Hinduism does not worship animals in the shallow sense of putting them on a pedestal and forgetting what they are. It does something more difficult. It asks us to see the divine through forms that are beautiful, terrifying, protective, unpredictable, and fully alive. That is why so many sacred animals in Hindu thought are not soft symbols. They are beings with force. They can nourish life, defend life, or end it in a moment. There is wisdom in that. Nature is not immoral, but it is not sentimental either. The same creation that inspires devotion also demands humility.
