Allegations of Cow Slaughter at ISKCON Murari Sevaka

[Guest guest]

>

> Just ask yourself, do you drink milk? What happens to the cow that the milk

> you

> drink comes from? What are you doing to promote cow protection?

>

> I am directing this not only at Harsi, but all the readers.

 

 

Yes we all drink milk. Srila Prabhupada drank milk. He drank the same milk we

did.The cows that give milk at these big dairies are very well taken care of.

I read once about some Borden's cows giving huge amounts of milk and they were

worth many thousands of dollars. So what are you saying? That we are guilty of

abusing cows by drinking milk from the store? We have to be a little

practical. The big temples in the cities can't raise cows. So we do what we

can practically and try to do everything as nice as we are realisticly able

and then depend on Krsna for the results.

 

Below is an article I wrote on VNN after a vegan there attacked the idea of

devotees drinking dairie.

 

 

EDITORIAL, Jul 27 (VNN)

 

Milk... Krsna's Miracle Gift To Mankind

BY MAHANANDA DASA

 

— "The protection of cows maintains the most miraculous form of food, i. e.,

milk for maintaining the finer tissues of the brain for understanding higher

aims of life. " Srila Prabhupada

 

 

 

In response to the article written a few days ago about the harmful affects of

drinking milk, I would like to present our view of milk drinking that we have

accepted from our spiritual master.

 

Despite the evils of modern dairies and the cruel methods of obtaining milk

from the mother cows, or despite the unwanted chemicals that store bought milk

might introduce into your body and cause ill effects, still, we do not condemn

drinking milk nor support veganism as part of our philosophy.

 

Quite the contrary. The glories of drinking cow's milk are everywhere in Srila

Prabhupada's books. And though this may cause some doubts in the minds of

those who have embraced vegan-ism, we as devotees faithfully follow the advise

of our teacher, though it is sometimes contrary to fads or scientific theory.

 

To reject scientific evidence is basic to a devotee's understanding of how to

reach real knowledge of the actual condition of the living entities, both

spiritually and materially. In a few years, vegans may become milk drinkers,

or theorist may change their minds many times about the affects of milk, but a

devotee remains steady and accepts the Vedic version as it is handed down

through disciplic succession.

 

Among the few thousands references to milk in Srila Prabhupada's books and

lectures, I would like to point out a few here that will give a different

perspective of drinking milk than that of the vegans. Srila Prabhupada says.

''Cow has got special importance because it supplies milk, and milk is very

essential food that is... From the childhood, a child lives on milk, and there

are many saintly persons, they also live by drinking milk. Milk is very

important item in the human society, and it supplies all vitamins. "

 

Also he says "But He's (Krsna) speaking of go-raksya for our special material

benefit, that if we protect the cows, we can have the facility of drinking

milk, which will help us in keeping our health in order and developing very

nice brain tissues to understand spiritual subject matter. "

 

Of course, like the vegans, we condemn the inhuman treatment of the cows at

the dairies and slaughterhouses. Srila Prabhupada says "the cow's calf not

only is beautiful to look at, but also gives satisfaction to the cow, and so

she delivers as much milk as possible. But in the Kali-yuga, the calves are

separated from the cows as early as possible for purposes which may not be

mentioned in these pages of Srimad-Bhagavatam. The cow stands with tears in

her eyes, the sudra milkman draws milk from the cow artificially, and when

there is no milk the cow is sent to be slaughtered. These greatly sinful acts

are responsible for all the troubles in present society. People do not know

what they are doing in the name of economic development. "

 

Srila Prabhupada also instructed us "Milk is compared to nectar, which one can

drink to become immortal. Of course, simply drinking milk will not make one

immortal, but it can increase the duration of one's life. In modern

civilization, men do not think milk to be important, and therefore they do not

live very long. Although in this age men can live up to one hundred years,

their duration of life is reduced because they do not drink large quantities

of milk. This is a sign of Kali-yuga. In Kali-yuga, instead of drinking milk,

people prefer to slaughter an animal and eat its flesh. The Supreme

Personality of Godhead, in His instructions of Bhagavad-Gita, advises

go-raksya, which means cow protection. The cow should be protected, milk

should be drawn from the cows, and this milk should be prepared in various

ways. One should take ample milk, and thus one can prolong one's life, develop

his brain, execute devotional service, and ultimately attain the favor of the

Supreme Personality of Godhead. As it is essential to get food grains and

water by digging the earth, it is also essential to give protection to the

cows and take nectarean milk from their milk bags. "

 

Another reason for milk's consumption is given here. "Animal fat is available

in the form of milk, which is the most wonderful of all foods. Milk, butter,

cheese and similar products give animal fat in a form which rules out any need

for the killing of innocent creatures. It is only through brute mentality that

this killing goes on. The civilized method of obtaining needed fat is by milk.

"

 

Our position on milk drinking as taught in the Vedic literature is summed up

in the following words spoken by a disciple of Srila Prabhupada (Madhudvisa

dasa) who was with his spiritual master speaking to a Dr. Muncing.....

 

Madhudvisa: "One thing that we would like to mention, as our spiritual master

says, there is a definite, according to the Vedic scripture, there is a

definite link between consumption of milk and development of fine brain

tissues. And if your department of knowledge has some research in that area,

we think it would be a great service to mankind if they can be informed how

they can develop fine brain tissues. Fine brain tissues which are needed for

coping with the problems of this day and age. Not that simply if I disagree

with you we'll just fight. There has to be fine brain tissues in order to say,

'Let us sit down and talk about this together. ' And we say, not we, but

according to the scripture, there is a definite link between the consumption

of milk products, not just milk, but cheese and all different milk products,

the consumption of milk products and development of the necessary intellect.

This is why, as our spiritual master said, the highly intelligent people of

India have lived predominantly, not just drinking milk, but everything they

ate was cooked in milk products. The vegetables, rice, even if rice was

boiled, milk was put on, ghee was put on the rice. So that is like an

unavoidable essential in their diet, not simply from the palatable standpoint,

but actually from the relationship between the physical and the metaphysical

progress"

 

I have submitted this document in all humility to the Vaisnavas. All glories

to Srila Prabhupada.

 

"the cow delivers milk, the miracle of aggregate food values" (Srila

Prabhupada)

 

Sincerely, Mahananda dasa

[Guest guest]

Hare Krsna. I offer my humble obeisances to all Vaisnavas

everywhere. They are like desire trees who can meet the

needs of everyone. They are freely distributing pure love

of God to the conditioned souls. All glories to Srila

Prabhupada!

 

Hare Krsna dasi, I read the allegations of cows being sold

for slaughter with shock and horror. To do such a thing

to any cow anywhere is the most grievous offense, so what

to speak of selling cows specifically under Lord Krsna's

special protection? It is the worst thing ever. I pray

that when the truth is discovered there will be swift and

speedy justice and that nothing of this sort is ever

permitted again.

 

I do not have chapter and verse but the following quotation,

either from Sri Gita or Bhagavatam, which I keep on a post-it

on my computer's desktop, seems worth reflecting on here:

 

The brahmanas, the cows and the defenseless creatures are My own body. Those

whose faculty of judgment has been impaired by their own sin

look upon these as distinct from Me. They are just like furious serpents, and

they are angrily torn apart by the bills of the vulturelike messengers of

Yamaraja, the superintendent of sinful persons.

 

Haribol! All glories to Sri Sri Krsna!

 

JD

[Guest guest]

>

>

> Yes we all drink milk. Srila Prabhupada drank milk. He drank the same milk we

> did.

 

Only for a small portion of his life in extreme circumstances.

 

> The cows that give milk at these big dairies are very well taken care of.

 

Until they are slaughtered. Their children are slaughtered. I think killing a

child would probably qualify as abuse.

 

>

> I read once about some Borden's cows giving huge amounts of milk and they

were

> worth many thousands of dollars. So what are you saying? That we are guilty

of

> abusing cows by drinking milk from the store?

 

That by buying artificially cheap milk from the store, you are fueling the

economic demand that drives the culture of slaughtering the milk cow and her

children.

 

> We have to be a little

> practical. The big temples in the cities can't raise cows. So we do what we

> can practically and try to do everything as nice as we are realisticly able

> and then depend on Krsna for the results.

 

And the results have been child abuse, sannyasa falldown, etc etc details

available from any disgruntled devotee. News flash - it ain't working very

well.

Ergo, we can understand that Krsna , the cowherd boy, is probably not too

happy

being offered milk from unprotected cows.

 

>

>

> Below is an article I wrote on VNN after a vegan there attacked the idea of

> devotees drinking dairie.

 

This is a very nice article on the benefits of milk. Congratulations. However,

that is a side issue to the problem of drinking milk from unprotected cows.

The

problem is not drinking milk or not drinking milk. The problem is where is

that

milk coming from, how is it produced.

[Guest guest]

Haribol prabhus,

PAMHO AGTSP

 

I hate to divert any attention from such a terrible act, which reeks of all

the things Srila Prabhupada warned us of in Kali Yuga, especially in

connection to the bulls. However, when there is affordable time, as I

believe this problem will take up a considerable amount of that, can we try

to use the energy from this negative deed, to really hammer home the idea of

trusts, programme management and the responsibility of the communities where

Krsna's cows are kept. Right now we are at a stage of trying to implement a

land trust to protect what's left for the cows, but apart from one or two,

its hard to get the interest. Is it possible that the GBC's are encouraged

not only to inspect themselves, but that they would issue some statement or

letter to every community? We have standards, and in most cases I would

assume devotees willing to be responsible, but community wide interest is

not there, mainly due to lack of identity of the project being a rural

agricultural one, rather more and more devotees see living in rural ashramas

or connected to such projects as better than being in the city for whatever

reason, but agriculture does not seem to a main one, nor cow protection.

Also can we look at the emerging situations of ISKCON properties or centres,

whereby directions from the GBC are 'not taken too seriously' or there is

again so many gray areas, that it would be refreshing to see black and white

for a change.

ys