Remembering the Cow-Krishna Divine Relationship on Janmashtami.

Krishna and Cow are inseparable. We must take a vow of cow protection in this Janmashtami to save our Society and Culture. 

Upananda Brahmachari | HENB | Vrindavana | Aug 25, 2016:: In Bharatiya Puranas and Itihasa, the relation between Krishna and Cows has always been put into an inseparable divine entity. His early life starts form in the divine world of Gokula, where Lord Krishna is a cowherd boy in the agricultural community where He loves and keeps huge numbers of cows and calves.

In the praise and salutation to Gita it is said: सर्वोपनिषदो  गावो दोग्धा गोपालनन्दनः पार्थ वत्स  सुधीर्भोक्ता दुग्धं गीतामृतं महत (Sarvoponishada Gavo Dogdha Gopalanandana Partha Vatsa Sudhirbhokta Dugdham Gitamritam Mahat)। The Upanishads are cows, Lord Gopalanandana is the cow milkers, Partha-Arjuna is the calf, the wise scholars are the drinkers of that milk and Gita is that milk, the nectar of life.

In His birth ceremony of Lord Krishna who can see my baby Gopala without any cow? Gau and Gopala is inseparable my dear viewers of Hindu Existence. Subha Janmashtami! Jai Sri Gopala, Jai Shri Nandalala, Jai Shri Krishna, Hare Murare!!!

Nanda Maharaja, the foster father of Krishna had 900,000 cows. Scriptures say, Krishna knew every cow by name. If any cow was missing Krishna would immediately chase after the missing cow and call her by name.  He used to spend His childhood tending cows and calves while playing in the pasturing grounds with His friends. His example shows the importance of cows to human society, the practical benefits of caring for them, and the advantages of an agrarian economy based on cooperation between man and cows. In other words, the life of Lord Krishna was blessed by the spiritual union of Gau and Gopala.

To strengthen the Rishi-Krishi tradition of Bharata, Krishna established the best socio- economic system,  varnashrama-dharma, for the spiritual and material progress of all living beings as per their ability (guna) and aspiration (karma). Protected cows are a major component of this system; bulls and oxen plough the fields, and cows give milk. Here, Cows are considered one of the mothers of humankind because cow’s milk, a perfectly suited food to maintaining human life and the best milk after the mother’s breast milk.

In His famous book of instructions for humankind, the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna mentions cow protection as one of the prime duties of any civilized society. The Bible also tells us that cow-killing is as punishable as killing a human being. The there is no mandatory Qurbani of Cows in Quran. Rather Islamic scriptures say, Milk is good for heath and cow fleshes are causes of diseases.

The cow is a perfect mother. She has four teats: one for her calf, one for guests including birds and animals, one for use in rituals and one for her master. The milk is automatically divided into four equal portions; everyone is provided for.

Lord Krishna was called Gopala when he was a baby. Gopala literally means “protector of cows”. There are many esoteric meaning to this word, but even the obvious meaning is beautiful. Gopala was such a lovable little baby that all the cows in the vicinity loved him more than they loved their own calves.

Such a union of cows with individual and society too as manifested in the life of Lord Kirshna, actually made cow progeny holier than anything to us. In reality, the cow progeny was always treated as the main resource and backbone of Indian agriculture, health, medicine and prosperity in Indian life handed over glorious Indian civilization after civilization. Cow protection is synonymous to protection of the Nature and spreading love and good emotions all around.

In Gita Lord Krishna says, Dhenunam asmi kamadhuk  (आयुधानामहं वज्रं धेनूनामस्मि कामधुक्‌ । प्रजनश्चास्मि कन्दर्पः सर्पाणामस्मि वासुकिः ॥ Gita 10/28) In this verse Lord Krishna reveals that among cows He is manifested as the kamadhuk meaning kamadhenu the original wish fulfilling cows known as the surabhi cows. Just who and what are the surabhi cows and how the surabhi cows attained such an elevated and exalted position that they are able to represent a portion of the energy of the supreme Lord Krishna will be revealed in the following information given in the Anusasana Parva of the Mahabharata by Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa.

The surabhi cow descended from the spiritual worlds and manifested herself in the heavenly spheres from the aroma of celestial nectar for the benefit of all created beings. The direct descendants of the surabhi cows are the sacred cows from the continent India which are uniquely distinguished the same as the surabhi by the beautiful hump on their backs and the wonderfully soft folds of skin under their necks. Since all cows in existence in the world today are factual descendants of the sacred cows of India they are all holy as well and should always be lovingly cared for and protected with the highest esteem and greatest respect. One should never cause harm to cows in any way even in a dream and one should never ever even think of eating the flesh of cows as there is no action more sinful in all of creation than cow killing.

Cows are the mothers of all creatures. Cows are verily the mothers of the 33 crores of gods and goddesses that administrate creation in the material existence throughout all the universes. Cows are the goddesses of the all male and female godhood and the refuge of all auspiciousness. Cows bestow every kind of happiness and for these reason they always are worshippable. Cows are the support of all the worlds for by their milk they nourish terrestrial beings and by their ghee offered in sacrifice they nourish the denizens of the celestial realms. Nothing can be superior to cows.

A cow should not be owned by one who is a killer of cows or a seller to killers of cows, by one who is unrighteous, by one who is sinful, by one who is untruthful in speech, and by one who is outside of the Vedic culture nor should cows ever be given to one such as these. Gifts of cows should be made after ascertaining and determining the qualification of the receiver. Cows should never be given unto those whose residence they are likely to suffer from fire or sun. Cows should always be given away accompanied by their calves. Those cows who have been rescued from situations of distress or have been received from humble farmers unable to continue to take care of them properly are considered to be most auspicious.

If we, Hindus and Sanatanis of all forms, affirm such truth as per the War Song of Lord, that is Shrimad Bhagawad Gita, how can we ignore the importance of cow protection even during the festivity of Lord’s birth day celebration?

If we really want to love Lord Krishna, we must love cow from the core of our hearts. Denigrating a cow is a bare humiliation of my Lord and killing a single cow in this holy land is a serious sin, my brothers and sisters. Cow killing is nothing but the killing of Indian history and culture. We can’t pose a double standard by worshipping Lord Krishna in Janmastami and bother nothing worried about cow killing in our society.

Unless we engage ourselves in the fight of Cow protection, we can’t be nearer and dearer to our Lord. And whoever oppose, the Govt. And others, the cow protection must be treated as the enemies of Lord and will be destroyed in the field of Kurukhestra.

We must love and save Cow, the most lovable Jiva (living being) by our Lord. In this Janmashtami, we must take the vow to engage ourselves in the holy mission of Kurukhesrta for saving cow to get the ultimate blessing of Lord Krishna.

This Kurukhestra will change ‘India that is Bharat’ to a ‘Hindu Rashtra Bharat’ definitely. Jai Shri Krishna.

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Courtesy: Vaishnava and Gaudiya sites.