Animal Based Paraphernalia

Conch:

Regarding Animal Based Paraphernalia different Sampradayas seem to have different standards about these things. For example the use of conches in deity worship is found in all Vaisnava sampradayas except the Sri (Ramanuja) Sampradaya. Even then some Sri Vaisnavas seem to use them in Northern India. Usually however they contend that the only "pure" conch is Panchajanya the conch of the Lord. All others are NOT considered "pure".

Cow Dung:

As for cow dung (gobar) it is considered pure (as also cow urine) by all Hindus. And it certainly seems that it contains antiseptic properties. I don't know whether any other animals stools contain similar properties. Perhaps some other devotees could comment on this.

Peacock and other feathers:

Certainly the collection of these doesn't require harming the peacocks which do drop feathers (maybe I'm being naive here) (I am not sure about whether all peacock or other feathers used by the deity wallas in Vrndavana are collected without himsa). However whether this means that they are considered "ritually pure" or not I don't know.

Silk:

Certainly regular silk is a product (of himsa of killing) that requires that the animal (silk worm) is killed in order to get the "unbroken" threads. There is a of course ahimsa silk (usually called in India Matkha Silk) which is rough and has many small knots in it (due to the shorter threads taken from broken cocoons). It has the appearance of the rough cotton khadi cloth that is used by many villagers. Regular silk is commonly used for deity and devotee clothing by all Hindus. If anyone knows of exceptions to this I would be pleased to hear about them. Also does anyone in India know whether Jains use this type of silk?

Camara:

Many camaras come still attached to the bone, therefore getting this type of camara must necessarily involve himsa or hurting (if not killing) the animal.

I think that if you were to analyze many things you could make a good case for rejecting their use due to some connection that they have to violence and/or suffering. As for those cases that simply have to do with ritual purity and don't have to do with violence/suffering, it seems that each tradition may or may not see these things as pure or impure. Ultimately, in one sense, EVERYTHING IS PURE because it is Krsna's (external) energy and emanating from Him. I would like to close by mentioning some other things that struck me as being questionable over the years.

Pulagu (Civet Cat oil)

This oil comes from a gland in the civet cat and is used in preparing the Tilaka of Lord Venkatesvara (Visnu) in Tirupati as well as other Visnu deities.

Musk

Another fragrant oil used in deity worship (incense, oils, and deity tilak markings). Its source is the musk ox's glands.

Deer, Tiger etc Skins

Used by pujaris and sages for asanas. Also sometimes used to make containers for puja items (especially by Madhvas) and covers for sastras.

Cow/Buffalo skin leather

For use as drum heads (mrdangam, tabla, dolak, etc).

Honey

Certainly an animal by-product. My question is why is it considered pure? Also is there himsa involved in it's collection?

Milk

Naturally milk is a very important food and certainly cows produce more than enough for their young. However there is a certain amount of suffering that is endured by the animals especially in the large scale production of milk as in the western countries. A family cow may be treated very nicely but most of us get mass-produced milk that comes from cows that are not treated very nicely. Also the antibiotics and growth hormones that these cows receive effect the milk. This is before any other additives (vitamin D, etc).

Anyway I hope that I haven't upset anyone or opened a can of worms here. I simply wanted to express that I have certainly thought about these things over the years and I think that sensitive devotees will want to consider the use or disuse of these items. Probably the only thing that I can say about the use of these things is that as Vaisnavas our main priority in deciding the use or non-use of a thing is whether it pleases the Supreme Lord or not.

Gaura Keshava das