Which other acharya told us to serve cows also ? How does this help us to get gopi bhava ? The reason I am asking is because I know so many devotees who spend their whole day in serving cows. How is this Krishna Consciousness ?
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And it is not so true that all we should cultivate gopi bhav.
In this stage of life we do not know our svarupa. We might be a tree, or a bird or a small dust in Vrindavan or even in one of planets of Vaikuntha...
So for time being there is no question of gopi bhav.
But we serve to the Holy Names in the mood of servant and master.
Your servant,
Hare Krishna Prabhu, please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Of course simple cow protection without chanting of Holy Names is just a life in the mode of goodness. No matter what we do we have to do that for the pleasure of Krishna.
And Krishna is pleased when we do one of 9 main devotional services. And the most important among those nine is hearing and chanting.
So those who serve to cows should serve them knowing that cows belong to Krishna.
The main two goals of Krishna Consciousness is ALWAYS REMEMBER KRISHNA & NEVER FORGET KRISHNA.
But if we think only of cows then in next life will take birth as a ...
Why protection of cows? Because without cow milk we won't be able to understand Vedic knowledge. It so happened that even once in life we drank that milk and that even helped us to some extent understand Vedic knowledge. So it is very important.
What we eat our body and mind will be made of that. So it is very essential to build our body and mind very pure.
So we give so much importance to eating only Prasadam.
Protection of cows is the activity in the mode of goodness. And products which cow gives help us to live life in the mode of goodness.
With cow urine we purify our body, home; with cow dung we again purify home, plates, clothes...; with cow ghee we can perform yagyas...
so all these products are needed for keeping life in the mode of goodness. And without rising to the mode of goodness it is not possible to jump up to a pure goodness right from passion and ignorance.
Those people who are in passion and ignorance cannot drink milk. People in the mode of goodness mostly like cow milk and easily digest it.
Also cow is an animal in the mode of goodness. When person comes in contact with her he cultivates qualities in the mode of goodness.
Also cow is economically very needed. She gives cow dung from which we can create organic fuel for cooking, with dung we can nourish lands and get needed fruits and grains; with ghee and yogurt we can cure many diseases; ...
So in this way, cow protection is a sing of brahmanical culture. If there is no cows then there is no such culture.
So first duty of demons who are taking birth in this age is to destroy cows and brahmanical culture. Brahmanas and cows are bases of spiritual success but demons know that and want to destroy that base.
By propagating meat eating and saying that to drink milk is bad...
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Not all Devotees will directly serve to cows whole day. Devotees with brahmanical qualities will preach to people and give knowledge of cow protection and about many other things, Devotees with kshatriya qualities will do their own duties but Devotees with vaishya qualities will full day take care of cows. So it is their daily duty for maintaining their bodies. So everyone of us have to do some activity to maintain our bodies alive so we work according to our nature.
Your servant,