample knowledge about them.

From their perspectives and attitudes to animals, they have developed their own theories and these theories have been passed on to generations through oral and written traditions. Their abilities and manners of dealing with animals have been passed on to posterity thus making each generation more knowledgeable than the previous one. Today there are endeavours everywhere to know more about animals and their behaviour in details and to codify such knowledge and findings.

Man develops community life not only through his fellowship with other human beings but also with the flora and fauna around him. It is this fellowship with the animals, birds and other creatures, nature itself that makes life lively and meaningful. Each people will have their own separate ways of dealing with the animals and birds in their proximity. It is the world view about such broad fellowship that determines our attitudes and behaviour towards animals.

Both wild animals and domestic animals play decisive roles in the physical and mental life and destiny of man. Apart from the necessities of our daily life, the presence of animals is significant even in our beliefs and rituals for which we give a lot of importance. Even the language used while taking care of animals and when handling them has become a subject of extensive and intensive studies. The attitude of dealing with animals is developed according to the cultures in vogue in different regions. But it is not necessary that these attitudes remain unchanged eternally.

When times and circumstances change, there will be inevitable changes in the attitude of man in their fellowship with animals. Modernization has given new meanings and dimensions to conventions and rituals and even beliefs. Many rituals that are closely intertwined with Nature are on their way to oblivion. Many of the rituals connected us with nature and it is necessary to find out why they have been in existence for centuries without being questioned. What could have been their relevance and significance to man in relation to nature?

The question whether man ate vegetable first or meat is still unanswered. There are many proofs in history to show that man grew by eating both vegetables and also animals. That is why the name ‘Eater of Mixed Foods’ quite nicely fits man. It is not today or yesterday that man learned which animals to eat, which not to eat, and how to kill, prepare and eat them. Killing and eating certain animals is considered to be a sin. Animals like rats, monkeys and cows are given divine status.

Rat is considered to be the vehicle of Ganapati. A monkey is the symbol of Hanuman. The cow is considered to be a mother according to the Indian concept. When animal sacrifice was in vogue, the animals and birds received as offering were killed in the places of worship.

The assistance rendered by wild animals to man can’t be belittled. For centuries, people in different regions depended on wild animals for their living. Information about animals came often naturally but then animals and birds were subjected to different kinds of observations and experiments. Some concepts about animals are purely imaginary and are related to beliefs that have no scientific backing. With the herbs available in nature, many animal products were also added to treat various ailments and also to make the body and mind healthy and strong.

It is obviously religions that persuaded man to worship certain animals and other creatures. Totemism is related to a religion. Many peoples or nations consider an animal, creature, plant or tree to be closely associated with their race or class.Creatures can be revered even without any backing from tribes.

Many communities consider animals like cow, bull, horse, sheep, lion, hawk, and peacock as divine creatures. Snake worship is quite common even now. Some animals are considered holy because they are the vehicles or transports of different deities, gods and goddesses. As per the Puranas, some deities have appeared in the guise of various creatures. For example, Indra has appeared in the form of a bull, goat, fox and cock. To test Yudhishthira, Yamadharma went to him in the guise of a dog. From the folklores popular in the rural areas many things can be gasped about deities taking the form of animals. In the ancient Puranas, the concepts are highly elevated where in the folklores of the rural people the concepts of a lowly character.

The relations between man and domestic animals and the knowledge man learned from then can be garnered from the development of the cultural history of man. There are a lot of things which are available in various communities but which are not codified or recorded. Such knowledge is a pointer to the lifestyle of such people. Cows have occupied the highest place amongst the animals domesticated by man. The cow has a very high and noble niche in the material life, beliefs and rituals of the rural people. In the Indian tradition of Itihasas and Puranas, the cow has a lot of significance. In astrology, Ayurveda and in tantric rituals, cow is given an important position.

The Indian classics like Ramayana and Mahabharata are rich with the descriptions of different kinds of birds and animals. Without these, the classics, especially Ramayana, would not be perfect as they are now. It would not be an exaggeration to assert that Valmiki and Vyasa should considered more as learned biologists than exemplary poets. From a close study of these classics we can realize that these poets had very deep knowledge about the environment and the flora and fauna that enriched it. In Valmiki’s Ramayana it can be seen that detailed descriptions about more than 60 types of animals and birds and their sub-categories.

It is the experiences of individuals that the transform into the dreams of the society. These dreams formulate various myths. In the ancient writings all these things are mingled and mixed so intricately that we can’t know where one ends and another begins. Many of the ancient concepts about the universe might look strange, mere abracadabra, to us. There are different concepts and theories about the creation and maintenance of the universe in the Puranas and Itihasas.