One cow per acre per family possible?

[Guest guest]

Dear Prabhus:

 

PAMHO, AGTSP, and Hare Krishna. I want to share some info about cow

protection to dispel some mis-information.

 

First, I come from a village in Gujarat in India. My village was situated

near two rivers. There was plenty of public pasture land that was used by

all people for grazing their cows, buffalos, goats, lambs etc. For a

village of 1000 people there were at least 1000 cows, buffalos, bulls, and

oxens. Plus there were at least 1000 goats and sheeps. The pasture land

was very rich in soil. The rain in the area was quite good even though it

only rained during four months of the monsoon. The floods enriched the

pastures plus pasture itself retains moisture. Thus pastures provided

enough grass for 8 months of the year for all animals. Then for four

months of the summer sheeps and goats still used to go out for grazing in

the pasture. The cows and buffalos were maintained by other fodder from

farms during the summer and/or from some harvested grass from private

grass farms.

 

Milk and ghee were very cheap. Buttermilk was given out free to all the

people of the village who did not have cow or buffalo giving milk. Goat

and lamb owners used to drink milk of goats and lambs. The hairs of goats

and lambs were used to make special blankets for warmth. These blankets

last 20 years even when used in ruff way in villages.

In 1950s a man used to come in the morning and evening to my house and he

will milk our cow or buffalo. His pay was 1/2 ruppee/month - roughly for

30 hours of work he was getting 1/2 ruppee.

 

So it was a self supporting operation and sharing what you have with

others free or in exchange of some labor. Rarely money was exchanged.

 

Now FYI, a cow or buffalo has roughly life span of 20 years. At age 5 or

so a cow starts bearing a calf. A cow may deliver between 5 to 8

offspring. When a cow gives birth to a offspring then she also starts

giving milk for a year or so. Generally during the first 6 months after

the delivery a cow does not come into heat. Cow only is taken to a bull

when it comes to heat. If a cow is not in heat a bull will not even touch

it even though they may be freely grazing the land together. In this sense

the procreation in animal species is extremely controlled by the nature

unlike us wild human beings claiming to be better. So overall in a time

span of two years a cow will give milk for a year and one offspring.

 

After age 15, a cow stops having offspring and hence giving milk. So

roughly speaking, you are maintaining a cow or calf during first five

years and last five years of it's life without getting any thing in

return. During middle 10 years she gives milk for at least half of the

time and bull or oxen is used for agricultural labor from age of 5 and

almost until their end of life.

 

Now some cows and bulls may die from natural causes, like snake bite,

eating too much green plants of certain types at the beginning of the

monsoon.

 

Above I said: "So roughly speaking, you are maintaining a cow or calf

during first five years and last five years of it's life without getting

any thing in return."

 

This is the most bogus claim we make, including us so called devotees. The

whole mentality of the human being is that I am the lord of all that I

survey. Only Lord Krishna is the owner and maintainer of every thing. Why

then we are owed any returns and by whom?

 

The Hindus in villages were living in very simple way for thousands of

years and their life was woven around farming and cattle. There was no

slaughter house any where. People used to keep old animals until their

death.

 

Indira Gandhi wants to blame the Hindus but she does not want to accept

her part of the responsibility as a leader of the nation. Why did she not

closed down the slaughter houses? That was within her power. Srila

Prabhupada said it was Krishna who took her out when her nonsense son was

forcing people into family planning.

 

The idea that 1% give milk and you have to maintain other 99 cows for

nothing is totally inaccurate. This shows how little we know. Keep buying

on more and more land is not the end less alternative. There is limited

amount of land. It also shows our ownership mentality. Within the limited

natural setting all animals must be allowed to live - not just the cows.

 

It is easy to blame the Hindus. But what is the record of so called

devotees who are very proud to say that we are not Hindus but we are

Krishna Bhaktas? How are their cows doing?

 

What has happened during last 50 years in India is terrible. India is

progressing and joining the ranks of the industrial nations but the vedic

culture is being slaughtered left and right, in slow but sure way. The

population of Hindus have been assaulted by the process of slow

desensitization by the movies, radios, and now by television.

 

As for my village, the repeated droughts during last 30 years have driven

away new generation to cities to work in diamond polishing industry in

Surat, Gujarat. The whole area that used to be wealthy in cattle riches is

now poor in that respect and many other respects as well.

 

The population shift due to industrialization and droughts are having its

ugly effect on how the people live and behave. Still, the shifted

population is at least vegetarian but prone to get affected by the vices

of eating eggs, chicken, fish, meat and drinking as things are changing in

India.

 

Indians are joining the ranks of the mlechhas and yavans in record numbers

without knowing that they are doing so. What 1000 year of Muslim rule

could not do and what the British soldiers, priests, and East India

Company could not do, is taking place without firing a single shot and

without establishing a single church. India has changed a lot in last 50

years.

 

However, Srila Prabhupada has said that the vedic culture can be revived

in India very easily. The question is who will do it? PETA or RSS or US or

who else?

 

My family had only two acre land. So I know that One cow and one acre land

is possible only if there is enough rain. That is where the test is - the

rain is the result of yagna - yagnat bhavati parjanyo, parjanyat anna

sambhavam. If we are Krishna Conscious then things are possible. Otherwise,

padam padam ca vipadam - difficulty at every step - despite our valiant

efforts to achieve comforts.

 

Again, I say that for thousands of years Vedic Sanskriti flourished in

villages of India. People lived simply and allowed other living entities

to live also. What you see in India today is not what India was 100 years

ago. So one cow and one acre land is possible.

 

The danger to the ecology of the world is not due to increasing population

of other species but it is due to the varnashankar population of the so

called human beings. We claim to have all rights and freedoms. That is the

problem. We have to learn to live in the spirit of Isa Vasyam idam sarvam

--- ten tyakten bhunjithaha.

 

Thank you and Hare Krishna.

 

Your friend and humble servant,

Gadadhar Dasa

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Original Text

"Nathan Zakheim" <zakheim (AT) earthlink (DOT) net>, on 2/25/00 3:42 AM:

Dear Harinama das,

 

PAMHO, AGTSP!

 

So the ratio doesn't change?

 

That still means that for every fresh cow one must support 100 cows that

are dry, then all those donors protect cows, but get no milk.

 

At the Vrindaban Goshala, the price of milk DOUBLED due to the fact that

there were so few fresh cows and so many dry cows. THIS IS EVEN AFTER THE

DRY COWS ARE SYSTEMATICALLY GIVEN AWAY TO THE CHOWKIDARS WHO USE THEM FOR

(?).

 

Do you then say that the realized purpose of cow protection is not to

produce milk for everyone but to simply protect dry cows who do not

produce milk?

 

What about Srila Prabhupada's ideal of "one acre and a cow"? How is that

one cow kept fresh? Or is it just a pet?

 

There is really no point in attacking the Iskcon Cow Slaughterers until

this question is answered.

 

I fully assume that the Vedic Culture was able to manage cows profitably

and to produce milk products. The proof is that Nanda Maharaj paid his

taxes in milk products. If only one out of 100 cows were fresh, then

there would not have been enough milk for themselves, what to speak of a

surplus with which to pay taxes.

 

If all the cows were kept fresh all of the time, then the earth would be

quickly populated only with cows. If they are not all kept fresh at one

time, then the vast majority of cows would be "retired" from milk

production. (If only one calf per cow were born each year, then the

population of cows would double every year!

 

WHAT IS THE ANSWER?

 

 

Your eternal servant,

 

 

Nara Narayan Vishwakarma das

 

 

 

 

>Hare Krishna Nara Narayan Visvakarma das,

>

>I know a devotee here Dayala Candra who was from the original Radha

>Damodara bus

>program and who is very knowlegeable about cows. He says that devotees

who

>own

>cows for milk must keep buying more and more pasture land according to

need.

>Therefore a continual supply of laksmi is necessary and for this a

continual

>supply of Krishna devotees must be made simultaneously either full on,

life

>members, or fringe to donate toward the cause of Krishna's milk culture

of

>sweet

>nectarean prasadam. You know the stuff that makes the world go round.

>

>By the way he is here in Hawaii on a farm taking care of 50 cows and

could

>use a

>helping hand.

>

>- Harinamdas

 

 

 

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