Gau Seva Part 2
Now here is some historical evidences of cows in India. Throughout the world there have not been as many cows anywhere as could be found in India. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.64 is the story of King Nṛga who would donate millions of cows to brāhmaṇas. Just as it is not possible to count the raindrops that fall from the sky, similarly, it was not possible to count the amount of cows that were donated by King Nṛga to the brāhmaṇas. The cows all had names like Taruṇī, Kapila, Śṛṅgi, Varuna. They had beautiful golden ornaments decorating their heads, silken cloth on their body, and their feet were anointed with silver ornaments and shoes.
In the SB 10.17, it is mentioned how Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself used to donate 13,000 decorated cows to the brāhmaṇas every day. These cows were fully adorned with cloth and jewelry. Kṛṣṇa would donate these cows early every morning without fail before any other activity.
When the Pāṇḍavas were exiled to the forest, they had to hide for one year. At that time they were residing in Virāṭa’s kingdom, which is now known as Bihar and also some parts of Nepal. This area is also the birthplace of Sītādevī. When the Pāṇḍavas were spending their last year in exile, they were residing in the palace of Virāṭa. Although Sahadeva was the most junior amongst the Pāṇḍava’s, he received a lot of recognition and respect from Virāṭa because he was taking care of his cows. He was known as ‘Tanti’, which according to Sanskrit terminology means someone who maintains the cows and increases their production. Although he was the youngest amongst the Pāṇḍavas, because he was taking care of the cows, he was highly respected by everyone throughout the entire kingdom.
When the Pāṇḍavas first approached King Virāṭa in disguise and offered their different services, Sahadeva introduced himself as ‘Tantipal’. He told the King that he previously protected the cows in the kingdom of the Pāṇḍavas.
When Yudhisthira Mahārāja was ruling this planet, he had 10 lacs of different varieties of cows. And within those 10-lac groups of cows, there were another 8 to 10 lacs. Just imagine how many cows there were in total! There were innumerable cows.
And so Sahadeva was telling Virāṭa that he was the ‘Tantipal’, the protector and maintainer of all these cows within Yudhisthira Mahārāja’s kingdom. Just the calves took up 1,600 hectares of land. Sahadeva said that he could calculate the exact figures of how cow production in his kingdom could be managed and increased.
If those who look after the cows have a very honest and serving nature, then automatically the cow production will increase
So Sahadeva was telling Virāṭa that he was expert in all matters relating to increasing cow production. He also said that he was experienced in looking after bulls. Previously, they used to plow the agricultural fields with bullocks, not with tractors and machines. By smelling the urine of the bull, he could understand what kind of bull it was, and his productive capacity. In this way Sahadeva was expert in all areas of cow protection and maintenance.
Upon hearing of Tantipal’s (Sahadeva’s) qualifications, Virāṭa immediately awarded not only him, but also all of the Pāṇḍavas with a position of service in his kingdom.
In whatever country, state or place there is cow protection, there will be prosperity on all levels; in wealth, education and in all fields of life. It states in śastra that Mother Lakṣmī even resides within cow dung.
So all the Pāṇḍavas received employment within Virāṭa’s kingdom. Yudhisthira became the personal secretary to the King and Bhīmasena became the cook. A person who is a big eater knows how prasāda should taste. Bhīma who was a voracious eater, knew how to cook, so accordingly he was given this service in Virāṭa’s dynasty. He was actually an expert cook.
Yudhisthira was employed as the ‘sports master’ of Virāṭa because Virāṭa was very anxious to learn a certain type of gambling (the same type in which Yudhisthira lost). There is the pastime where Urvaśī had cursed Arjuna in the heavenly planets. She wanted to enjoy with Arjuna, but Arjuna called her ‘his mother’ so being angry with him she cursed him to become impotent. Indra reduced that curse to one year. Because of that curse, Arjuna received the service as a teacher of music to Virāṭa’s daughter, Uttarā. Arjuna wore a sari and acted in the form of a lady.
In the Vālmīki Rāmāyaṇa there is evidence that Rāmā donated ten trillion cows. This is stated in the 1st Canto, 98th verse. Before their exile to the forest, Sītā and Rāmā donated a huge number of cows to the brāhmaṇas and others to receive mercy and blessings.
When Rāmā was in the forest, he came on to the bank of Saryu. There was a tridandi brahmana(sannyasi)there. Lord Rāmā told him to throw a stick, and according to where it reached, he would give him a number of cows. When the stick landed, he gave him all the cows he owned which were in that same direction.
In a more recent history, during the Muslim rule, Alexander the Great took one lac of the best quality cows from India back to his country. And before that time also, many Mogul Kings took cows from India back to their countries such as Afghanistan and other Mogul countries like Iran.
The British saw the opulence of India and especially how they farmed organically. They knew that if they could swamp the market with all their chemical fertilizers, they could extract a lot of money from the Indians. Previously in India, they would just put down cow dung and seeds and the food would grow. Unlimited fertile lands were there.
In SB 10.27.26 it is stated;
nānā-rasaughāḥ sarito
vṛkṣā āsan madhu-sravāḥ
akṛṣṭa-pacyauṣadhayo
girayo 'bibhran un maṇīn
Rivers flowed with various kinds of tasty liquids, trees exuded honey, edible plants came to maturity without cultivation, and hills gave forth jewels formerly hidden in their interiors.
akṛṣṭa-pacyauṣadhayo; In previous times, produce easily grew without artificial cultivation of the land. Whatever seeds would be placed in the ground would grow automatically.
The British thought that if they could stop cow protection, only then could they conquer India. They succeeded 100% by introducing all these poisonous fertilizers. India has not attained so-called independence from the British. Now the whole agricultural industry is dependent on chemical fertilizers from the West. Previously, we were eating natural, nutritious organic produce from our soil, now we are simply eating chemical filled fruits and vegetables, which was the strategy of the British.
There used to be so much abundant wheat and grain grown in India, which could supply the needs of the whole world. The land in India was previously like gold in value.
The British understood that the only way to destroy India was in two ways: One was to stop the cow protection and production; the other was to destroy the the ‘gurukula parampara’, the backbone of Vedic culture.
Previously, students used to go to the gurukula and learn śastric Vedic knowledge from their teachers. The British introduced an impersonal type of education and also initiated cow slaughter, which we see has now snowballed in India, increasing it two thousand-fold. When Lord Cournal was the governor of India, only a few cow slaughterhouses existed. But now even within Braja, in Mathura, there are eight slaughterhouses. 50 to 60 thousand cows are slaughtered daily in Mathura.
The day will come when people will simply hanker to see any cows within India. They will have seen a picture of an Indian cow and when they come, they will question, “Where is a cow like this?” What to speak of an Indian cow, even the Jersey cow, will not be visible in India. That will be the sure sign of Kali’s hold on the planet and soon after that there will be a semi-destruction of the universe.
Every day we see the number of cows decreasing. But in spite of knowing this situation, the modern leaders are not doing anything to change the state of affairs. Everyone knows, especially in India that by putting cow dung in the land as fertilizer, the plants and trees will grow to be healthy and will produce unlimitedly. However presently, people’s brains are not functioning.
Even we can experience, when we cook with cow patties, the taste of the prasādam is so much nicer and healthier. Cooking with gas or electricity infects the food with toxins and creates disturbance in the body.
Nowadays heart problems; liver problems, high blood pressure and cancer are very common. These diseases are coming because we are not eating organic foods, we are eating foods with so many chemicals, we are not drinking pure cow’s milk, and we are not cooking with cow dung.
From the foods grown with chemicals such as urea, ammonia etc., pollute and poison our bodies. These poisons also increase harmful germs and living entities in the body. Nowadays disease is prominent everywhere: bigger hospitals, more doctors, and more sick patients.
By eating foodstuffs grown in cow dung, there will be less chance of disease. The original form of the earth is personified as the cow. Whenever mother earth has been in difficulty, she has approached Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu in the form of a cow. For instance we read this in the fourth canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam concerning the history of King Pṛthu. Also when the ocean of milk was churned, the first item to come out was the cow. The land is therefore personified as the cow.
When all the demigods went to the shore of the ocean where Kṣīrodakśāyī Viṣṇu resides, the cow was placed in front. Also, when Indra came to Braja to apologize to Kṛṣṇa, Mother cow came in front of him. Without the cow, we cannot do anything.
Vallabhācārya’s son, Vittalanatha, also had big goshallas at Jatipura and Mahavan. He protected many cows just like Lord Kṛṣṇa had done in Braja when He was on the planet.
yadā yadā hi dharmasya
glānir bhavati bhārata
abhyutthānam adharmasya
tadātmānaḿ sṛjāmy aham
paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ
vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām
dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya
sambhavāmi yuge yuge
As long as in India Harinama sankirtana and cow protection is being performed, nobody will be able to give any threat to India. If we protect the cows and perform nama sankirtana, none of the dangerous persons will even be able to caste their eyes upon India.
In Braja, there are many guṇḍās who have illegally captured land that was given as Gocarān Bhūmi, land specifically meant for grazing cows, after India’s independence. To reclaim that land, this can be done by the performance of Harinama sankirtana.
We should always perform our activities and duties without any material desire, niṣkāma. If we do nama sankirtana with material motivation, then we will not be successful.
Throughout ISKCON, they is a commitment to protect the cow and help bring the Yamuna back to Braja.
Also Vallabhā kuli people from Gujarat are also coming together to protect the cow and help with the Yamuna project.
There is one history given in the Vallabha sampradāya: One simple-hearted follower of Vittahlanatha came from Dvārakā to Braja and requested his mercy so he could achieve perfection in life. So Vittalanatha gave him some service in Gokula at a goshalla. This man was very pure-hearted without ulterior motives. He would daily perform his Gau seva and afterwards, collect his prasādam from Vittalanatha’s ashram. But after a while, he stopped coming for his prasāda. Vittalanatha made inquiries from his disciple whose name was Dvārakānatha. He asked him why he was only coming for his darshan and not taking prasāda. Dvārakānatha answered that everyday when he goes to look after the cows, Kṛṣṇa comes with his friends and they feed him prasāda.
“Because Kṛṣṇa is feeding me, I don’t need to ask you for prasāda.”
In Gokula and Jatipura, the Vallabha followers feed Gopal Nāthajī big big laddhus (weighing one or two kilos each) before He takes rest. These laddhus are big enough to last Him the whole night. They are called ‘banta’ laddhus. Along with the banta laddhus they also offer Śrī Nāthajī ‘jhari’, which is water in a pot. They used to offer only Yamuna water in a gold pot to Śrī Nāthajī. Now in the whole of Braja there is no Yamuna water to offer. In that previous time, everyone in Braja used to drink Yamuna water. Now there is no Yamuna water. This is Kali-yuga’s influence.
One time when Śrī Nāthajī was in the forest, He left His water pot behind. Dvārakānatha found it and went and told Vitalanatha that Śrī Nāthajī left His jhari in the forest. From this incident, Vitalanatha could understand that just by performing this Gau seva in 6 months, Dvārakānatha had received Śrī Nāthajī’s darshan. What the yogis were unable to accomplish through thousands of years of meditation and austerities, Dvārakānatha attained in six months. This is the power of Gau seva performed with a pure and simple mood. By performing Gau seva in niṣkāma devotion, with pure intent, darshan of Kṛṣṇa can easily be attained.
If you do Gau seva, Kṛṣṇa will come behind you and even manifest before you. When the Gau seva is humbly done without personal motivation, Kṛṣṇa comes and surrenders to that person.
It should be our resolve that we should always do Gau seva, to act in away ‘to be seen’ by the Lord.
Comments
so so nice! Thank You Prabhuji!