6 oxen are being slaughtered

[Guest guest]

Dear devotees,

please accept my hubmle obeisnaces, all glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I'm Giridhari dasa from Prabhupadadesh, a temple near Venice in Italy.

Here in italy we have a problem. A congregation friend member has started

some years ago a program with cows to product milk and chease but now he is

in great difficulty due to the fact that these cows have given birth during

the years to 6 bulls. Now, after asking many time an help from the temples

here in Italy (but there is no possibility to help because there is not a

structure to maintain also these bulls there) he have given the 6 bulls to a

farmer who is going to sell them. This means that in a matter of some days

they will be salughtered.

Is there the possibility to find out some big farm community that can give

shelter to these bulls in Europe? What can be done? What is your opinion on

that question?

I hope this meets you in the best of health and Krishna consciousness,

your servant, Giridhari dasa.

[Guest guest]

Dear Giridhari Prabhu,

 

PAMHO. AGTSP.

 

It is most unfortunate to hear of the fate of the 6 bulls of your

congregational member. Yes, fifty per cent of the time a cow will give

birth to a bull calf who is not wanted because he can nort produce milk.

Even

on ISKCON farms he is most of the time not given the opportunity to serve

Lord Krsna by engaging him in tilling the fields to produce food grains, or

by transporting goods and people, or by providing energy for gear

engineered machines to perform farm chores. To do so would take a lot of

input of time and energy which seems to be diverted elsewhere.

 

So for you to find a place for him on an ISKCON Farm will be difficult. They

already have animals that they are having difficulty providing lifetime

protection for. Have you given a call to all the European Farms? Its worth a

try. There is a listing in the BTG.

 

This is why we advise against breeding cows for milk unless you have

mathematically figured out how many you can breed according to the carrying

capacity of your land available. Not that cows are bred to produce a certain

amount of milk for sale, and offspring are born that are not milk producers

and considered burdens whoom no one wants or is willing to train and

engage. Srila Prabhupada has said that if you don't engage the bull, you

will think of killing him (Taraka prabhu, you have the quote?)

 

Since this is a congregational member, we have no authority to do much but

advise that he realize the karmic reaction of what he is doing and that he

breed no more if he is not willing to take care of bull calves produced. He

has already proven that he is not willing to provide for the bull calves.

 

We pray that you will be able to enlighten him. Again we are greatly

saddened to hear of the fate of these 6 bulls.

 

Your servant,

Chayadevi

 

 

 

 

there -

"Giridhari (das) RNS (Prabhupadadesh - I)" <Giridhari.RNS (AT) pamho (DOT) net>

"Cow (Protection and related issues)" <Cow (AT) pamho (DOT) net>

Wednesday, February 07, 2001 11:56 PM

6 oxen are being slaughtered

 

 

> Dear devotees,

> please accept my hubmle obeisnaces, all glories to Srila Prabhupada.

> I'm Giridhari dasa from Prabhupadadesh, a temple near Venice in Italy.

> Here in italy we have a problem. A congregation friend member has started

> some years ago a program with cows to product milk and chease but now he

is

> in great difficulty due to the fact that these cows have given birth

during

> the years to 6 bulls. Now, after asking many time an help from the temples

> here in Italy (but there is no possibility to help because there is not a

> structure to maintain also these bulls there) he have given the 6 bulls to

a

> farmer who is going to sell them. This means that in a matter of some days

> they will be salughtered.

> Is there the possibility to find out some big farm community that can give

> shelter to these bulls in Europe? What can be done? What is your opinion

on

> that question?

> I hope this meets you in the best of health and Krishna consciousness,

> your servant, Giridhari dasa.

>

[Guest guest]

Dear Chayadevi Mata:

 

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

> Srila Prabhupada has said that if you don't engage the bull, you

> will think of killing him (Taraka prabhu, you have the quote?)

 

Srila Prabhupada has said this so many times in so many ways. I'm not sure

which quote you are thinking of. Srila Prabhupada spoke like this while

visiting the Hyderabad Farm. I was with Srila Prabhupada during his walks

there, but I'm a fool with no credibility. Tejiyas dasa was also there and

in an interview with Paramananda dasa, he mentioned Srila Prabhupada

commenting in this way. Here's his statement:

 

Many times in Hyderabad Prabhupada talked about the tractor. He said the

tractor has spoiled the whole society. He said, "Because there is tractor

then there is no use for the bull." So many times he discussed. And he

said, "Then what are you going to do, what to do, what to do. And then you

will cut their throat." He said, "You will see. It is sure to come. If you

do not use the bulls for plowing, one day you will say, let us cut their

throats." And it is a fact. People will get them and then they will send

them away and sell them, kick them out. It has to happen on our farms if we

don't use the bulls for plowing. What will you do when you have hundreds and

hundreds of animals and you are getting more and more animals?

 

Interview with Tejiyas dasa by Paramananda dasa in Mayapura, 1982

(This interview appeared in the "Iskcon Farm Newsletter", Vol.2 No.1.

 

 

Here are some other quotes from Srila Prabhupada:

 

The cows and the bulls, the bulls were employed for agricultural purpose,

for drawing the carts. So there was no necessity of motorcar. Now you have

got motor, motor-tractor. You don't want the bullocks. Therefore kill them.

How you can utilize them? Therefore you must have slaughterhouse to kill

them. And as soon as you kill them, then you have to eat them. So this is

the, I mean to say, entanglement.

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.22-34 -- Los Angeles, May 27,

1972, Lord Nrsimhadeva's Appearance Day

 

 

Prabhupada: To save money. Machine means unemployment for many. Tractor,

they're using, they're unemployment for bulls and plowmen and then they,

bulls have to be killed. This is going on. Unemployment, then kill them.

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Morning Walk -- February 12, 1976, Mayapura

 

 

Here's some other angles:

 

Prabhupada: Huh? What is that economical progressing? So that means busy

fool. Fool, they do not know how to satisfy the economic problem. That is

recommended in the Bhagavad-gita, annad bhavanti bhutani: [bg. 3.14] You

grow food grains. Then all economic question... But why you are not

producing food grains? Why you are producing iron stools and instruments and

motor and tire and collecting petrol far away from Arabia? That is... Krsna

never says that "You do all this nonsense." He said, "Grow food grains." Why

don't you do that? That means fools. After all, you have to eat. So you are

not busy in growing your food, but you are busy in producing tire tubes,

motor cars, stools and instruments. Then how you will get your food? Where

is your economic? First economic is, first necessity, you must eat.

Pusta Krsna: But with the tire tubes and nuts and bolts they can make a

tractor. And the tractor can help produce food, they think, much faster.

Prabhupada: No, that is waste of energy. Because you are eating the bulls,

therefore you require a tractor. Otherwise you don't kill the bulls. This

animal will do the business of tractor.

Devotee (4): It will work.

Prabhupada: But you want to eat them, so you must find out...

Indian man (1): Some other means.

Prabhupada: Replacement. That's it.

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Morning Walk -- October 19, 1975, Johannesburg

 

 

TRANSLATION

Seeing him unable to support them, his wife and others do not treat him with

the same respect as before, even as miserly farmers do not accord the same

treatment to their old and worn-out oxen.

 

PURPORT

Not only in the present age but from time immemorial, no one has liked an

old man who is unable to earn in the family. Even in the modern age, in some

communities or states, the old men are given poison so that they will die as

soon as possible. In some cannibalistic communities, the old grandfather is

sportingly killed, and a feast is held in which his body is eaten. The

example is given that a farmer does not like an old bull who has ceased to

work. Similarly, when an attached person in family life becomes old and is

unable to earn, he is no longer liked by his wife, sons, daughters and other

kinsmen, and he is consequently neglected, what to speak of not being given

respect.

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => SB 3.30.13

 

 

Hare Krsna. I hope this was helpful. Thank you for engaging me. I hope this

meets you in good health and I beg to remain,

 

Your servant,

Taraka dasa