Animals deserve humanly cares & protection – learn from Didi Maa

Namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana-hitaya cha jagad-dhitaya krisnaya govindaya namo namah, “My Lord, You are the well-wisher of the Cows and the brahmanas, and you are the well-wisher of the entire human society and world.” (Visnu Purana 1.19.65). Lord Krishna says in Srimad Bhagavatam, “I can be worshiped within the cows by offerings of grass and other grains and paraphernalia for the pleasure and health of the cows, and one may worship me within the Vaishnavas by offering loving friendship to them and honoring them in all respects”. Protection of cows is the single-most important principle towards saving the whole world from both moral and spiritual degradation. Simply by protection of cows all the wonderful benefits of religiosity and piety will be automatically achieved without any separate endeavor. This is because cows are as beloved to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna, as even saintly brahmanas. Cow is important and respected by Hindus for many reasons such as -

• Cow's milk is believed to be closest to mother's milk for infants.
• Cow-dung is excellent organic manure for soil health management and fertility improvement.
• Cow urine has a very significant medicinal value in Ayurveda and is used as plant protection measures in organic farming.
• Upon death cow skin provides good quality leather.
• This is the only animal which is useful to the mankind whether living or dead; whether giving milk or not.
• Its progeny become oxen which have great strength required for ploughing in the agricultural fields. India is an agricultural country and this animal is still used in many villages for ploughing and cart pulling.

Human society needs only sufficient grain and sufficient cows to solve its economic problem. The body can be maintained by any kind of foodstuff, but cow milk is particularly essential for developing the finer tissues of the human brain so that one can understand the intricacies of transcendental knowledge. A civilized man is expected to live on foodstuffs comprising fruits, vegetables, grains, sugar and milk. The Bull helps in the agricultural process of producing grain, etc., and thus in one sense the bull is the father of humankind, whereas the cow is the mother, for she supplies milk to human society. A civilized man is therefore expected to give all protection to the bulls and cows whereas the modern society has created slaughter-houses for these holy animals.

Param Pujya Didi Maa Sadhvi Ritambharaji, the founder of Param Shakti Peeth (Vatsalya Gram) and one of the greatest spiritual ambassadors of India in recent times, spoke often with great force and feeling on the need to protect cows.  Guided by his teachings and inspired by the strength of his personal conviction, PSP has played a pioneering role in advocating and practicing cow protection by establishing Goshalas. In 1992, began the 1st Goshala viz. Kamadheu Goshala at Vatsalya Gram, Vrindavan, the land Krishna and Balarama wandered along the banks of the Yamuna River with their Cows. In this Goshala, we are trying to serve the noble cause of cow protection in a humble way.  In this Goshala, the cows, bulls and calves are looked after with great care and love.  These animals are never sold to slaughter houses or abandoned even when they become old.  They are maintained till the end of their lives very happily. Beginning with only 10 milking cows, the herd has grown more than 100 cows, bulls and calves today. The milk produced by the cows of this goshala is fed to the children of Gokulam, where abandoned children, destitute women and lonely grannies have set up their vatsalya parivar. Inspired by the success of this Goshala, Param Pujya Didi Maa has set up the 2nd Goshala in Omkareshwar and planned many to be set up in other parts of the country, for which land has been acquired and also in the process of acquiring.

The animals of these Goshala get all modern facilities with hygienic cattle-shed with quality food, drinking water, neat & clean environment inside the shed, mosquito net, cooler, etc. The cows are served as mothers in these goshalas with all humanly cares. The veterinary medical facilities are provided as and when needed; green fodder is grown within the campus to feed these animals. There are cows without milk yield but get the same level of cares & protection as that of milch animals. Protection of cows and bulls is possible only when cultured and pious minded citizens come forward to actively support the cause by their words, actions and wealth.  It is the responsibility of every one of us to serve these animals as envisaged by Param Pujya Didi Maa.