India Report

[Guest guest]

Mayapur

 

The Mayapur goshalla is making some improvement. They now have 2 teams of oxen

in training whereas for years they had none. They are also distributing

distilled cow urine products ,from their cows, to support the goshalla and help

move away from milk production as the main means to support their herd. These

are points that we have been strongly promoting.

 

Jayapataka Maharaja, GBC of Mayapur, has been told by his doctor to drink cow

urine every day to improve his health. So, every morning, with entourage,

Jayapatka Maharaja goes to the Mayapur goshalla to drink cow urine. Not only

does he drink cow urine but everyone in the entourage drinks cow urine. Cow

urine and its medicinal properties are now getting much attention in Mayapur.

 

Balabhadra partook of the morning cow urine with Jayapataka Maharaja on several

occasions and noted that the urine from each cow tasted different. From each

cow the urine had its own distinctive flavor............

 

Balabhadra and Suresvara gave a seminar on cow protection in Mayapur that was

attended by students from around the world. They held classes in one of the

huts (Photo 5) in the gurukula gardens across from the

 

goshalla. The course consisted of the philosophical reasons for cow protection

and the practical problems and solutions of implementing cow protection within

and without ISKCON. The first 2 days were in this academic classroom setting.

Pancaratna prabhu came one afternoon and explained about his CSA (Community

Supported Agriculture) development in Alachua. The following two days contained

classes of a hands-on nature in living classroom settings. At the Mayapur

goshalla, Balabhadra demonstrated the art of hand milking and then each student

milked a cow, most for the first time (Photo 7). There was also a demonstration

of field preparation at Hrimati dasi's property using her ox and a local

ox(Photo 6). As Tahir, the local ox teamster plowed the earth by Hrimati dasi's

hut, Balabhadra explained the process to the students. If Balabhadra was

teaching this course at Vrajapura Farm (ISCOWP headquarters), he would be

demonstrating practically with his own trained teams. It was interesting to

note that the local teamster controlled his animals (the white ones) by voice

commands

 

The textbook was a success and well received. It does seem that it can be used

as a basis for a course taught by someone who has familiarity with the subject.

Considering that Balabhadra can not travel widely at this time, we wrote the

textbook with the consideration that other persons besides Balabhadra can use

it as the basis for a course on cow protection. We were told that the book was

the "talk of the MIHE" (Mayapur Institute for Higher Education).

 

At the end of the course the students were asked to write what they thought of

the course. Most students wanted more practical instructions and more visual

aids. This was very helpful to know so we can formulate the next course. It was

a question in our minds whether students who wanted to take the course were

most interested in academic classroom discussion or hands-on living classroom

settings. From the comments of the students it appears that a 50/50 combination

of academic and hands-on(possibly more on the hands-on) would be a good

balance. The book was considered comprehensive and helpful and that if some

video were shown it would enhance the material. We actually have a video that

would have been useful.

 

Here are some of the comments when asked what realizations were gotten from the

course: Kirtiraj das from California: " How extremely

 

important cow protection is on every level of human life from sustaining the

body to perfection of life by self realization, in other words Krishna

consciousness. It can be done! Not some time in the future but right now.

Simply by educating and preaching and inspiring others . Actually, the

resources are available for starting cow protection and Brahminical culture.

Devarsi from Mayapur: " Thank you so much for introducing me to the cow and

bull in such a personal and affectionate way. There is such a great need of

educating in our society and more involvement of our ISKCON communities with

the goshallas, in particular the children need to take the cows' association.

The class manual is amazing and we thank you so much for sharing the fruit of

all your service from so many years. A labor of love. It is touching. We have

enough to implement for our whole life. "

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

 

By visiting the established cow protectors who are not members of ISKCON within

India, we are trying to connect their knowledge and experience with the cow

protectors in ISKCON. There have been visitations from the ISKCON devotees to

some of the places we have mentioned and they are gaining by the knowledge and

understanding they have of cow protection. India is a special country in the

fact that there are many such persons convinced about cow protection. We hope

also to gain by associating with such persons and implement some of their

knowledge here in the West.

 

There is a tremendous push in India to ban the slaughter of animals, especially

the cows and bulls. Of course there is the religious, spiritual, reasons for

not killing the innocent animals, which weigh heavily in the argument against

the slaughter of the cows and bulls. Another argument is based on the economic

importance of the cow and bull. The fact is that the cow and bull are more

valuable alive than dead. If a person sells his cow for Rs./ 1000 he will be

the loser economically and spiritually. If a cow is not giving milk but the

owner is able to sell the urine for Rs./5 per liter he can collect 4 or 5

liters of urine daily and realize Rs./ 20-25 daily which is the cost of

supporting a dry cow or bull. Also if the dung is collected it can be sold as

fertilizer or dried into cakes and sold as cooking fuel. The urine has been

sold for medicinal purposes which cover the cost of maintaining the animal and

the sale of the dung is in the profit column for the owner. Lets say that the

urine and dung is bringing the owner Rs./50 daily, it would take only 20 days

to realize the Rs./1000 that he would have received for selling his animal for

slaughter. The cow and bull are more value alive than dead.