Using the skin, hooves, and horns of cows who die a natural death

[Guest guest]

> I just found this quote by Prabhupada in some old files I was going

> through:

>

> *********************

> Why is cow protection so much advocated? Because the cow is the most

> important animal. There is no injunction that one should not eat the

> flesh of tigers or other such animals. In the Vedic culture those who

> are meat-eaters are recommended to eat the flesh of goats, dogs, hogs,

> or other lower animals, but never the flesh of cows, the most important

> animals. *While living, the cows give important service by giving milk,

> and even after death they give service by making available their skin,

> hooves, and horns, which may be used in many ways.* Nonetheless, the

> present human society is so ungrateful that they needlessly kill these

> innocent cows. Therefore Krsna comes to punish them.

>

> Teaching of Queen Kunti

> Chapter Twenty-six

> Enchantment by Krsna's Glories

>

> ************************

>

> I've actually thought about it a number of times over the years. I

> wondered: If it were my cow that had died, would I have the courage to

> take the skin off her dead body and use it to make shoes or put on a

> mrdanga? I didn't know, but here, and other places also -- that was

> what Srila Prabhupada was advocating.

>

> Finally, a couple years ago, my children had a pet chinchilla named

> Grendl that died. We had had him for 8 or 9 years. And we were all

> very sad. I realized then that I certainly could not bring myself to

> skin his body and keep the fur -- and he was only a chinchilla. So it

> seemed clear to me, that I would not be able to do it if it were a

> beloved cow that died.

>

> Anyway, I'd like to explore this topic and see what ideas and feelings

> others have on this topic. Many of us have come from a background of

> actually eating the flesh of slaughtered cows. Now we count ourselves

> as cow protectors. Yet how would we be able to bear taking this other

> step -- or even allow someone else to do this work for us?

>

> As petroleum resources are depleted, the natural replacement for shoes,

> mrdanga tops and other items will be leather. How can we make the right

> progress in this delicate area?

>

> your servant,

>

> Hare Krsna dasi

 

Respected prabhus,

 

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

In one sense yes its difficult to do skin our cows and use their horns etc.

But from another point of view that's lord Sri Krsna'a arrangement for us by

the law of Purnam adah purnam idam.........

 

Ultimately its the body which is now dead. At the same time leather is a

very usefull item in human existence. Even the reins which Sri Krsna drew of

Arjuna's chariot were most likely made of leather. Its just like using wood

etc. Infact in wood we are killing the tree.

 

Cow is most revered in our life but at the same time it is the soul's

prescence in the body that makes it revered not the body. Just as even when

a dear one dies we burn his body. We do it to our dear one's dead body. The

dead body has to be disposed in some way. Or if we bury her then how can we

allow the body of our cow to be eaten by insects etc.

 

Still we may not have the heart to do it. So a class of men exist who do it.

We just give the dead body of cow to them and they do the needfull. Even SP

has put this point in his conversation.

 

At the same time these items are indisposibly needed in human society. So f

the dead cows skin is not used then what is most not desired will take

place.....

 

At the same time if some one may not do it and bury his dead cow that is

also not wrong.

 

These are some of my opinions.

 

Your Servant

Madan Gopal Das