India Report

[Guest guest]

Dear Maharajas and Prabhus,

 

PAMHO. AGTSP.

 

In reply to Syamasundara prabhu's request for info about Balabhadra's trip to

India on behalf of the cows, I am now submitting that report piece by piece as

I write it for the ISCOWP newsletter. This report is accompanied by photos

which I can not send to this conference but will appear in the newsletter and

eventually our web page which is changing its address to http://iscowp.org

 

comments, questions are welcomed.

 

Your servant,

 

Chayadevi

 

 

 

Vrndavana GoshallaBalabhadra's first stop was Vrndvana. Here he visited the

ISKCON Vrndvana goshalla and Kurma Rupa prabhu's goshalla. The Vrndvana

goshalla purchased some Thapakur cows and bulls (photo 1) to breed out the

western breeds from the herd because western breeds have not adjusted well to

India's climate.

 

The most immediate need here is a workable managerial structure. The Vrndavna

temple as a whole is experiencing a managerial change and when that becomes

stabilized, the real business of cow protection can proceed. Nandanandana

prabhu has been taking care of the cows for 18 years and is still there serving

the cows. He and his wife are a great asset.

 

All the land around Vrndvana temple is now very valuable and the goshalla has

about 10.5 acres in a prime location. Other devotee projects would like that

land for their projects since it appears that the Vrndavana goshalla is not

fully utilizing it. It was voted by the Vrndavana Executive Board (VEB) that

the cows could be moved so the goshalla land could be given to the Gurukula. A

wealthy Indian man offered to take 200 of the cows (there are 260 cows) to his

property (25 acres) 8 KM from the temple. He said that he would maintain them

for the devotees. There are many unanswered questions with this offer. The

general consensus is that first and foremost, if the land is not deeded to

ISKCON outright, the cows will not be moved. The concern of the Ministry is

that even if the land is deeded to ISKCON, will there be sufficient manpower

and devotionsl care provided for these cows or will it just become an "out of

site out of mind" situation. Most of the devotees consider the location of this

land to be in a dangerous area and it is not on a road which goes to any

pilgrimage sites. Due to these circumstances there would be a decrease in the

number of devotees visiting the cows. We have discussed with Vrndavana

Executive Board and the ISKCON Governing Body Commission (GBC) that it is

ISKCON Law 507 that no cows can be moved from an ISKCON goshalla unless

approved by this Ministry. In this case, the move as presently proposed, is not

beneficial for the cows and we do not approve of it. Discussions are on going

with the VEB. It is a fact that the cows need more land, but all pertinient

questions about any land must have positive answers.

 

The purpose of this Ministry is to advise the GBC on cow protection within

ISKCON so that the cows are truly protected. We are in continued correspondence

with the Vrndavana Management and pray that our advise will be heeded.

 

There is a quote from Srila Prabhupada:

 

"Our cow protection program in India should be the exemplary standard for the

whole world." Letter to: Devakinandana, Mayapur April 8, 1975

 

This is why we feel the cow protection programs in India are of special

importance; espescially in such holy place such as Vrndavana and Mayapur where

thousands of pilgrims come to visit on a regular basis. To have exemplary cow

protection programs in these centers will do well for cow protection worldwide.