Purity Is The Force

  How to Live on a Farm in the 21st Century Introduction Towards the end of the Cow Culture Conference held in Kuala Lumpur on October 7, 2018, during the question-and-answer session, a devotee asked for practical advice on how to adopt a Vedic farm lifestyle. He wanted to know whether there are any model farms around the world that we could follow, and also what he, a city-dweller, could do if he were to live on a farm. I was very happy he asked this question because it signalled to me that the d evotee was keen to live simply according to  Dharma , and he wants to know more. That, to me, is the first step in a long but necessary journey back to a Vedic lifestyle based on  Varnasrama Dharma , which I believe is the only sustainable lifestyle for humanity. Srila Prabhupada once said, “Unless in the human society the Varnasrama system is introduced, no scheme or social order, health order or any order, political order, will be successful.” Indeed, Srila Prabhupada stressed...

  Importance of Indigenous (Desi) Cow Desi cattle has been a part of Indian lifestyle since ages unknown. It has helped mankind in farms to plough, on roads to carry loads, at home with milk and with urine & cow dung for several other uses in day to day life. Desi cow is not only looked upon as a source of benefit but also considered as a family member and revered with a motherly status & often called “Gau Mata”. Indian history is also full of stories that underline the importance of cow. Gopal (One who guards cows), one of many names given to Lord Krishna in his childhood days. He was called so as he used to take special care of his cattle while he took them for grazing. Shri Krishna, though a Kshatriya by birth, spent his childhood at Raja Nand’s household, who was a king of dairy farmers. Eventually when he grew up and revealed his true identity after killing Kansa, he took Cow protection to next level by by turning himself into Gau-Sevak. The message given by Shri Krish...

ISKCON COW Protection & Agriculture............... Krsi goraksya vanijya. Krsi means plowing or agriculture and goraksya, cow protection. These are the staples of society, this is what people live on. All living entities subsist on grains. So the ksatriyas may direct and instruct people, the brahmanas may perform their yajnas, but if they don’t eat then giving shelter or instruction is not going to work. That eating is therefore the most essential aspect of life and this is why the vaisyas and their assistants, the sudras, are so integral that the other castes think that they are the most important people, because it is actually they who are feeding. Of course the vaisyas think that the brahmanas are the most important because they are taking the result of their work and offering it back to the Lord. Srila Prabhupada said that this very common type of exchange was there but the responsibility of this goraksya, is it the duty of just some people? Some very very exclusive people? Is ...

Cow Protection  “namo brahmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca jagad-dhitāya kṛṣṇāya govindāya namo namaḥ” Lord Krishna is the well-wisher and protector of the Cows. His other name is Govinda, which means One Who gives pleasure to Cows and senses. Vedic times consider cow as one of the seven mothers of the humanity. She provides nutritious milk, which is very important food for human beings right from young days. Milk and milk products are most important food ingredients for humanity, hence it is very important to protect them. And bulls are very important for agriculture, Lord Balaram is considered Lord of agriculturist, He carries a plough, because of which He is called Haladhara. With the bulls we plow the land, hence they are like the father who produces food and cow is like the mother producing milk. The manure from them, is very important for agriculture, hence any civilized human being should be protecting these animals. It is a Vedic tradition, to have Goshala or shelter for ...

  The Social Role of Cows “In my last birth I was born in the family of cowherd men, and I gave protection to the calves and cows. Because of such pious activities, I have now become the son of a brahmana.” - Lord Chaitanya (Chaitanya-charitamrta, Adi Lila 7.111) Throughout history many traditional societies have centered on a particular animal, and the relations the people develop with that animal influence the values of the whole society. We think of the role of buffalo in shaping the lives and values of the Native Americans of the Plains. Similarly, we think of the Laplanders and their reindeer, or even the New England whaling villagers and the whales. In each case, without a particular animal the culture of the people would be entirely different. Because of relations to that animal, whether by shooting, herding, or sailing after it, the society encourages attributes such as toughness, bravery, gentleness, or respect for nature. Vedic culture centers on the cow. In fact, without...

  Caring of Cows || yatvagasthi gatam papam dehe tishthti mamke prasnat panchgavyasya dahasagnirivendhnam ||   Translation: From skin to bones, what ever sins (diseases) are in my body, are destroyed by panchgavya just as fire destroys fuel.   In this age of rapid industrialization and unprecedented communication explosion, human values have been distinctly neglected. Though there are advertisements exclaiming advancement in comfortable and happy living conditions, but the facts give a strikingly different picture as we keep hearing the horrendous stories of increasing new facets of violence, dwindling health status of the people mainly due to psycho-somatic diseases, diminishing social, moral and culture values and alarming environment hazards. If we probe into the matter logically from Vedic perspective, the root cause of all problems becomes very evident. One of the prominent factors is the neglect of Mother Cow. From the spiritual perspective, cow plays ...