“Everyone can understand that we drink the milk of cows and take the help of bulls in producing agricultural products. Therefore, since our real father gives us food grains and our mother gives us milk with which to live, the cow and bull are considered our father and mother. According to Vedic civilization, there are seven mothers, of which the cow is one.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Chaitanya Charitamrita, Adi 17.154, Purport)

Download as podcast episode (right click and save)

The pattern is understandable. It is not unreasonable to go along with the rest of society. This is how their father’s generation did things. This is the way the grandfather’s generation lived life. For as many prior generations as the history has documented, people have been doing the same. It applies to society, in general. How, then, all of a sudden, is a person supposed to turn the tables, flip tradition on its head, and follow a different script? Rather, the person with the new idea should prove they are not being unreasonable. The burden of evidence is on them, to precisely target flaws in the status quo.

The issue of which we speak is protection of cows. For some reason, this animal in particular gets no love. Oh, sure, society takes and takes. It gladly extracts the byproducts of the resulting connection between mother and child. The cow is a female, after all. It is indeed a mother, despite belonging to the animal species. The status should not be diminished to that exclusion, but apparently it is. Not only is there no appreciation for the milk and milk products offered, but there is guaranteed death, in being rounded up, intentionally, to be placed on the figurative conveyer belt leading to the worst kind of destruction.

If anyone should object to this barbarism, if they should ever ask people to open their eyes, or if they are simply minding their own business but get discovered for their exception in the policy of killing the cows, they might face opposition. If the immediate justification is mistakenly attributed to religion alone, then the following criticism sounds familiar:

“You Hindus and your cows. Just what is wrong with you people? You know that vegetables have life, too. If you spray that poison pesticide on wheat, the crops get killed sooner. That way, it is easier to harvest. Killing only happens if something was previously living. You people are great killers, as well. Don’t consider yourselves to be special or above anyone else. You slaughter innocent plant life. You are no better than we are. Just give it up already. There is nothing special about cows except that they taste great. In fact, I can’t wait to eat one for dinner tonight. There is nothing you can do to stop me.”

In the Vaishnava tradition, one justification for the special treatment of cows is the viewpoint of Shri Krishna. He is supposedly the Supreme Personality of Godhead. His religion, if that is the term being applied, is original. His religion, which is known as dharma, is for pleasing Him. It is for coming closer, upasana, and returning to sanity. In that dharma, cows share an equal status with mothers. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada gives the list of seven mothers within this religious tradition.

“There are seven kinds of mothers according to Vedic injunction: the real mother, the wife of a teacher or spiritual master, the wife of a king, the wife of a brahmana, the cow, the nurse, and the mother earth. Because Putana came to take Krishna on her lap and offer her breast’s milk to be sucked by Him, she was accepted by Krishna as one of His mothers.” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Volume 1, Chapter 6)

Then there is the prakata-lila, when the original Krishna decides to appear within the manifest realm. He supports the original principle by showing favor to the cows. They are His beloved animal in the farm community of Gokula-Vrindavana. You can actually address Krishna by names such as Govinda and Gopala. You would not be deficient in your worship. These names refer to Krishna’s relationship with the cows, in how He protects them and gives them pleasure.

In the sense of spiritual affiliation, there is a reason for protecting the cows. But a person may wonder why Krishna would appreciate the cows? Why would they be His favorite animal, if running a comparative analysis based on time spent together? To answer these questions, we conduct the following review of fixtures of nature. We see why exactly they should be appreciated and then ultimately return to the issue of cows.

1. The sun

Should we appreciate the sun? It has been providing heat and light since before anyone can remember. There are guesses as to when it will finally burn out, exhausted of its fuel, but no one knows for sure. Mankind cannot even approach it. If you think the summer heat is bad, just imagine what occurs in outer space if you were to inch closer and closer to the sun.

Yet, there it is, fixed in its position, not playing favorites. To appreciate the sun is to appreciate the giver of life. To appreciate the sun is to have a conscious awareness of how life continues. Without the sun we would have nothing.

2. The earth

Should we appreciate the earth? It tolerates so much. There is constant movement. Trees rise and fall. Water falls from a cliff. Rocks drop from a mountain. There are snowstorms. There are periods of ice covering the surface. Extreme heat and cold. The earth stays where it is.

या चेयं जगतां माता देवी लोकनमस्कृता
अस्याश्च चलनं भूमेर्दृश्यते सत्यसंश्रव

yā ceyaṃ jagatāṃ mātā devī lokanamaskṛtā
asyāśca calanaṃ bhūmerdṛśyate satyasaṃśrava

“O Lord of Koshala, even the Earth, who is the mother of the world and respected by everyone, suffers distress in the form of earthquakes.” (Lakshmana speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 66.10)

There might be earthquakes every now and then, but the earth continues to provide. It is a resting place. It maintains all of the seeds necessary for the continuation of life. The earth is similar to the holy name itself, in how there is no need to go elsewhere to practice genuine religion.

जथा भूमि सब बीजमय नखत निवास अकास
रामनाम सब धरममय जानत तुलसीदास

jathā bhūmi saba bījamaya nakhata nivāsa akāsa
rāmanāma saba dharamamaya jānata tulasīdāsa

“Just as within the earth are found every kind of seed and within the sky live all the stars, Tulsidas knows that Shri Rama’s holy name is the reservoir of all dharma.” (Dohavali, 29)

3. The rain

Should we appreciate the rain? This past winter was so bad that the snowbanks are still there, even after weeks of high temperatures and sunny skies. It is not until a day of significant and steady rainfall that everything begins to melt. The rain is what nourishes the crops. We need rain in order to eat. We need to eat in order to survive. Therefore, rain is like the giver of life.

4. The father

Speaking of giving life, should we appreciate the father? They brought us into this world. Sure, we can joke that they did not have to do much to make it happen. A few minutes of close interaction with a member of the opposite sex. Nevertheless, they are the protector. If they live up to the role, they are everything to the child. We need a father in order to take birth.

5. The mother

Should we appreciate the mother? They carry us in the womb. They protect us from the outside world. It may come as a surprise to many, but a human being is not born deficient, where they need seventy-plus poison injections in order to remain healthy. They can survive on drinking the milk provided by the mother. In this way, the mother has the most exalted position. She is the field upon which the body develops. She is the greatest gift from nature.

…

“Of all kinds of animal killing, the killing of cows is most vicious because the cow gives us all kinds of pleasure by supplying milk. Cow slaughter is an act of the grossest type of ignorance.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 14.16 Purport)

If we appreciate the above, then why wouldn’t we appreciate the cow? If the mother and the father are dear to Krishna, why would the cow not be dear? If we say that we love God, then certainly we should love the people that God loves. If God is the greatest protector, why wouldn’t He appreciate those who help in providing that protection? In one sense, the various providers are like extensions of the Almighty, and the cow stands tall in its kindness and benevolence.

In Closing:

Fixtures of nature to provide,
Over life of creatures to preside.

Like food from the earth flourished,
By sun and rain nourished.

Why then not the cow?
To mercilessly slaughter how?

Of course Supreme considering dear,
Favorite animal of Krishna clear.

Categories: the five

Tags: cows, dailyprompt, hare krishna, krishna lila, poem, poems, poetry