A History of Cow Abuse in ISKCON

[Guest guest]

Haribol prabhus,

PAMHO AGTSP

All glories to the devotees who genuinely celebrate Govardhana Puja and Go

Puja on this auspicious day.

 

Hare Krsna dasi wrote as part of a very informative and upsetting piece:

 

9. In March 1998, the COW conference posted the following letter from

Radha Krsna (das) ACBSP (GB)

 

March 17, 1998 6:10 AM [Text 1171506]

 

Before I left for India I had a report from Daiva Dina Dayal in Innisrath,

Ireland. He told me the cows were sick and he wanted to see to them. On my

last two days or so he arrived in India and gave me more details: He said

these animals needed attention to: lice, ringworm, foot-trimming attention

causing lameness, arthritis, due to lying on cold damp concrete, and

overweight problems; because these animals or some of them are from

another higher region where the animals survive on much poorer pasture

than where they are at present and have been allowed unrestricted grazing.

 

He had left one boy there in charge for the time being, but his

recommendation was that if the temple do not want to allocate a permanent

person or persons to look after the cows properly they should give them to

another temple. What do you think the next move should be?

 

*** In April, Pragosh prabhu responded to the complaints***

 

15 Apr 98 07:45 +0000 [Text 1243861 from COM]

"COM: Pragosh (das) SDG (IRL)

 

I have been part of the Irish yatra for the last 15 years and want to make

2 points regarding the cow programme on Inis Rath.

 

1/ None of the present devotees at Inis Rath had anything to do with the

initiation of the cow programme there. They have simply inherited it from

previous management.

 

2/ Over the last few years, as Manu prabhu mentioned, a considerable

amount of effort and laxmi has gone into improving the conditions there

for the cows. New yard and gosala etc. Such things cost a lot of laxmi

- real and genuine blood, sweat and tears are sacrificed in the endeavour

to get that laxmi together. It is not so difficult to come along after,

ignorant of the history, and start passing judgement on the situation,

using as a comparison the ideal, picture perfect situation for Krsna's

cows.

 

Finally I would just like to say that whatever problems may or may not be

prevalent at Inis Rath that they pale into insignificance when compared to

the problems regarding the cows at Mayapur, Murari Sevaka, and New

Vrindavana among others.

 

***Two points to note about Pragosh prabhu's entry: 1) Implication that

most problems at Inis Rath were due to previous poor management, and 2)

the fact that as early as April 1998, Murari Sevaka was already regarded

as a trouble spot for cow protection by authorities such as himself.***

 

 

 

I would like to comment on this. Firstly no cow abuse pales into

insignificance because it's unacceptable - full stop. Although I personally

know and respect both Manu, Pragosh and all devotees here. The facts are

maybe correct in some ways as were presented, but other facts are clearly

not presented. Whereas Radha Krsna prabhu and Daiva Dina Dayal prabhu were

correct about the apparent lacks, I don't feel that either devotee were

familiar with the situation to make a fair comment, and therefore feel that

the devotee community has been somewhat misled on these issues. The facts

are as follows:

1. There were no farmers at Govindadvipa, some people tried to look after

the animals but failed. I honestly think that the cow programme was badly

failing, but it was through ignorance of their needs etc.

2. For years myself and husband had given programmes for grazing, etc. to

the community but it was not followed out in a strict management system, but

sentiment gave way to logic. Hence there were hoof problems and weight

problems because people felt it was cruel to keep them in all winter, and

there was problems with manpower to feed them. (I know all the arguments

about if we can find time to feed ourselves etc. I'm not defending, just

clarifying facts)

3. After several requests and very difficult meetings with devotees here,

myself and husband agreed to give up our smallholding and move here. It was

a difficult move, traumatic and very problmatic for us. This is not an easy

place to just come and move into, it's difficult to stay here and be a

committed member of this community.

4.When we did finally get ourselves partially sorted out, (we didn't have

any permanent accommodation etc. and for income I had to work, which meant

my husband was moving house, looking after my children, and trying to look

after the cows and bring the relationships between devotees to the stage

whereby they could and would continue to support cow protection ) we started

with the basics, such as daily feeding, and we did treat for ring-worm, but

didn't have facilities to properly sort out the sheds because there was no

cow money. We also had to change certain things, which we don't agree with,

such as the selling of silage to local farmers, or the trading of fodder for

cutting services etc. This no longer happens.

5. We decided to take a trip to India with the family for three weeks before

we fully committed to this programme because there were difficulties and we

needed to think things out, because it is a huge commitment. By the way, it

was not a fly by night lets do India again programme either, it was our

first trip after a long time scraping and saving, and relenting not to go

due to land and service commitments. My husband is a highly responsible

devotee and has been distributing books, doing Pujari work, and rearing fine

devotee chilren for 25 years. Twenty of them spent on the land, and indeed

he is known practically as the only farmer who has ever really worked any

ISKCON farm in Ireland. He is steady in his sadhana and is a sincere

devotee. We had cared for a considerable amount of animals before we moved

back here, and indeed cared for this herd when the cowherd went to other

programmes, as far back as 1982. No animal ever died unnaturally due to

neglect in our care, not even a chicken except through natural causes!

6.On going to India, we couldn't get anyone to feed the cows, and paid

someone who was resident here to feed them, and asked that they would be

checked, and this at a stage when we were not commited to taking full

responsibility. We did this mainly because we had goats, and a family cow

which we wanted to ensure were looked after. We would not have gone if we

thought anything would happen to our own animals let alone any others which

were not our total responsibility.

7. On our return, the person had left (as so many people have done, a steady

crew has been the main reason of any neglect or ignorance here, as it has

consistantly changed since ISKCON POLITICS entered the emerald isle).

Instead Davia Dina Dayal, himself a devotee who stayed but such a short

while and generally not highly involved in trying to get anything

sustainable going here, although a very nice and concerned devotee at that,

was here and had taken commendably so, responsibility for the cows. He

continued to work with the cows for a short time, and then left. In that

time, we tried to learn what we could about hoof-care from him, and we left

him to it while we got ourselves sorted, he obviously knew what he was

doing.

8. When we finally got sorted, and following the departure of DDD prabhu, we

took over responsibility since. The hoof care is a problem, but I'm enrolled

on a course to solve this, we have half a crush made, and we have no

over-weight cows. Also we demanded that the temple put money from our land

sale into cow-protection and this was done. We have been constantly

struggling against years of neglect and lack of knowledge.

9. Radha Krsna prabhu did come to Ireland to a one day Varnashrama Seminar

and stayed here a day or two. He spoke with my husband as I was working at

the time. From my recollection of the day, which was cut short so people

could escape the waves on the lake, when Radha Krsna spoke, it was not about

cow protection, but about his toilet and his book. In fact that is all I

remember him talking about. To me, it may be a vital part of varnashrama

from his point of view, but to become an authority on our land and our

crisis is not realistic. Neither is Daiva Dina Dayal's, because they were in

transit, like all the other people who came to be the cow saviours of

Ireland. This is really my point, it didn't take these two individuals to

let us know the problems, but they certainly were not so committed to become

part of the solution, at least here. We have had neglect. Honestly if you

were to see our cow report you'd know that we're not blind about this, and

we work bloody hard all day, we still have problems! It boils down to damage

control and gradually upgrading an inherited problem in a responsible and

sustainable way. We are well below the standards, I can admit that and I am

a cowherder. But this is not going to get fixed overnight and no neglect

that we can avoid is allowed. If we can't get it done by temple laxmi, my

family do without. If we can't get someone to build it, then we try our hand

at it ourselves. If we can't get someone to feed them, then we don't leave.

And if we can't get constructive help, then please spare us the heresay of

not fully informed transient devotees, no matter what their good intentions

are. We need a little more than good intentions. If our statement of reality

concerning the known levels of 'failure' that still exists shocks anyone, so

be it. But we have made a lot of personal sacrifices to take this on, and I

might say even reluctantly so because we know that nobody else probably

will.

 

And finally, I will defend nobody else in connection to this. We still don't

have any cow monies as such, and we still have an uphill struggle. But these

cows are loved, respected, utilised - all but our older untrained ox which I

haven't gotton too far with, and their health is generally good. The hooves

will always be a problems which means we gain the skills to do something

about it. The temple are slowly beginning to understand what it is to have

cows, but it is very slow because we don't have farmers yet, and we'll see

if there ever will be. In nine years approximately only one cow has calved

and that is my own family cow, who will remain in our life long care, and

the off-spring is being trained and cared for. Cows have died, devotees

misguided, some even uninterested, but since all the details of Murari

Sevaka etc. are coming out, please be accurate with all facts, and then

print or publicise. I don't care about the publicity but the truth should be

printed and not single sided versions. I don't defend the neglect of years,

indeed I am horrified and have very stongly condemmed it myself. So please

print the truth, in all the details because it takes more than making a few

cow-patties on a goshalla wall to maintain cow protection, especially since

the report was initially sent with such a wealth of knowledge and authority.

I can only ask why these enlightened devotees didn't communicate this with

the devotees here, question them and God forbid, they may have even offered

some solutions or guidelines before blasting the yatra from a distance.

 

As it has been pointed out that this Murari Sevaka was a known problem then,

why was there no action taken, it was very obvious that alarm bells were

ringing out for us in Ireland. Why are these farms allowed to continue to

breed if they have a track record of abuse, neglect and 'missing' cows?

Should there not be a ban imposed on the breeding and enforced as there

seems little point in GBC passing laws such as the cow protection one, if

nobody takes any notice of them?

ys