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THE ISCOWP NEWS Volume 12 Issue 1 2002 Cow protection and vegetarianism are complimentary practices that have their origins in India. There are spiritual, environmental, and social reasons for and benefits from cow protection that are not so widely known. Our trip to India was to observe these practices in their natural setting and absorb knowledge of their benefits, which is not readily available in the West. The ever encroaching adoration of western thought and western materialism threatens the ancient traditions of cow protection and vegetarianism. The consequences are increased slaughter of cows and government consideration of legalizing cow slaughter in India. The main objective is immediate financial gain without consideration of long term repercussions.
click on picture to enlarge Going against the 'tide' are individuals and their projects such as Dr. Shri Brahma Datta Sharma shown in top photo in front of the Rajasthan Goseva Sangh's large biogas plant. Bottom photo shows Balabhadra visiting a cowherd village where protecting cows has become more difficult.
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The ‘Kamadhenu’ Bullock Drawn Tractor ISCOWP Travels Through India for Cow Protection Back to Back Issues Page
The ‘Kamdhenu’ Bullock Drawn Tractor (BDT) Designed by the Bharitya Cattle Resource Development Foundation
Click on picture to enlarge Improvement over the traditional plough and a cheaper alternative to the mechanical tractor: The most important advantage of `Kamdhenu’ Bullock Drawn Tractor (BDT) ™ (Design Registration pending with the Patent Office), is that it retains the time tested benefits of the traditional plough, but at the same time offers several times improved efficiency and saving the farmer from walking 200 km for a plot of size 100x100 meters, as per scientific study on traditional ploughs. It also offers benefits of major attachments of a mechanical tractor but at a much lower cost. One `Kamdhenu’ BDT is approximately equivalent to 3 traditional ploughs and 3BDTs are equivalent to a mechanical tractor of approximately 30 HP. The following is just a partial consideration of the savings in cost. The full comparative study can be found at www.cowindia.org
The 'Kamdhenu' is an animal drawn tool carrier with main frame and following different attachments for tillage operations. The attachments are the following: disc harrow (6 disc), cultivator (5 tires), Deshi plough (2 bottom), mould board ploughs (2 bottom), ridger, subsoiler and potato digger When we visited India 15 years ago, tractors were a rare sight, but now in some areas such as Vrndavana, which is outside of Delhi, traditional plowing with oxen is becoming a rare sight. The increased use of the tractor means the increased demise of the oxen. This machine is less expensive than the tractor in the initial cost and maintenance. It is also more environmentally friendly. Therefore, availability of this machine is a plus for India’s cow protection. Mechanical tractor
'Kamdhenu' BDT
Click on picture to enlarge The farmer is saved from drudgery due to improved work efficiency and productivity of 'Kamdhenu'. The 'Kamdhenu' is also animal friendly since it puts less strain on the bullocks due to the improved yoke design which has increased contact area of yoke with bullocks (necks and humps) thereby decreasing the chances of "wound formation" and increasing their efficiency by 20-25 %. Some other positive points about the 'Kamdhenu' are:
Machines such as the 'Kamdhenu' are available in America for draft power. The animal of choice is the horse but such equipment can be used by oxen. However, in India this type of machine is a new concept. Laxmi Narain Modi, managing director of the Bhartiya Cattle Resource Development Foundation that designed this model, hopes that this machine will help the farmers to realize the value of their bullocks and therefore increase cow protection because "without cows , they will not get bullocks." When we visited India 15 years ago, tractors were a rare sight, but now in some areas such as Vrndavana, which is outside of Delhi, traditional plowing with oxen is becoming a rare sight. The increased use of the tractor means the increased demise of the oxen. This machine is less expensive than the tractor in the initial cost and maintenance. It is also more environmentally friendly. Therefore, availability of this machine is a plus for India’s cow protection. For more information please inquire: Bharatiya Cattle Resource Development
Foundation
Rajasthan Goseva Sangh Visiting the Rajasthan Goseva Sangh was an inspiring and enlivening event in our travels. Dr. Sri Brahma Datta Sharma is the director and visionary of the project. Here is a practical example of the production of a variety of beneficial products just from the dung and urine of cows. Not only does this example introduce a means by which to help support cow protection, but it also gives pure medicines for the cure of many physical ailments that plague mankind. The following photos and their description give you some practical information about the production of these products. However, for the serious inquirer we recommend staying at the Rajasthan Goseva Sangh for a period of time to thoroughly learn how to make these products. Following the photo description is a further report of our visit.
Click on picture to enlarge Dr. B.S. Bhandari is giving Balabhadra, Labangalatika and Chayadevi a tour of the simple compost operation. The banana leaves in the background are bought in the fruit market and are an important ingredient in making the simple compost in the pits seen in the foreground. Diluted cow dung is put over the banana leaves, then earth. The cycle is repeated until the pit is filled. Simple compost takes 3 months to complete.
As we toured the herb garden, this worker was making cow urine pesticides by cooking cow urine and herbs in a large pot over an open fire. Red chili, Neem, and garlic are some herbs that can be combined with cow urine for this purpose. Cow urine can also be used for foliar feeding. Sanat Kumar prabhu from the ISKCON farm in Daund says they grew 6 tons of wheat with a mixture of water and urine using 10% urine. This was sprayed weekly on the crop. Kalmegh and Calamus root are two of the herbs that grow in the garden.
Click on picture to enlarge A worker is wrapping a cloth around the cow dung and squeezing the liquid into a bucket for combining with herbs to produce medicines.
Click on picture to enlarge Vermicompost, is made from cow dung, bagged and ready to be sold. They have no problem finding buyers. Vermicompost requires red worms . The red worms used have both female and male organs. One such worm can produce 250 worms in 6 months. It is considered 3-3 1/2 times better then simple compost because it has 14 trace minerals and nitrogen and potassium. The cow dung is sprinkled with water to cool it down. The rows of cow dung are in the shade and when cool enough, the worms are put into the dung. It is then sprinkled again to maintain moisture and gunnysacks are put on the rows to maintain the moisture. When it is a black color , it is ready. When it is a brown color it isn’t quite ready. If it is black it is no longer sprinkled with water and allowed to dry. At that point it is put through a sifter where the worms are separated from the vermicompost. It takes 21 days to mature. It takes 10 days to mature , instead of 21 days, if slurry is used from the gobar plant.
Click on picture to enlarge Cow urine is distilled in iron pots made especially for this purpose. These pots can be purchased from the Rajasthan Goseva Sangh. The cow urine is later combined with herbs for medicines or used by itself as a tonic for improved general health. Health problems such as Rheumatism, Diabetes, constipation, psoriasis and other skin problems, fluctuating blood pressure, anemia, and obesity are treated with these medicines at the dispensary that is open to the public. Three aruyvedic doctors are available at the dispensary in the morning to prescribe the medicines. Labangalatika prabhu says that she is taking one medicine for her low blood pressure problem. It is made by heating iron slowly in a clay pot until it disintegrates and becomes ash. It is then mixed with cow urine and is good for raising the hemoglobin and for fluctuating blood pressure. One lakh a month, (about $2, 250.00 American dollars) is gained from the sale of these medicines. Besides the dispensary there is a cancer clinic that can house 15 patients. Dr Shri Brahma Datta Sharma tells us that they have an 80% cure rate but most patients come there as a last resort making it more difficult to treat them. Even in India there is disbelief that cow medicines will help and belief that allopathic medicines will provide a cure. One treatment is to spend 5 to 10 minutes in a cow dung bath up to the patient’s nose. After this treatment one feels wonderful, as if massaged all over. Dr. Shri Brahma Datta Sharma believes that only urine from the Desai cow has the necessary qualities to be used as medicine. He says that the hump on these cows has a special nerve called the Surya Ketu nerve that absorbs medicinal qualities from the sun. We are interested to do a lab analysis on the qualities of the cow urine from protected cows here in the USA and the urine of Desai Cows to find how the urine differs. Also it is widely believed that the milk and urine from an all black cow is the best. Unfortunately, we arrived at the Rajasthan Goseva Sangh in ill health. In Vrndavana it had been cold and rainy and myself and Lakshmi, our daughter, had contracted some form of flu. We hoped by travelling to Jaipur, where the Rajasthan Goseva Sangh was located, we would come upon warmer weather and experience improved health. Balabhadra also was experiencing back pain since he had slipped in the bathroom in Vrndavana on the marble floor. We arrived in Jaipur in the early evening and found a place to stay. During the night Balabhadra’s back became worse to the point that he could not rise from the bed without assistance to reach the bathroom which was only a few feet away. The decision was made to get to the Rajasthan Goseva Sangh early in the morning since that is when the ayurvedic doctors are available at the dispensary. The hope was that some relief could be had by their help. We arrived during a bright sunny morning and enjoyed the warm sun after the dark cold days in Vrndavana and Delhi. The Goseva Sangh is located in the heart of the city of Jaipur and once you are inside its walls you have entered into another world far different from the city. It consists of 13 acres in which they have a vermicompost and simple compost operation, a one acre herb garden, a cow urine medicinal operation, a dispensary, a cancer care clinic, about 8 acres of grass for the cows, a gobar gas plant and 100 cows. Everything is nicely laid out and there is a peaceful, pleasant atmosphere throughout. Our arrival was expected and chairs were placed out in the sunny yard. At a previous visit, Labangalatika prabhu had given Dr. Shri Brahma Datta Sharma a copy of the ISCOWP newsletter and he was reported to be enlivened and enthusiastic about ISCOWP’s work. The Director arrived and Labangalatika prabhu presented him with various gifts. Then we gave him two issues of the ISCOWP News. He said that he had read the issue Labangalatika gave him from cover to cover. He agreed strongly that there is no cow protection without ox power. This is the point in our writings that he found most enlivening. Soon an aryuvedic doctor arrived. He had been the director of the National Ayurvedic Association. Dr. Shri Brahma Datta Sharma patiently translated for all and treatment was prescribed. Then we proceeded on a tour conducted by Dr. D.S. Bhandari. According to Dr. D.S. Bhandari, India is 80% agrarian. He explained that in the past it was considered important by India’s farmers to get good bulls so only the best cows were bred. for this purpose. However, the cows that produced good bulls did not produce a lot of milk. As the Indian population increased, the demand for milk could not be met so other breeds from the West, known to be high milk producers, were introduced and bred to raise the milk production. However, these animals did not make good bullocks for the Indian farmer. The Indian method of yoking is dependent upon the hump of the bullock. It was also discovered that the imported breeds and crossbreeds thereof were susceptible to local diseases and not heat tolerant. At the Goseva Sangh, they only breed with Tharparkar cows that are indigenous to the region. How beautiful they are! They look like white angels floating on their winglike ears to greet us. They have doe shaped eyes, long noses and delicate mouths and are very eager to meet us as we approach their gate. We are told that there is less than 1% mortality rate at the Sangh. They have had 1 death in 3 years. Although they have 100 cows here, they have 40, 000 cows in 10 centres. In one centre they take in abandoned cows of all breeds. They give most of their bulls to the local farmers and often they give trained oxen and a cart. After we toured the entire grounds, we spent some time at the dispensary talking with the ayurvedic doctors about the medicines available there. Then we had lunch with Dr. Shri Brahma Datta Sharma at the cancer clinic. The meal was wonderful with fresh butter available from the Tharparkar cows. Very near to where we were dining was a large old banyan tree. Along with the physical treatment prescribed for curing cancer, a spiritual program is given. It is under this tree that Sanskrit mantras are chanted and meditation is conducted. Although Dr. Shri Brahma Datta Sharma is the director of the project he is involved with the everyday activities of the operation. When Balabhadra went back the following day, he found Dr Shri Brahma Datta Sharma brushing one of the bulls. Throughout our travels in India it was the common practice that only workers dealt directly with the cows and the director or headman did not do any of the day-to-day work. But Dr. Shri Brahma Datta Sharma believes that those who have the knowledge should work with the cows to show the example of cow protection and to teach others proper care. Unfortunately in India those who work do not have the knowledge and understanding of cow protection. This is not just the situation in India but in the West also. “The breeding of cows is a science as well as an art,” says Dr. Shri Brahma Datta Sharma. Protecting cows and the work involved is also a saintly activity not just manual labor to be designated to a lower level of respect. This misconception is not only in India but in the West as well. 400 men farmers and 100 women farmers have been trained in the year 2001 specifically in the composting methods available at the Rajasthan Goseva Sangh. They are very willing to share their knowledge and train people so that the value of the cow can be more realized and its protection increased. Devotees, like Mahanananda Gour Hari prabhu from Mayapur, have gone there to learn the methods so that they can utilize them in ISKCON goshallas to support their cow protection programs. We greatly encourage all persons interested in supporting cow protection to visit the Rajasthan Goseva Sangh. Their contact information is: Rajasthan Goseva Sangh, Durgapur, (opposite Income Tax Colony), Tank Road, Jaipur, India. Tel# 0141-551310.
Travels Through India for Cow Protection
Click on picture to enlarge DELHI: Balabhadra is speaking at the Indian Federation of Ahimsa Organizations of which Laxmi Narain Modi is the Director General. We have been in correspondence with him for many years now and he invited us to come and speak at the conference. 272 organizations are members and believe in the peaceful coexistence of Man, Animal and Nature as the only solution to the reflective activities of violence and cruelty within India.
VRNDAVAN: At the Vrndavana goshallas the cows are fed nicely on fresh green fodder. Some of the bullocks work by hauling carts of milk to the temple , manure to the gobar gas plant, and other hauling activities. They also provide the power source for turning the piston that pumps the water to various locations at the goshallas. The herd is mostly mixed breeds, but the direction is to breed only with an indigenous breed.
Click on picture to enlarge VRNDAVAN: In a previous ISCOWP News issue, Kurma Rupa Prabhu was reported to be saving neglected and abandoned animals. He has been given a small piece of land for this activity and a larger piece will soon be his. Here the abandoned animals are being fed some treats.
Click on picture to enlarge RAIGAD: As mentioned earlier in previous issues. Labangalatika prabhu cures most of her cows’ ailments with homeopathic medicines. Here she is giving Pournima a solution of homeopathic medicine in a baby bottle. Pournima was not acting as herself. We all were moving her to one of the barns close to the house when she laid down and would not get up. Labangalatika thought she ate a bug since she has seen this kind of reaction before. Pournima's health improved after the administration of the medicine. Labangalatika and her husband Prakash Malik have an ideal cow protection program. They have 37 acres and 26 animals. Their animals are taken out to graze everyday and brought back in the early evening. They have two families living on the property as hired help and they are kind and compassionate towards the cows. Three other workers come and return to their village in the evening. The workers have been successfully trained to understand how to treat the animals. This is an example for other cow protection facilities in India where the workers often treat the animals neglectfully and even cruelly. Labangalatika prabhu is involved in the hands-on daily care of the cows. In this regard she is very much like Dr. Shri Brahma Datta Sharma of the Rajasthan Goseva Sangh. I think this is why the workers treat the animals so well. They have a living example with them so much of the time. Even when it is time to plant rice by hand, Labangalatika prabhu is right there doing the work alongside the workers. When they first got the property 11 years ago it was like a desert. Nothing was there. They have built a main house where they and another family live and three barns, one with housing. Numerous fruit and nut trees have been planted and are now producing papayas, bananas, mangos, cashews, ramphals, sitaphals, chickoos, lemons, etc. They have a vegetable garden and many sacred Tulasis grow around the house. Since visiting the Rajasthan Goseva Sangh, they have been daily making 1 litre of cow urine pills by cooking down the cow urine from their cows into a paste and then combining it with turmeric to form little balls. The turmeric is added because it is soothing for the stomach. Also they have been making vermicompost and not only using it for themselves but selling it. They have placed their property in the Govardhana Charitable Trust drawn up by R. K. Joshi who has helped Manekh Gandhi in a similar animal protection trust project. The goals of the project are exemplary and a fine example of the Cow/Land Trust concept that we have suggested ISKCON farms and any cow protection facility should set up to truly protect their project for the long term.
Click on picture to enlarge JAIPUR is the first Indian ISKCON farm (that we know of) to start their herd with only an indigenous breed. The Tharparkars are beautiful and here you can see how lovely the calves are and how nicely they are being fed by the workers that take good care of them.
Click on picture to enlarge TIRUPATI: Revathi Raman prabhu, the temple president of ISKCON Tirupati, and Balabhadra tour the temple goshalla of 43 cows. Here they are discussing Bhima, an ox who has been difficult to handle. Their herd is of mixed breeds, but they are striving to breed with only indigenous breeds.
Click on picture to enlarge This photo shows a young calf at the ISKCON Tirupati goshalla with noticeable western breed characteristics. Isn’t he beautiful? They have 1 acre but are negotiating to purchase a very nice piece of land just for the bulls so they have engagement. We visited the property and it is quite suitable. There is a board of devotees who is responsible for the goshalla and we met with them for several hours discussing the importance and practices of cow protection. Revati Raman prabhu and the goshalla board are eager to have an exemplary goshalla. At this point in time it is the third largest ISKCON goshalla in India as far as number of cows. And strategically located near Tirumali. TIRUMALI—TIRUPATI: the hill temple of Balaji, a manifestation of Visnu, is a major pilgrimage center of India and the wealthiest temple of India. Tens of thousands of pilgrims visit the temple daily. This temple has a very nice relationship with the ISKCON temple and the ISKCON property was donated by the Balaji temple. Just recently a small piece adjacent to the temple was donated and will be used by the goshalla.
Click on picture to enlarge Revathi Raman prabhu took us to visit the Balaji goshalla where this great beautiful bull resides. He and a few others never work but are engaged only for religious ceremonies. Balabhadra gave him a nice massage that the bull seemed to enjoy. As Revathi Raman prabhu pointed out, the Balaji goshalla has no shortage of money and it was good to see the goshalla peaceful and clean. The entire temple complex is managed by a temple trust that is as rich and powerful, if not more, than the Vatican. Some of the temple funds are used for charitable works in the area such as this goshalla. Throughout the city of Tirupati we saw few cows roaming the streets and those we saw were not skinny. The mercy of the Deity of Balaji in the form of charitable works !
Click on picture to enlarge MAYAPUR: The Mayapur goshalla has 110 animals with 40 cows milking, the second largest ISKCON Indian goshalla. Balabhadra, Nanda Krishna prabhu, the veterinarian and headman, and Mahanananda Gour Hari prabhu, the collector for the goshalla, are discussing the health of Sita. There are 20 workers (10 devotees and 10 who live outside) employed at the goshalla.
Click on picture to enlarge This photo shows the herd in their loafing yard that they can access everyday. The photo was taken from the new goshalla building that was built on higher ground so when the floods come during the monsoon season the cows are protected. Much of the Mayapur project is in a flood zone. As you may notice the herd is a mixed breed one with much western influence. The goal now is to breed only with indigenous breeds such as the Gir and Sindhu. The Zebu is indigenous to the area but are not good milk producers. The goshalla consists of 15 acres. In the past the oxen were not worked but now a team is being trained and as the goshalla increases their ox power, the Mayapur administration will give more land for their use. A new bio gas plant, only a month old supplies lighting for the goshalla. This is just the beginning of the possibilities of the gobar plant. 15 lakhs was supplied by the government for the plant. The Mayapur administration was eager to develop an exemplary goshalla and to achieve that end plans were put in place in cooperation with the Ministry for Cow Protection and Agriculture.
Click on picture to enlarge BHUBANESHWAR: This ISKCON goshalla has their cows in two locations. At the temple location of 400 square feet there are 7 milking cows. 30 additional cows are located on 7 acres, which provides a loafing yard, within a 30 minute drive from the temple. None of the bullocks were tied and none had nose ropes. Atmarama prabhu, the temple president knew the animals well who were friendly and well behaved. The workers here were some of the best we have seen.
Click on picture to enlarge GOSH VILLAGE: Pancaratna prabhu took us to visit the Gosh village. The 1, 500 residents can trace their heritage of cow protection back 5000 years. It took us about 30 minutes from Mayapur by car to reach the village. In this photo Balabhadra is speaking with one of the headmen after visiting with some of the cows. Deva Deva prabhu from ISKCON Foundation can be seen in the background. The village consists mostly of mud huts with thatched roofs. The residents keep cows and cook over cow dung fires in the same way their ancestors have done for thousands of years.
Click on picture to enlarge This photo shows grain storage huts that sport tin roofs. They are 75% supported by agriculture and can supply most of their necessities. The main source of agricultural livelihood is rice cultivation. They sell milk, keeping most of it, along with the dung, for their own use. Cash is needed to function within most of the Indian society. They do not have sufficient cash flow to cover expenses such as medical and sell cows sometimes to acquire the cash. Thus we can see that even in village India, where simple life still exists, cow protection needs to be subsidized in some way.
Click on pictue to enlarge NAVADVIPA: Out tour guide, Vrajanath das, took us to the Saranga Deva Gaudiya Matha temple where we visited the small goshalla behind the temple. A goshalla building was constructed there but the head priest, who has been serving the deities for 60 years, likes to keep the cows outside in the fresh air. The goshalla/temple has 35 acres of an original strain of rice, Govinda Bhoga. Original strains of rice and vegetables are becoming extinct due to the import of hybrid seeds from the west. Balabhadra was given some of the rice seed to try and plant at our Vrajapura Farm in West Virginia. Our plane tickets to India were sponsored by the GBC executive committee and Syamasundara prabhu of Bhaktivedanta Manor in England. Our daughter was also able to accompany us by financing her own trip. She is responsible for most of the photos in this issue. We are very thankful to our sponsors and all the wonderful devotees who hosted us. By having so many friends we were able to financially cover the costs of our internal travel within India. The main purpose of our trip was to acquire knowledge of holistic practices of cow protection in India that could be applied to Indian ISKCON goshallas and also might be applicable to cow protection facilities in the USA. These practices are capable of generating income without the resultant complications of milk production like ever increasing herd size. The two ISKCON centres of Vrndavana and Mayapur have the largest amount of cows and are located in two of the most sacred pilgrimage areas. They are visited by many people and have the potential to be influential preaching tools for cow protection. It was important to access their situation and offer suggestions for an improved operation. Most of the details of our trip are covered in the description of the photos on pages 6 through 10. The following is a more personal narration of the trip. In issues to come, some of the projects and persons mentioned here will be given more attention. We spent 6 weeks in India arriving in Delhi and spending our first week in Vrndavana. There we spent our time at the Vrndavana ISKCON goshalla discussing the goshalla program with Prem Kishore prabhu and Nanda Nandan prabhu. Many thanks to Nanda Nandan prabhu and his wife Krsna Priya prabhu for a most wonderful lunch in their home at the goshalla, one of the best prasadam meals we had while in Vrndavana. There are 246 cows in the herd and 9 acres available for them. This is the largest herd in ISKCON India at this point. The greatest need is more land for the cows. There are several nice projects at the goshalla and many obstacles to overcome to make the goshalla exemplary. Here the main source of income has been milk, as has been the case with most ISKCON goshallas and steps are being taken to develop other sources of income such as vermicompost and energy power from a new biogas plant. Near to the ISKCON Vrndavana temple , Kurma Rupa prabhu is protecting abandoned cows who often have been treated cruelly and /or are in need of medical care. Cows are hurt everyday there due to the fact they roam freely in the street and the car traffic is quite dangerous. As you can imagine there is a great need for his compassionate work. It started with him taking care of a few cows. As the local residents observed his activities they donated a small piece of land to him. Now a larger piece is soon to be given to him for this purpose. Kurma Rupa prabhu has such a loving relationship with the animals he takes care of. It is plain to see and therefore understandable why local residents are inspired to donate to his work. Vrndavana is one of the most sacred places in India and we could not leave without at least a brief visit to some of the holy places within Vrndavan. We were fortunate to get a brief tour from Bhumna, his wife Nagari and their new born son. Due to their kindness we had parikrama (circumambulation of a holy place or temple) of Govardhana Hill, India’s most sacred mountain, and sacred lakes such as Radha Kunda. It is written in the scriptures that Lord Krsna Lifted Govardhana Hill so the residents and cows of Vrndavan could gain shelter from the severe thunderstorms of Lord Indra. Cows still graze on the Hill partaking of a special kind of grass that makes the cows strong and healthy. From Vrndavan we went to Delhi to the All India Conference of the Indian Federation of Ahimsa Organizations. Unfortunately, there appears to be an ever increasing move amongst some groups to increase the legalization of meat production within India. In the name of the interests of farmers and animal breeders, the vested interests of the meat and leather lobby are advocated. Yet there are so many Indians who understand the importance of cow protection and its impact on society, some of which were present at the conference. It is at this point that Lakshmi and I became quite sick. We had been fighting colds that we caught in Vrndavana since the weather was cold and there was no heating facilities. But Delhi seemed colder. The morning of the conference I ate some sweet that didn’t seem to settle and by the middle of the conference we had to depart due to my nausea. I even had to make a quick dash to the bathroom to part with some undigested food. It was most unfortunate since we had just begun to make friends with members of different ahimsa organizations and the video of the Kamadhenu was next on the agenda. Balabhadra went the next day to the meetings and met more people dedicated to Ahimsa. The next stop was Jaipur. Our visit to the Rajasthan Goseva Sangh is described beginning on page 4. Unfortunately we missed Ramanuja prabhu, the temple president of ISKCON Jaipur who was in Australia. He is very much involved in the temple and goshalla activities in Jaipur. Because we were still ill at this point we decided to get to Labangalatika prabhu’s place in Raigad as soon as possible because it would be warm weather there and we could recuperate more in the country in the association of friends. We thank Labangalatika and Prakash so much for tolerating our illness and the care we received which enabled us to proceed on our trip after staying one week. Their place was like a tropical paradise. There was so many fruits and nuts and sacred Tulasis growing all around. What I found so fascinating was observing the village life in the area. For instance , late in the afternoon local villages would walk with baskets of food on their heads through Labangalatika and Prakash’s property which was located between their home and farmland. Their home was about 1 1/2 miles from the farm land and they walked in bare feet. I imagined, after climbing up hill to their home, they had to cook and clean after a full day’s work. I read that in village India often the farm plots were at a distance to the house plot and now I was viewing the reality. Or when one of their oldest workers, who is in his seventies and is more agile than most American 40 year olds, climbed a huge tree to the top (about 100 feet) to get some fruit to take home to his village. Details of the Raigad project are described on page 7. On the way from Jaipur to Raigad, we stayed over one night in Mumbai at the Chowpatty temple. The devotees there were so helpful and gracious. We thank them and Radhanath Swami for the good care we received and the inspiring association. Tirupati was the next destination. Due to the presence of the Deity Balaji, the whole town seemed to be blessed. The ISKCON temple of Tirupati seemed to be also blessed with enthusiastic and well mannered devotees. Revati Raman prabhu, the temple president, is a fine example of these qualities. We were hosted to a darshan of the Balaji Deity and it was an experience of a lifetime! We had never seen such a temple complex in our lives. Just entering into the inner sanctum with thousands of pilgrims was amazing. The temple itself is 126.5 meters long, 80 meters wide. Nothing of the temple can be seen from outside. What is of stunning beauty is the dome called Ananda Nilayam. It is covered with solid gold! The Deity is very rich, for the pilgrim traffic amounts to over 25 million people a year. The temple trust has a daily income of $30,000 and an estimated annual income of $150 million. The temple has a staff of over 6000 people. The Deity is 2 meters high and made of jet-black stone that over the years gets darkened due to all the bathing and special anointments of sandal, oil, paste and flowers. The crown of the Deity was made in Antwerp and is the single most expensive piece of jewellery in the world. He wears special jewels worth 70 million dollars. He is adorned with the world’s biggest emerald, the Meru Pacha, 3 inches in diameter. He is also the benefactor of the temple goshalla that was well maintained including enormous bulls who served only at religious ceremonies. We travelled all night to catch a plane to Bhubaneshwar which is further north along the coast and fairly near to Jagannatha Puri. At the instructions of Srila Prabhupada, Gour Govinda Maharaja established the ISKCON centre of Bhubaneshwar. Atmaram prabhu, a disciple of Gour Govinda Maharaja is the temple president. He knew the cows well and has been striving to take good care of them although there are many obstacles in the way. We spent two weeks at Mayapur with the primary purpose to observe the Mayapur goshalla and discuss with those in charge how to proceed forward with an exemplary program. We also needed to report to the GBC about the research, observations and conclusions from our trip at their annual GBC meeting held in Mayapur at this time. Some of the results of our stay in Mayapur can be read about on page 11. We met with Nanda Krishna prabhu and Mohananda Gour Hari prabhu on the second floor of the new goshalla building. We sipped coconut water from fresh coconuts and discussed the situation of the goshalla. Nanda Krishna prabhu is a trained vet and his presence at the goshalla has greatly improved the goshalla conditions. Mohananda Gour Hari prabhu visited the Rajasthan Goseva Sangh and was educated to the benefits of cow dung and urine and their usefulness in financially supporting the cows. He has already made incense from the Mayapur cows’ dung and we bought some from him. It is excellent! One day, while resting in our room we were surprised by a knock on the door. I opened the door and there was Paramesvari prabhu. Some, of our readers may remember that Paramesvari has been protecting a few cows in Serbia for the last 10 years. We had corresponded for about 9 years by e-mail and had never met! Against so many odds she has persisted to protect her cows , even during the bombing of the last war. We spent the following day together bathing in the sacred Ganga river. As our stay in Mayapur was coming to a close we felt a strong desire to visit some of the sacred places of pilgrimage. On our last day, Balabhadra, Lakshmi, Paramesvari and myself were fortunate to have Vrajanath prabhu give us a tour of some of the major sites. He is offering this service to all devotees and we recommend him as a knowledgeable and considerate guide. For more information you may contact him at vrajanath.jps@pamho.net One of the places that Vrajanath das took us to was the Saranga Deva Gaudiya Matha temple. About 15 years ago I had visited this same temple with Lakshmi who was 10 years old at the time. I always remembered the temple due to the joyful and humble presence of the head priest who was still residing at the temple in the same mood of service. He has been serving the Deities of this temple for 60 years without fail! There are pastimes written of Lord Chaitanya passing through the temple yard on his way to school. Where the Tirupati temple of Balaji was so extraordinarily opulent, this temple was so extraordinarily filled with transcendental qualities that could be felt by spending only a few moments. I was thankful to be able to experience the same feelings on this visit as I did 15 years ago. However, this time we got to visit the temple cows also.
IMCP Update ISKCON Ministry for Cow Protection & Agriculture The Ministry attended the GBC meetings in Mayapur , March 2002. The most specific results were the passing of Action Order 501 and receiving some funds for the Ministry's activities. Within the GBC budget the Cow Ministry was designated to get Rs. 200,000—about $4000 American dollars. Due to the fact that personally visiting the goshallas had a very positive effect in improving everyday operations, it has been recommended by the GBC deputies that we use that money first for Balabhadra to travel. So the next trip will be for him to visit Mayapur and Vrndavana goshalla next year to see how everything has been carried out in accordance with the below resolution. We were able to meet with the Mayapur administrative management team and goshalla team to set goals for an improved an exemplary cow protection program. The Vrndavana administration has been changed and on the next trip, Balabhadra will meet with them. However , the resolution is clear as to what needs to be done .
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This site was last updated 10/23/07
