Sri Vijaya Puram, Aug. 5: Vinayak Damodar Savarkar regarded the cow as an animal that deserved protection because of its practical value to society but did not support the practice of worshipping it as a deity, his grandnephew, Satyaki Savarkar, told a special MP/MLA Court in Pune during his cross-examination in a criminal defamation case against Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
Continuing his testimony before the court, Satyaki Savarkar referred to the writings of V.D. Savarkar and stated that the freedom fighter had consistently maintained that cows should be protected because of their usefulness rather than treated as divine beings. The deposition forms part of the ongoing criminal defamation proceedings initiated by Satyaki Savarkar over remarks allegedly made by Rahul Gandhi during a speech in London in March 2023.
During the hearing, Satyaki Savarkar acknowledged that the book Vigyan-Nishtha Nibandha was authored by V.D. Savarkar and accepted the contents of the publication. According to the book placed before the court, Savarkar criticised the practice of worshipping cows as goddesses while advocating their protection on the basis of their utility to humankind.
The publication contains the statement: “The cow is plainly an animal. To regard as a deity an animal… is an insult not merely to humanity but to the very concept of divinity.”
Satyaki Savarkar also acknowledged that the book compares the utility of cows with that of other domesticated animals, including dogs, horses and donkeys. According to the writings cited before the court, Savarkar argued that cows should be protected for the same practical reasons that other useful domestic animals are protected, rather than being worshipped.
The book further questions the religious practice of treating cow dung and cow urine as sacred substances. According to the publication, Savarkar argued that while these substances could be used for medicinal or agricultural purposes where appropriate, consuming them as a matter of religious merit was open to criticism.
The writings referred to during the proceedings also state that describing the cow as “Gaumata” could be acceptable as a symbolic expression but should not be understood literally. The publication additionally criticises depictions suggesting that Hindu deities reside within the body of a cow, describing such beliefs as irrational and ultimately harmful to religion.
The defamation case stems from allegations that Rahul Gandhi claimed during a London event that Savarkar had written about assaulting a Muslim man in one of his books. Satyaki Savarkar has maintained before the court that no such incident or passage exists in Savarkar’s writings and has sought criminal defamation action against the Congress leader. The cross-examination is continuing before the Pune court, with further proceedings scheduled in the case.
