Interested -- respect by working with Father Bull

[Guest guest]

As far as I know, the best online resource for training oxen is ISCOWP.

 

It has the complete "Ox Power -- Ki Jaya! An Ox Power Manual" by

Paramananda prabhu.

 

Other good ox training resources include Drew Conroy's Oxen Handbook and

the ATNESA website.

 

Here in New England, training oxen is part of the rural culture. You

will see boys -- and girls, too -- as young as 7 or 8 years old with

their own team of steers. They use only voice commands. When they go

to a 4-H competition, they are not permitted to have any ropes touching

the animal. The animal must be controlled only with a small stick or

lash. The winners will not use the lash at all -- only voice commands.

 

The result is a "remote-controlled" animal which can be easily

negotiated through the thick woods, without any ropes. This is the main

practical use of oxen in New England, to do logging during the

wintertime. But there is some plowing done also.

 

Paramananda prabhu was ISKCON's first Minister of Agriculture. His

method stresses building a relationship of trust with the ox rather than

relying only on force -- in keeping with devotees' respect for the bull

as the personification of Dharma.

 

The reason that others are stressing that the bulls should be trained

and engaged in some type of work is based on a statement that Srila

Prabhupada made one time in Hyderbad, "You must work the bullocks. If

you do not work them soon you will cut their throats."

 

This seems like an extreme statement from Srila Prabhupada, and we know

that it is not always the case. Some people can maintain a bull

throught it's whole life without working it, and without killing it --

but there are not many examples of this.

 

On the contrary, we see that even here in New England, that sometimes

even meat-eaters who work an ox will never allow that ox to be killed,

because they become so deeply attached by working with the animal.

 

************

 

One final perspective is this. In the 4th canto of the Bhagavatam,

Srila Prabhupada states that "Without knowing and respecting the cows

and the brahmanas, one cannot understand the Supreme Personality of

Godhead." (I am paraphrasing this -- can someone please look up the

exact quote? 4.21.7??)

 

Anyway, the bull is supposed to be our father. Srila Prabhupada states

that just as the father earns to provide food for his family, similarly

Father Bull produces grains to feed his human children. Unfortunately,

sometimes a human father might be lazy. Instead of having a job, he

just lounges around the house all day, doing nothing but watching TV.

The children have no respect for a father who does not work. Similarly,

when father bull just lounges around the pasture all day and requires

that others provide all the food for him -- unfortunately no one can

have any respect for him either.

 

It is only when father bull is actually engaged in productive work that

the full amount of respect and appreciation for him as a servant of

Krsna can develop. So the bottom line is that we must productively

engage the oxen, so that we will feel proper respect and appreciation

for them -- because that respect and appreciation is an important

component in our own spiritual progress, and in our being able to come

to the point of actually understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

 

That's why all of us on the conference are strongly hoping for your

success in training at least some of your bull calves -- it's a great

project you have in mind!

 

Jaya Sita-Rama!! and Happy Govardhana Puja!!

 

your servant,

 

Hare Krsna dasi

 

Srivallabha (das) JPS (Persian Gulf) wrote:

 

>Dear Labangalatila dasi mataji,

>PAMHO, AGTSP

>

>Thanks for your encouragement. My father has been giving only homoeo

>medicines for all the cows/calves. Currently he has not been breeding

>selectively, but I have insisted that he does. I will also take the advice

>on seperating calves over 1.5 years.

>

>Putting the bulls to use, is what he has to know more about. for ploughing,

>it involves substantial training.

>

>But he will take care of the whole lot life long.

>

>Where are you located?

>

>your servant,

>Sri Vallabha das

>

>-----------------------

>To from this mailing list, send an email to:

>Cow-Owner (AT) pamho (DOT) net

>

>

[Guest guest]

Here's the link for Ox Power - Ki Jaya by Paramananda

 

http://www.iscowp.org/Ox%20Power/Ox%20Power%20-%20Ki%20Jaya!.htm

 

Here's Berrybrook Ox Supply -- with many ox training videos

 

http://www.berrybrookoxsupply.com/

 

Here's ATNESA

 

http://www.atnesa.org/

 

I hope you will find helpful information here.

 

ys

 

hkdd

 

Noma Petroff wrote:

 

>As far as I know, the best online resource for training oxen is ISCOWP.

>

>It has the complete "Ox Power -- Ki Jaya! An Ox Power Manual" by

>Paramananda prabhu.

>

>Other good ox training resources include Drew Conroy's Oxen Handbook and

>the ATNESA website.

>

>Here in New England, training oxen is part of the rural culture. You

>will see boys -- and girls, too -- as young as 7 or 8 years old with

>their own team of steers. They use only voice commands. When they go

>to a 4-H competition, they are not permitted to have any ropes touching

>the animal. The animal must be controlled only with a small stick or

>lash. The winners will not use the lash at all -- only voice commands.

>

>The result is a "remote-controlled" animal which can be easily

>negotiated through the thick woods, without any ropes. This is the main

>practical use of oxen in New England, to do logging during the

>wintertime. But there is some plowing done also.

>

>