Garuda Guha, Kollur,
Udupi Dist, Karnataka
Goshala
The cow is the mother of the whole world.
GAVO VISVASYA MATARAH
"The cow is the source of progress and prosperity. In many ways she is superior to one's own mother." -Mahatma Gandhi
On awakening this knowledge, the desire to love and care for cows will become natural, thus contributing to inner peace and to the harmony of society.
For the Indian villager with his agrarian life, the conservation of natural resources is an integral part of daily existence. He is expert in using nature’s gifts to manufacture all his requirements, from his mud hut to his homespun clothes. And protecting cows has always been the most important feature of the village conservation program; every homestead has at least one cow.
The cow and bull are indispensable in rural India, where about eighty percent of the population lives. The cow, eating only grass, happily supplies milk, which provides virtually all of the nutrients our bodies need. From milk we get cheese, curd, butter, ghee, whey, cream, yogurt, and an endless variety of milk-based preparations well known to experts in traditional Indian cookery. Because the cow supplies milk, she is accepted in the Vedas as our mother.
The bull is also an invaluable asset to the small farmer. The strong bull enjoys working all day pulling a plow through the fields. The use of the bull may be slower than machinery, but it does not compact the soil and reduce its productivity as doe’s heavy modern machinery. There are other problems with machinery in India, such as its inability to cope with seasonal changes and monsoons. (What to speak of the problems of finding spare parts or a mechanic). Because the bull provides for food, he is considered our father.
Cow Protection
Srila Prabhupada writes: The human society should recognize the importance of the cow and the bull and thus give all protection to these important animals.
Protect Cows… Protect our Civilization
In the Vedic tradition, cows are worshipped as mothers. According to the scriptures, there are seven mothers: atma-mata (one’s own mother) guroh patni (the wife of one’s teacher) brahmani (the wife of a brahmana) raja-patnika (the wife of the king) dhenu (the cow) dhatri (the nurse) and prithvi (the Earth) are all considered mothers. Just as a child feeds on the breast milk of the mother, human society takes milk from the cow. The bull is also considered the father of human society because just as the father earns to feed the children, the bull tills the earth to produce food grains. So, to kill cows means to end the human civilization.
A civilized man is, therefore, expected to give all protection to the bulls and cows. But, today, people are becoming more and more uncivilized by neglecting such instructions and they are encouraging cow killing. In Rig Veda (9.46.4) it is said: gobhih prinita matsaram: one who is desirous of killing the cow is in the grossest ignorance. Instead of killing the cow and eating its flesh, civilized men must subsist on various milk and agricultural products.
Cow – The Worshipable Animal
In Vedic society, the economy was based on agriculture and cow protection. Sri Krishna mentions this in the Bhagavad-gita:
krsi-go-raksya-vanijyam vaisya-karma svabhava-jam (Bg 18.44) Five thousand years ago, when Krishna was personally present on this planet, there was enough milk, butter and curd. When there were festivals, the cowherd men would throw yogurt, milk, clarified butter and water upon the bodies of one another. Everyone had sufficient stock of milk and other milk-products. Sri Krishna is glorified as the protector of the cows and brahminical culture (go-brahmana-hitaya ca). The Brahma Samhita describes Lord Krishna to be tending the surabhi cows in His spiritual abode of Goloka Vrindavana, which is surrounded by millions of desire-fulfilling trees. In the Vedas it is mentioned that all the demigods reside in the body of a cow. So Hindus worship the cow.
Gifts of Mother Cow
Milk is much more than a healthy substance. It is the manifestation of a mother’s love. When a baby drinks the milk from its mother, what takes place is not only bodily nourishment but a deeper bond with the mother. The natural relationship with the cow, our second mother, is now almost lost as we drink milk stored in cartons, vaguely conscious of its source.
“Cows milk is a tonic, its ghee is ambrosia and its meat is disease.” – Hazarat Mohammad
Cow dung is also regarded as the most efficient of all natural fertilizers. Thus the cow helps in the process of growing organic crops to maintain humanity as well as herself. The wonderful thing about agriculture is that what ever we can not eat the cow will and in turn she returns the same back to the soil in the form of cow dung fertilizer.
Cow milk is the most nutritious food. It contains protein, fat, nitrogen, calcium, iron, copper, iodine, florin, 25 types of minerals and the vitamins A, B, C, D, and E.
Scientists have declared milk to be especially beneficial for mothers and pregnant women. It helps with a child’s growth in the womb, replenishes the body and restores the necessary nutrients lost during child birth. It also provides the necessary surplus elements that mothers use in breast feeding. Just as a mother’s breast milk is the most nutritious food for her child, cow milk is similarly an incomparable source of energy for mothers.
Ayurveda long ago declared milk to be highly curative in many diseases. Scientists have also discovered that milk can help prevent even diseases such as cancer. Milk fat is the richest natural dietary source of conjugated lanolin acid (CLA), which has been shown in animal and cell culture studies to have potent anti-carcinogenic (anti-cancer) properties. Experiments have shown that dietary supplementation with CLA reduced the incidence of chemically induced tumors in the epidermis, stomach and mammary glands.
Science has discovered that the burning of cow ghee purifies the air. When cow ghee is burned with rice it produces ethylene oxide, propylene oxide and formaladeyore. Ethylene oxide and formaladeyore, which are used in the operation theatre, provide immunity from bacteria.
Cow urine and dung have also been analyzed in laboratories and proven to contain disinfectant and antibiotic properties. Through many experiments on cow dung, the famous Italian scientist, Prof. G.E. Bea, has proven that fresh cow dung kills the germs of Malaria and Tuberculosis. Cow urine contains 24 types of salts as well as iron, calcium, phosphorous, carbonic acid, potash and lactose. For diabetics, tests have shown that it controls the sugar level and acid fitness.
These are just a few indications of how cow products are invaluable to mankind and how science is helping to confirm this forgotten truth.