Posted on June 27, 2011Filed under BVKS Sanga“No, because we are giving protection to cow, you send money for the cowsand the cow protectors, and earn money there and give us money. We shall eatnicely and sleep.”“Never mind we are to take payment from others. That is not cow protection.”Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.9.3 — lecture at Melbourne on April 5, 1972“Somebody will give money and we shall keep some third class cows and feedthere and become cow protector.”The quotation is even more savory if read in full.That is not cow protection.VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.9.3 — Melbourne, April 5, 1972Prabhupada: “I am now amongst the members of Krsna conscious devotees. I amone of the devotees, and because I have taken this association, and becauseI am working under their direction, Krsna must be pleased, and He must giveme protection. Therefore, I should not reserve anymore anything. Let mefully surrender.” No reservation, fully surrendered. [break] Our business iswe want to sell books, not to make money. Now, if you simply take itformally… Hayagriva has taken the formality. We have to keep some cows.Never mind we are to take payment from others. That is not cow protection.Cow protection means just like Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead,He is tending the cows.He is going, taking the cows personally from His royal palace going to theforest whole day, working there. Is it not, cowherds boy? And taken somelittle fruit, mother, whatever mother has given. They are playing that. Sothis is cow protection, not that “Somebody will give money and we shall keepsome third class cows and feed there and become cow protector.” We must tendthe cows very nicely so that they give us sufficient milk. And with thatmilk we shall live.“No, because we are giving protection to cow, you send money for the cowsand the cow protectors, and earn money there and give us money. We shall eatnicely and sleep.” As soon as this practice is going on, then next will be:“Give me some LSD, give me something else.” This will go on. We don’t wantthat.We can paraphrase it like this:“The role of the mercantile community is to farm, give protection to cowsand trade what is excess in the course of the normal production ofnecessities. Keeping cows should be done in such a way that there is acommensurate prosperity that enables their protection. Gavyam dhanavan.”Succinctly put:“We are giving protection to the cows with great profit.” Letter to: KrishnaMahesavari — New York 11 July, 1976Again in the following it is clear that keeping cows and farming will, ifdone by the proper persons living the appropriate way bring wealth to thosewho do this:“The Vaishyas or the mercantile communities are specially advised to protectthe cows. Cow protection means increasing the milk productions namely curdand butter; agriculture and distribution of the food stuff are the primaryduties of the mercantile community backed by education in the Vedicknowledge and trained up for giving up in charity of the acquired wealth.”1.9.26Srila Prabhupad has in mind the point that unless keeping the cow isprofitable either monetarily or in terms of subsistence, cows cannot beprotected. This is discussed the in the following quotation:“International Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, in London, Ishall try to see if there is any similar society here. But one thing I cansuggest as you have asked me to give a thought to this problem, that Goseva,according to our Vedic injunction, is specially entrusted to the mercantilecommunity. Of course, during the Hindu government in India, the kings weremostly Vaisnavas like Maharaja Pariksit, and he at once caught the Black manKali who was attempting to kill a cow. But those days are no more. Neitherthere is a king like Maharaja Pariksit, nor the present government of Indiais inclined to give protection to the cows. But the mercantile community,specially the Gujaratis and the Marwaris are undoubtedly rich in India, andI do not know why such mercantile communities do not open large-scale dairyfarms. That will certainly give actual protection to the cows. FromBhagavad-gita we understand that the Vaisya community is speciallyresponsible for giving protection to the cows as much as the ksatriya kingsare responsible for giving protection to the citizens of the state. As such,if you can organize-and I believe you can do so, because by Grace ofKrishna, you are in good position amongst the mercantile community — bigdairy farms with large pasturing grounds, then the problem of milk supplyand cow protection will automatically be done. I do not know how much youwill appreciate my this suggestion, but if you can do such organization, itwill be a great service to the country and to the animals, and to this causeof Krishna Consciousness. If you be serious on this point then I can helpyou with all of my possible energies.” Letter to: Sumati Morarjee 1969Here is another quote that shows that keeping the cow should be prosperous(not an act of charity or taking charity in the name of self maintenance asin the first quote)“The whole world must learn from Krsna how to live happily without scarcitysimply by producing food grains (annad bhavanti bhutani [Bg. 3.14]) andgiving protection to the cows (go-raksya). Krsi-go-raksya-vanijyamvaisya-karma svabhavajam [Bg. 18.44]. Those who belong to the third level ofhuman society, namely the mercantile people, must keep land for producingfood grains and giving protection to cows. This is the injunction ofBhagavad-gita.” SB 9.15.25And yet another“When we consider the past condition of the agriculturalist in the village,we can see how opulent he was, simply because of agricultural produce andprotection of cows. At the present, however, agriculture having beenneglected and cow protection given up, the agriculturalist is sufferingpitiably and is dressed in a niggardly torn cloth. This is the distinctionbetween the India of history and the India of the present day. By theatrocious activities of ugra-karma, how we are killing the opportunity ofhuman civilization!” SB 10.5.8“There are so many facilities afforded by cow protection, but people haveforgotten these arts. The importance of protecting cows is thereforestressed by Krsna in Bhagavad-gita (krsi-go-raksya-vanijyam vaisya-karmasvabhavajam [Bg. 18.44]). Even now in the Indian villages surroundingVrndavana, the villagers live happily simply by giving protection to thecow. They keep cow dung very carefully and dry it to use as fuel. They keepa sufficient stock of grains, and because of giving protection to the cows,they have sufficient milk and milk products to solve all economic problems.Simply by giving protection to the cow, the villagers live so peacefully.Even the urine and stool of cows have medicinal value.” SB 10.6.19Further down this lecture is something else to note because certain devoteesleave the association of one group of devotees who believe in working forKrishna to go to another group who like to discuss what is their position inthe spiritual world, supposedly more savory.“Our proposition, that we also think about Krsna’s pastimes in order toenter into Krsna con…, but not to become Krsna, but to be allowed into theeternal pastimes of Krsna, nitya-lila-pravistha. Our thinking, we arethinking of Krsna’s pastimes, sada tad-bhava-bhavitah [Bg. 8.6], not tobecome Krsna, even not to become the cowherd boy. Ours is always — we wantto become the servant of the cowherd boy. Those who are thinking of becominggopi, the maidservant of another gopi. That is our proposition. If I thinkthat “I shall become mother Yasoda,” that is also Mayavada. That is alsoMayavada, exactly like that, if one thinks that “I shall become Krsna.” Ouronly proposition is how to be engaged in the service of Krsna. That isexplained.”
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