Drew Conroy: *OXEN - A TEAMSTER'S GUIDE*

[Guest guest]

Whilst it is certainly inspiring to hear of the professionalism of such

distinguished persons as Drew Conway, in presenting some of his statements

to these conferences I fear we may be shooting ourselves in the foot.

 

During the last year there was substantial work done to draw out a set of

standards. In those standards the use of leads was acknowledged as ok. We

know also that Srila Prabhupada has mentioned as such in his works. The

technique of driving oxen by leads or reins or ropes fits into the natural

Vedic picture. Is part of varnasrama and certainly therfore should be

encouraged throughout this conference.

 

The crisis (as I see it) is that there are very few devotees who are

seriously taking up ox power. We have seen that practicaly nobody in our

ISKCON society is dependant on the ox for their living. In effect the oxen

are at best kept as pets that do a bit of gardening. Why then as there are

so few persons using the oxen do we constantly make an issue of using nasal

harnessing. If the oxen are being used successfully surely this must

overshadow any issues on preferd methods.

 

If devotees can find the process of using oxen easier by nasal harnessing

rather than the longer process of voice commands then we should be

enthusiasticaly encouraging and supporting them. We do not want to

discourage any body who is utilising the oxen.

 

In the numerous pictures I have seen within our society's publications

ploughing has always been a two man job when the method is voice commands,

whereas it has been shown as a one man job when nasal harnessing has been

used. This demonstrates that in practice (within our society) the nasal

harnessing method is much more practical and efficient. An extra person

being used for ploughing an acre will cost an additional 7hrs x hourly

rate.In other words if you are getting paid $5 per hour for ploughing then

it will cost you an additional $35 because you have an extra person leading

the oxen with a rope and lash.

 

To train a team of oxen to work by nasal control is very easy. It is also

very easy to train a novice how to plough with a team of oxen using nasal

harnessing.

 

My constant request as you all well know is please do not put down the

method of nasal harnessing in your enthusiasm to present successful teamster

work.

 

Let us somehow develop dependancy systems on the oxen. This is the real

challange and crisis in our movement not that we are all not using voice

commands (in other words using a lash and lead rope).

 

Yours in the on going saga of to harness the nose or not to harness the nose

 

Syamasundara dasa

 

Ps please excuse the harshness of the e mail process. Remember 60% of

communication is non verbal. E mail is perhaps not even that

[Guest guest]

"COM: Syamasundara (das) (Bhaktivedanta Manor - UK)" wrote:

 

hkdd: Before I say anything else, I just want to acknowledge that Syamasundara

prabhu is one of the most devoted ox men in ISKCON. Although I prefer to avoid

giving oxen the pain of guiding them by the nose, I still consider Syamasundara

prabhu to be one of the most competent devotees in ISKCON on the matter of cow

care and even working the oxen.

 

That said, I nevertheless take issue with a couple of specifics:

 

 

> [Text 2703837 from COM]

>

> If devotees can find the process of using oxen easier by nasal harnessing

> rather than the longer process of voice commands then we should be

> enthusiasticaly encouraging and supporting them. We do not want to

> discourage any body who is utilising the oxen.

 

I have seen 8 year old girls, even one 6 year old girl driving the oxen with no

lead rope and no nose rings -- just a small stick. If driving them with nose

rings is easier, why don't I see little girls driving oxen with nose rings?

 

If a little girl can do it, why can't a grown man?

 

 

> In the numerous pictures I have seen within our society's publications

> ploughing has always been a two man job when the method is voice commands,

> whereas it has been shown as a one man job when nasal harnessing has been

> used. This demonstrates that in practice (within our society) the nasal

> harnessing method is much more practical and efficient. An extra person

> being used for ploughing an acre will cost an additional 7hrs x hourly

> rate.In other words if you are getting paid $5 per hour for ploughing then

> it will cost you an additional $35 because you have an extra person leading

> the oxen with a rope and lash.

 

But, surely you must have missed the Fall 1995 issue of Hare Krsna Rural Life,

the cover of which was illustrated by a pen-and-ink drawing of Isvara Puri

prabhu plowing under the spring snow (poor-man's fertilizer) at Gita- nagari

*single-handedly* with a team of 6 oxen.

 

You must also have missed the cover of the 3.1 issue of the ISKCON Farm News,

which showed a picture of Vaisnava prabhu tilling with a team of oxen, again

*single-handedly.*

 

And, I will be surprised if I don't see more pictures of single men (or women)

working the oxen from Drew Conroy's collection of photos of Africans and

Michiganders working with the oxen.

 

You refer to "the extra person leading the oxen with a rope and lash." You are

correct in your assessment that the teamster is handicapped if he must use both

hands to take care of the rope and lash. But a teamster who needs to use a

lead-rope has not trained his oxen well. Consider the following excerpt from

Paramananda prabhu, ISKCON's Minister of Agriculture during the 1980s:

 

*****************

 

I would recommend the use of a training ring in all cases, to make things

easier, but it is not always necessary. You should always use a confined area

with no foreign objects in it, but it could a less formal arrangement than

building a special training ring. It could be inside a hay barn with

everything

cleaned out. It should have no foreign objects, nothing on which the animal

could injure himself if he ran or became frightened, and it must have no outlet

where he could escape.

 

Otherwise, if he is not in a confined area, then you have to have a rope on him

all the time, which is very restricting. In his working condition he won't

have

a rope on him, so to train him like that -- always having to hold him by a rope

-- is conditioning him to a bad habit.

 

-- Ox Power - Ki Jaya! An Ox Power Handbook

 

*****************

 

 

 

> Syamasundara dasa

>

> Ps please excuse the harshness of the e mail process. Remember 60% of

> communication is non verbal. E mail is perhaps not even that

 

My dear Beta, no offense taken by me, and I hope that you will not find my note

sounding too harsh either. Despite our disagreement on small points, we are in

agreement on the main point, the importance of protecting Krsna's cows, and

again, I appreciate that you are one of Srila Prabhupada's most dedicated

followers in this respect.

 

your servant,

 

Hare Krsna dasi