COW - OUR MOTHER

Telugu VersionA Work of Several Hands Compiled by T.T.D.

English translation

Dr. T. Viswanatha RaoRetd. Professor, Kakinada.

TIRUMALA TIRUPATI DEVASTHANAMSTIRUPATI

COW - OUR MOTHER

English TranslationDr. T. Viswanatha Rao

Editor-in-ChiefProf. Ravva Sri Hari

T.T.D. Religious Publications Series No.1061 All Rights Reserved

First Edition : 2014

Copies :Price :

Published byM.G. GOPAL, I.A.S.,Executive Officer,Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams,Tirupati - 517 507

D.T.P:Office of the Editor-in-ChiefT.T.D, Tirupati.

Printed at :Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Press,Tirupati - 517 507

FOREWORDCow is treated as mother in India as it bestows life-

milk to the public and inevitable aid in essentialagricultural operations. Apart from that cow is a pioussymbol of great Indian religious culture that has gaineduniversal fame.

TTD has taken up this work with pride to bring outvarious aspects on cow that draw our attention for study,utility and respect for revival of ancient fervour. Severalfacets which are specified in this as topics are : The Cowas Worshippable Mother, The Cow in the Vedas, Cowsof Indian Origin, Movements for Protection of Cow,The Fruits of donating a Cow, Gopadmavrata,Gomati Vidya, Panchagavya Specialities, Cow Dung,Cow Urine - Economics and Medicines and the like.The descriptions are vivid and valid.

Material is collected from several resources such asPanchagavya Ayurveda Chikitsa published byGovigyan Anusandhana Kendram, Devalapar Nagapur;Aavu-Aarogyam compiled by Dr. N.Ganga Satyam Rajufor Viswamangala gogram yatra, A.P and GorakshanaEnduku? Ela? compiled by Manjira for Viswa mangalagograma yatra, A.P, Hyderabad, all in Telugu. We thankSri Yadagiri Rao, Kshetra Goraksha Pramukh V.H.P for,

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permitting us to use the matter in the books publishedby Viswamangala Gograma Yatra, Andhra Pradesh. Andon behalf of the Devasthanams we express our gratitudeto the said publishers and anthologists. The EnglishTranslation is well spelled out into readable English byDr.T.Viswanadha Rao, Retired Professor, Kakinada.

I hope that English readers would very wellappreciate this sweet task.

TirupatiDate :

Executive OfficerTirumala Tirupati Devasthanams

Tirupati

vONE MOMENT PLEASEThe young Ganapathi and Kumara Swamy proposed

a sportive bet as to who would come first in a race to goaround the universe. Kumara Swamy who gathered allhis strength, ran till he was exhausted and returned onlyto notice a smiling Ganapathi sitting in the lap of motherParvathi, quietly. The reason -Vinayaka who knew thesecret of triumph, circumambulated thrice, his parentsShiva and Parvathi, the very embodiment of the universeand won the bet quite early.

This, it is true, is only a story in an epic, but does itnot hold a mirror to to the present state of Indians? Tomake the country prosperous there have beeninnumerable plans, constructions, massive expenditure.As if these were not enough, lakhs of crores of rupeesare borrowed from abroad. But God has made goodarrangements for us and for our living even before wewere created. God sent the cow-mother before creatingus. Thanks to her mercy and benevolence, our countryprospered grandly in the past. The Vedas, Puranas andall the sastras sang her glory with one voice. The cow-mother has been accepted as a visible form of the divine.

Todays society ignores the cow-mother who showerswealth and prosperity. Govenments do not bother. Thegreedy indulge in cow slaughter as a political game. Riversof blood of the cow-mother flow in a glorious countrywhere once rivers of milk flowed. She takes pity on theignorance and folly of her own people who mock ather. Still, the mother is not angry.

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ACNOWLEDGEMENTS

I have immense pleasure in being associated withthe translation of a work on the cow by several handsand compiled by the T.T.D. The importance of such awork can hardly be exaggerated. Its undeniablecontemporary relevance needs no advertisement.

I am grateful to the authorities of the T.T.D. forchoosing me to translate this work. I cordially thank SriM.G.Gopal, the Executive Officer and Prof. R.Srihari,the Editor-in-Chief of the T.T.D. Publications.

I have to remember the affectionate encouragementof my spouse Rajyalakshmi and my children Karthik andKalpana who have always been a source of strength tome by constantly and unswervingly promoting all of myacademic endeavours.

I take leave with salutations to the feet of the Lord.

INDEX1. The Cow is the centre of our attention, 1

our mother

2. The Cow in the Vedas 4

3. Service to the Cow 16

4. The Fruits of service to a Cow 18

5. Centres for service to the Cow in our County 19

6. The Indian Cow 20

7. Cows of Indian Origin 25

8. Cattle are the Life of Indian Agriculture 29

9. Cow : A Moving Powerhouse 36

10. The Cow and the Environment 41

11. Movements to protecting the Cow 47

12. The Cow in Independence Movement 48

13. Movements for the Protection of the cow inIndependent India 55

14. What Government should do to Protect the Cow 58

15. What we can do to Protect the Cow 59

16. The benefit of giving a cow in Charity 61

17. The benefit of Circumambulating the cow 62

18. There is no absolution for Cow slaughter 62

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19. Gopadmavrata 63

20. Countering secret envy of the people 64

21. Opinions of some Foreigners 65

22. A Temple for the Cow 66

23. Godhulika Lagna 67

24. Biogas 67

25. Gomathi Vidya 68

26. Some Laws 71

27. How to Perform Service to the Cow 72

28. Panchagavyas : Some Specialties 75

29. Some Medicines made of Panchagavyas andtheir Qualities - Cow's milk (Goksheera) 89

30. Cow's Urine, Cowdung and Economics 111

31. The making of Medicines and consumables withCows dung, Cows Urine and Cows Buttermilk 119

32. Cow-based Medicines 125

33. The uses of Cow's Urine in Preventing andCuring Diseases - a Doctor's Report 129

35. The Cow Says 135

COW - OUR MOTHER

While we live in an age dominated by economicconcerns, issues based on geography, caste, language,politics and society are also very significant instrengthening the country. Not only that. Religious andcultural unity gains even a greater degree of importance.In this monograph, it would be appropriate to examine,though briefly, the religious and cultural values of thecow, while elaborating the efficacy of the cow from afinancial point of view. Though the modern man spendsa utilitarian life, at one stage or the other in his life, at theoutset, the middle or the end, there is a possibility thathe might respond to the effect of religion and culture.

THE COW IS THE CENTRE OF OURATTENTION, OUR MOTHER

During the Vedic age, truth and wisdom were thetwo fundamental concepts of Dharma. Devotion to thecow is but a part of attaining these. Maharshi Bharadwajahas this to say about the Gosukta in Rigveda:

Cows are our wealth. To me, cows are like Indra andother gods. The cow is the first gulp of Somarasa. Ilove with all my heart and mind, the cow, Indrasrepresentative.

The literal and spiritual meanings of the cow arecontained together in the mantra. In literature of the

2 Cow - Our Mother

later day, the puranas, the smritis, and the dharmasastras,devotion to the cow has been explicitly demonstrated.Killing a cow was seen as a great sin. In the first mantraof Gosukta in Atharvaveda, it is said, mata Rudranam,duhitha Vasunam swasadityanam amrutasya nabhih mavadhista meaning The cow is the mother of Rudras,the daughter of Vasus, sister to Adityas, the navel ofamrita!... dont kill the cow. Elsewhere in the same sukta,it is said, dhenuh sadanam rayeenam meaning the cowis a repository of all kinds of wealth and prosperity. Inother words, the cow is like a mother to all worldlyproducts.

In ancient literature of India, in the Astadhyayi ofPanini, land for the cows to move about was mentionedalong with agricultural land. During Paninis time, i.e.,from 2800 B.C. cattle used to be the measure ofestimating the prosperity of any nation. During the ageof Smritis, panchagavya was very much in vogue. It wasdeemed to be a holy prasada. The devotion of king Dilipaof the Raghu dynasty to the cow is well known to theworld. Like a shadow he used to follow the cow on foot.Nandini tells the truth about herself, If I am pleased, Iwill fulfil all desires besides giving milk. The life historyof Gopalakrishna made an indelible impact on Indianvalues. In Sikh, Jain and Buddhist works, mercy and non-violence to all living creation, have been advocated.

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Rishabhadeva is no other than Adinatha, theparabrahman. On the coins obtained from Indus valleyand Harappa, we find the image of Rishabha. TheSamaveda says sada gavah suchayo viswadhayasahmeaning, The cows are very holy and propagators ofbliss to all the people.

As a rider to goraksha in Atharvaveda, the cow hasbeen described in Skandapurana as sarvateerthamayee.Anointing the forehead with cowdust relieves one of allsins and transgressions. The cow is vatsala as it loves itscalf with all its heart. For the European communitieswho believe in the survival of the fittest and the right tolive of the mighty, the concept of sarve janah sukhinobhavanthu (all must live happily, in good health, andgood cheer) would be beyond their comprehension.

The cow is bound with the civilization, culture andnational life of India. The cultural, economic and politicalperspectives on the cow are all connected with agriculture,the important profession of Indians. The basic conceptthat the Indian culture upholds is ekam sat viprahbahudha vadanti - the truth is one though the wiseones give it many names. As it has been the primeobjective, nonviolence has been regarded as the basicbelief of coexistence acceptable to all. The worship ofthe cow has been an age-old practice in helping theIndians in their self-realisation. The cow is a symbol oftraditional Indian society. While it is rooted in non-

4 Cow - Our Mother

violence and self education, it also provides inspirationto the people as a whole for propagation of ancientIndian culture. So the Yajurveda says, goh matra navidyate, meaning there is no limit to the benefitsconferred on us by the cow. Thus the cow helps usimmensely.

Viewed from a religious and cultural point of view,the cow from time immemorial has been very dear tothe Indian society as a centre of attention and worthyof worship. To a culture like ours for which non-violenceis a significant trait, the cow manifests itself as thecentripetal pivot. Besides, it will be realized that the cowstood as the backbone of our socio-economic life. Wehave recognized the service of the cow and protectionof the cow as a part of our inextricable social aspirations.

THE COW IN THE VEDASRigveda

The cows milk, curds, ghee, urine and dung are calledpanchagavyas. They are not only nutrients but are alsoexcellent medicines that work miraculously, ambrosia-like- Amritasya nabhih.Yajurveda

Gosamana na vidyate-the cow is the only oneamong the living creatures of the world to be useful frombeginning to the end.

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SamavedaAll things obtained from the cow are sacred. So the

cow makes our body, mind and buddhi (discretion) holyand makes our environment, pure (sada gavah suchayah).

AtharvavedaDhenussadanam rayeenam- the cow is the abode

of prosperity. She is the repository of eight kinds ofwealth. The peasant becomes wealthy with golakshmiand enjoys prosperity.

Gouragnihotramiti pranapanabhyamevagnigmSamarthayathi avyardhukah pranapanabhyam

bhavathi ya evam veda.The cow was born of Agnis competence. Brahma

created Agni, Vayu and Adityas. The latter also performedhoma in the belief they should imitate Brahma if theywanted to create. prananamagnih tanuvai vayuhchakshuraditya, so saying they performed a homa andthe cow, it is said, was born. Then a dispute arose amongthe three as to whom it should belong and who shouldget the benefit of its services. Unable to solve the dispute,they went to Brahma for settlement. Brahma asked themas to how each of them performed the homa. Agni saidhe performed the homa for pranadevatha (the god oflife). Vayu said he performed it for sarirabhimanadevatha(the god of the body). Aditya said he performed it for

6 Cow - Our Mother

chakshus. Brahma gave his verdict that the cow belongedto Agni as he performed the homa with the chantpranebhyah swaha. Vayu and Aditya could not denythe argument of Brahma, without life what will sensesand body do? Dont you think that everything is usefulif only there is life? As the cow is born of Agis homa,the cow begets the qualities of Agni, the firegod. Thecow is a form of firegod. The Rigveda was born of Agni,Yajurveda of Vayu, and Samaveda of Aditya. Hence it isstated in the Vedas that if one worships the cow, bornof the power of Agni, Adithya and Vayu, one gets thefruits of learning the three Vedas, performing sacreddeeds and rituals connected with the worship of firegodAgni. Suryo trividyaya trayya havishyagneyajethamamathitheyana thu vipragne goshvanga yavasadina gavoviswasya matarah-the cow is the mother of the universeitself is how it is renowned. Therefore the ancientsobtained Dharma, artha, kama and moksha, havingworshipped the cow.

Ayurveda works like Charakam, Susrutam,Dhanwanthari, Bhavaprakasam among others state thatwe can not even count the benefits to be obtained fromthe cow.

The Upanishads are compared to the cow, Srikrishnato the cowherd, the ambrosia, the quintessence ofUpanishads to milk, Arjuna to the calf and the Jnani or

7Cow - Our Mother

the wise one to the benefactor. We praise Srikrishna asGovinda, Gopala and Gopalakrishna. Sahadeva amongthe five pandavas composed a book on veterinary science.

Those who chant the name of the cow, become holy.Vyasas Bharatha says that even to indulge in a lie wouldbe no sin if it were to prevent violence or harm to thecows and Brahmins.

Suryognir brahmano gavah vaishnavah khammarujjalam. The Bhagavatha Purana establishes Surya,the sun, Agni, Brahmin and the cow among thoseassigned a place among eleven prime places calledAdhisthanas. Worship to the sun has to be performedwith three Vedas. Worship of the Agni has to beperformed with havis. The Brahmins must be treated tocourtesies appropriate to guests. Cows must be servedproperly. Then only, Krishna says, he will be pleased.

KamadhenuWhile the milky ocean was being churned by Gods

and Demons, Kalpavriksha, Kamadhenu and SriMahalakshmi were born along with ambrosia.Kamadhenu means the wish giving cow. The cow is theprogeny of Kamadhenu. Vrishabha, the embodimentof dharma is also of its race. It is Nandi, the vahana orcarrier of Lord Shiva. All the cattle in the world, thepuranas say, have come from Kamadhenu. She is a

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goddess with power to provide the milk necessary toGods and saints or rishis.

The holy cow has three names-Kamadhenu, Surabhiand Nandini. One should know that there are not threekinds of cows. This finds a mention in VyasasMahabharatha (Aranyaparva, chapter 9, slokas 7-17).Here the names Surabhi and Kamadhenu are assignedto the cows. In verse 14, chapter 99 of Adiparva, wefind the name Nandini being given to the cow. In theepics, Surabhi has been described as Dakshas daughterand Kasyapas wife. To Surabhi were born Rohini andGandharvi.

Kamadhenu and its divine powers(Chapter 99, Anusasanika parva, Mahabharatha).

Once upon a time, Aditi, wife of Kasyapa, nurturedLord Vishnu in her womb. She stood on tip-toe andoffered her penance. At that time, Surabhi went to Kailasaand performed a penance for Brahma for ten thousandyears. The Gods, pleased with Surabhis prayers, went toher accompanied by Brahma and said to her, O Surabhi,we bestow on you the powers of a goddess. You willstay above heaven, earth, and hell. That will come to berenowned as Goloka. All the people will worship you.All the cattle will belong to you. In the epics, there isthe mention of a Kamadhenu in the ashrama of

9Cow - Our Mother

Vasishtha the sage, another with Varuna the God andyet another born in the milky ocean being churned. Inchapter 102 of Udyogaparva of Vyasas Bharatha, it isstated that when once God Brahma drank Ambrosia tothe brim, Kamadhenu was born from the foam thatflowed out of the mouth of Brahma and that it lives inthe rasatala.

One day when Sri Krishna and Radha were strollingin a solitary place, Sri Krishna was tired and wanted todrink some milk. Out of his left hand he created Surabhia cow and Manoratha a calf, both from his will power.While he was drinking milk drawn from the cow themilk was spilt on the ground as the pot fell down fromhis hand. The milk spread to a hundred yojanas andflowed in the form of a river. Radha and her maids bathedin it happily. Innumerable cows were born there. SriKrishna gifted them to the gopikas (Ninth Skandha, DeviBhagavatham). Thus we find Kamadhenus in ashramasmentioned in puranas.

Thanks to Brahmas benediction, Kamadhenu cameto be endowed with divine powers. From Kamadhenu,the daughter of Kasyapa, the prajapathi, severalKamadhenus were born. Sri Krishna made a canopy ofmount Govardhana, saved the cows and defeated Indra.In the tenth skanda of Bhagavatha, it is stated thatKamadhenu went to Gokulaand showered Sri Krishnawith milk.

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Karthaveeryarjuna humiliated by SurabhiJamadagni, one of the seven renowned rishis,

married Renuka, obtained Surabhi, a cow for homa andled a happy life with its power. Jamadagni was an oceanof mercy who would do good even to evil-doers.

Karthaveeryarjuna goes to the ashrama of Jamadagnialong with his army. A pleased sage offers a feast withsumptuous dishes to them all, with the help of the cow.The impressed Karthaveeryarjuna wants Surabhi forhimself. Jamadagni refuses. An enragedKarthaveeryarjuna declares war on Jamadagni. The sagefights, having raised an army with the help of Surabhi.After a fierce battle the kings army is defeated. The kinggoes to war twenty four times and every time he isdefeated. The desperate king kills Jamadagni and looksout for the cow. The cow disappears. Having come toknow of this, Bhrigu brings Jamadagni back to life. ThusSurabhi crushes Kartaveeryarjunas pride.

Once, sage Jamadagni goes to the Goloka with hispower and praises kamadhenu. Kamadhenu gives hersister Susheela in marriage to the sage. In ch. 18 ofAgnipurana it is mentioned that Ajasa, Ekapath,Ahirbudhni, Twashta, Rudra and Viswarupa were bornto Kamadhenu.Satyavrata steals Kamadhenu

Satyavrata was a king of Ishwaku dynasty. He wasthe son of Arunakumara. He was a corrupt rogue. One

11Cow - Our Mother

day he seduced a new Brahmin bride before her marriage.An angry father dismissed him from the palace. Adesperate Satyavrata took to the jungle. From then afamine visited the kingdom. People and animals werestarved to death. At that time, Viswamitra was in deeppenance away from his wife and children. WhenViswamitras wife who was in dire straits, decided to sella son of her to make both ends meet, Satyavrata cameto her rescue and pleaded with her, Please do not sellyour son. Every day I will bring some meat and give it toyou. Save their lives. For this he stole Kamadhenu fromVasishthas ashram, killed her, ate some of the flesh andgave the remainder to Viswamitras family. The next day,having realized it with his intuition, Vasishtha cursedSatyavrata. Satyavrata committed three mistakes killinga cow, defaming his father, seducing a woman. As a resultof these three sins, he was cursed to be called Trisanku.Vasishtha brought Kamadhenu back to life (7th skanda,Devibhagavatham).

Kamadhenu humiliates ViswamitraOnce while ruling his kingdom, Viswamitra goes

hunting. On his way to the jungle he happens to visitVasishthas ashram. Vasista respects and treats him as aguest and orders Kamadhenu to serve a feast toViswamitra and his followers. With her divine powers,Kamadhenu does it all in a short time. A pleased

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Viswamitra praises Kamadhenu and asks Vasishtha togive it to him. He promises to give crores of cattle inlieu. Vasishtha promptly declines the offer. An angry andvengeful Viswamitra wants to take it away forcibly.

Kamadhenu, shivering in anger, creates from theroots of hair on her body an army that drives awayViswamitra and his followers. All the arrows ofViswamitra are repulsed by the Yogadanda of Vasishtha.Viswamitra realizes that the power of a Brahmin ismightier than the mere prowess of a warrior. So heentrusts his kingdom to his son and leaves for penance.The king becomes a sage (ValmikiRamayana, Balakanda,52ndcanto) (Mahabharatha, Salyaparva, ch. 40),(Mahabharata, Adiparva, ch. 175).

The discourse in Mahabhrata on Vaishnavism(brihatavantara parvam) is all on the power of cow. Invishnudharmottara purana, Agnipurana, in Vedic suktas,the power of the cow, a form of Brahmin, is fascinatinglyelaborated. From Kashmir to Cape Comorin, India isfull of the devotees of cow. Ancient and Vedic literature,Aranyakas and Upanishads contain references to thevarious ways of maintaining the cow. Many details andreferences to the power of the cow can be obtained inthe upa brahmana bhuta charitam in the Vedas. Blissfulwelfare of the loftiest order is obtained through the cow.It is a great sin to trouble or harass the cow as only

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sorrows follow as a result. The cows are perennial formsof Surabhi. They emit holy odour like the incense.

The living creation have an affinity to the cow. Thecow is a giver of dharma, artha, kama and moksha. Cowsprovide the best food. It is said that a cow provides foodfor half a day for one Lakh ten thousandand fourhundred and forty people during its lifetime.

The cow called NandiniThe cow Nandini says to Dilipa, na kevalam

payasam prasutim-avehi mam kamadhuga prasannam- Please do not treat me merely as a milching cow, I willfulfil all your wishes, if you can please me.

It is said in Srimadbhagavata that mother earthmanifests herself in the form of a cow. The cow motheris an embodiment of all Gods and holy rivers.

The Back of the Cow, an abode of Goddess Lakshmi

Matadityanam duhita vasunam pranahprajanamamrutasy anabhih

Hiranyavarna madhukasa ghrutachee mahanbhargascharati martyeshu

(Atharvaveda, 9-1-4).The cow is the mother of Adityas. She is like a

daughter to the vasus. She is like the very life breath ofpeople. The cow is a centre showering ambrosia on

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humanity. The cow is a giver of ghee, capable ofshowering honey and other sweet things of a goldenhue. She moves among people, dispelling theirdifficulties is what the mantra means. Thus among thesaptamadhus or seven sweet things are cows and bulls.

Once Goddess Lakshmi went into a gathering ofcows, having decked herself with beautiful ornamentsand dress. The cows saw her splendour and requestedher to let them know who she was. Then GoddessLakshmi replied, O cows, may you prosper! I amrenowned in the world as Lakshmi. All the people desiremy presence. All the Gods enjoy luxuries, sages obtainsiddhi, thanks to my support. Dharma, artha, kama andmoksha are all attained through me. But I want to liveamong you. So I came personally to request you. Thecows answered, O Lakshmi, you are inconsistent. Youdont stay in one place, constantly. So please do not liveamidst us. Live happily in some other place. We deriveour strength from fodder. So, why do we need you?Goddeess Lakshmi pleaded with them, O cows, if youbenefit others and reject me, the world will mock at me.I might go neglected. Please have mercy on me. You aregreat donors of wealth. I nurture many. I am yourdevotee. You are my refuge. Allow me to stay with you,at least in any limb of your body, even in your urinarypassage. That would be fine for me. Nothing is unholy

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in your body. Please let me know in what part of yourbody I may stay. The cows had a mutual consultationand said, O Goddess Lakshmi! You are lustre-filled. Wehave to adore you. You stay in our urine and dung asthey are very holy. From then on Goddess Lakshmistarted residing in the cows urine and dung that are usefulfor purification. From this it is to be understood thatthe cows are considered to be a better wealth than allthe other kinds of wealth and even the excreta of cowsis considered to be holy and decorative.

The Cow as an image of the universeThe Ganges resides between the cows neck and

head. All the Gods reside in the divine limbs of the cow.The seven sages and the holy rivers reside in the cow. Inits four feet Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha abide.Therefore by washing the cows feet and sprinkling thewater on ones head, all the sins are washed away. Thecows face projects or mirrors all the Vedas. Hence anowner enters a new house only after making a cow enterit first. The evil aspects of planets are dispelled withcowdust. Feeding the cow with nine kinds of cereals,greens and fruits brings blessings to the giver. Peoplewill be relieved from the burden of debts. So it is goodto make it a habit during festive days and on auspiciousoccasions to worship the cow and donate cows in charity.Thirty crore deities like the sun and the moon, Shiva,

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Kumaraswamy, Ganapathi, Vishnu, Brahma, Saraswathi,Hanuman, the nine planets, mountains Kubera, Agni,Varuna, Nagaraja, Narada, Lakshmi, Bhaumadevi,Bhairava and Vayu, reside in the cows body. To feed thecow is as good as making an offering to all the thirtythree crore deities. Hence it is said that circumambulatingthe cow is as good as circumambulating the earth. Bhakior devotion is more important than strict observancesin the worship of the cow. If we want salvation throughshort cut, our duty would be to perform worship to thecow, protect the cow, and prohibit cow-slaughter.

SERVICE TO THE COWServing the cow fulfils even the most difficult

wishes. The cow grants all of ones wishes if one wereto look after it properly without anger or cruelty. Onewould be blessed if one worshiped the cow daily with acalm mind, keeping ones senses under control is howthe Mahabharata (Anusasana parva21/33-35) puts it.

The service to the cow and the rearing of the cowby sage Vasishtha are well known. He may be said to bethe first to know the nature of the cow. With him therewas a cow called Sabala. Sanskrit literature has manyreferences to Nandini, her progeny. In the Mahabharata,Vasishtha tells about the greatness of the service to acow to king Saudasa, gavah pratishtha bhutanam gavah

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swastyayanam mahat, gavo bhutam cha bhavyam chagavah pustah sanatanee (Mahabharata, Anusasanaparva-78/5-6)-O king, the cow is the refuge of all thepeople and the living creation. The wellbeing of the cowis the source of all good things, wealth and prosperity.

Veda Vyasa says, Where there is a cow there will bea calm environment. The cow is an abode of all theGods.

Sri Krishna came to be called Gopala. He used toserve the cows with great affection. Even a devotee ofKrishna, Rasakhan described the greatness of service tothe cow in more ways than one. The Kathopanishadmentions how Satyakama Jabali attains salvation throughdevotion to God, having acquired the habit throughworship to the cow. The devotion to cow shown by kingDilipa finds no parallel anywhere. Kalidasa describes kingDilipas devotion to the cow in his work Raghuvamsam.Dilipa was always engrossed in service to the cow. Hewould follow the cow like a shadow at all instances. Hewould not eat or drink anything without first feeding thecow.

If possible, every house should have a cow. Amongthe important duties of the king, protecting the cow isalso one, says Kautilya in his Arthasastra (2-6-48).

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THE FRUITS OF SERVICE TO A COWOnce an ascetic visited a Brahmins house as a guest.

The Brahmin was by no means wanting in means. Buthe had no children. He and his wife were worried. Thecouple served the ascetic as their guest. All the people inthe village came to see the ascetic. The ascetic got up inthe morning and started out to go somewhere else. Thecouple requested him to stay back for lunch. The latterobliged and while leaving the place, blessed the couple,May a good son be born to you. They were very happywith the blessings of the ascetic. Before leaving, the sagesuggested that they may serve a cow. From then thecouple followed the ascetics advice. They used to washthe feet of the cow, sprinkle their heads with the waterand drink it. In the cowshed they used to light a lamp,arrange a soft bed for the cow, clean the cowshed everyday and look after the cow so that she might not faceany inconvenience. In a few days, the cow and its calfgrew hale and healthy.

After a few days, the woman of the house was withchild. A son was born to her. All the people in the villagefelt happy. They thought that it was because of the adviceof the ascetic and started worshipping cows. This episodeoccurs in Kalidasas Raghuvamsa.

King Dilipa of the solar dynasty who was childless,was blessed with children after serving the cow and

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protecting her as per the advice of Vasishtha. With hiswife Sudakshina he performed a vratha suggested byVasishtha with devotion, served the cow Nandini and toprotect it, he used to roam over forests, mountains andlakes. One day a fake lion leapt upon Nandini, attackedit, tested the king and later having appeared as thecowmother, blessed the couple. As a result, the queengave birth to king Raghu. The impact of the service to acow will be there now, hereafter and for ever. This is anardent belief. Serving the cow cordially would result inreaching the feet of Krishna.

CENTRES FOR SERVICE TO THECOW IN OUR COUNTRY

1. The cowshelters in Tirumala Tirupathi

2. Under the management of Aryasamaj there are manycow protection centres in various parts all over India

3. The cowshelters run by Jain Samaj

4. Centres for service of the cow under Viswa HinduParishad

5. Akhila Bharatiya Goseva Samaj, Delhi6. Sri Krishna Gopal Samstha, Govind Gadh, Jaipur,

Rajashan

7. Kamadhenu Viswa Vidyapeeth, Jhansi, UttarPradesh

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8. Bharatiya Goseva Rakshana, Samvardhana Parishat,Sankatamochana Ashram, Delhi

9. Bharat Sevak Samaj, Delhi10. Rashtriya Godhana Mahasangh, Delhi

THE INDIAN COWFrom ancient times in India, that is much before

the Vedic times, the cows acquired great importance. Thecow finds praise in the Vedas, smritis, puranas, itihasasand the works that come in later. With a hump on itsback, with a soft hanging skin in front, under its neck ,the cow has a beautiful body. The creature that goesunder the name of jersey these days without a humpand soft skin in front is in reality, no cow. In the forestsof the West, there used to be meat-eating seven feet tallanimal called yoras. It had three feet long horns and aheavy body. People there domesticated it as its milk wassuitable for drinking. The jersey cow takes after thisanimal. But it does not belong to the cow family.Nowadays the jersey cows are imported for more andmore milk. But their milk is not so good as a cows milk.In the West, cows are brought up more for flesh thanmilk. The birth and history of the Indian cow are totallydifferent. When Gods and Demons started churning theocean for ambrosia, in the beginning, a poison calledHalahala was born from the depths of the ocean. Theworlds trembled under its influence. Shiva drank the

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Halahala, keeping in view, their welfare. Later GoddessLakshmi, airavatha, ucchraisavasa, and the moon wereborn from the depths of the ocean. Later Kalpavrikshaand Kamadhenu were born. Then Sri Dhanvathari,bringing ambrosia with him, was born. In the guise ofMohini, Sri Mahavishnu tactfully distributed ambrosiaamong the Gods. All the Gods became immortal. God,an ocean of mercy, gave them Kamadhenu withambrosian navel to look after the welfare of the humans.The cow grants all the wishes of the human beings-Kamadhenu.

Gods are immortal. They have no death. Men cannotescape death. God made arrangements for them to liveup to 100 years of age. But when is this possible? It ispossible if one were to follow the measures suggestedin Ayurveda for the protection of health. Then menwould be worthy of the blessing satamanam bhavathi.The sages have suggested many remedies in ayurvedafor longevity. But without the help of the cow, they canmake hardly any impact. The milk, curds, ghee, urineand dung-these five together are called panchagavyas.Pancha means five. Gavya means substances obtainedfrom the cow-govu.

The Cow and its many miraculous qualities1. Milk, curds, ghee, butter and buttermilk-essentially

they provide many kinds of nutrients to the bodyand protect our health.

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2. The urine and dung, gomayam of cows are notmerely excreta. The word mayam implies that it isfull of many good qualities. They protect the bodyfrom diseases by providing immunity.

3. The cow is the abode of all divinities. To salute,worship and circumambulate the cow amount tomaking offerings to all the Gods.

4. Lakshmi abides in the cowdung and the Ganges incows urine.

5. In exhaling and inhaling, the cow takes CarbonDioxide in and sends out Oxygen.

6. The cow is known for its calm and quiettemperament. The serenity of people will grow bytaking the panchagavyas of the cow. Jersey is violentand cannot help agriculture as it is not diligent likethe cow.

7. The cow eats grass and gives ambrosia -like milk.8. For children without mothers milk, cows milk acts

like one.9. Mother gives milk only in infancy but the cow

provides milk all through.10. Even when the cow cannot give milk, its dung and

urine will be available in abundance.11. Even after its death, the cow is a great benefactor.

The dead cow after its being buried yields invaluablemanure after sometime.

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12. The horn of the cow stuffed with dung after itsdeath and buried in the ground becomes an excellentmanure after six months.

13. The panchagavyas of the cow act like an antidote topoison. When the young Krishna killed Putana, hisparents and all those around him were worried. Thecruel woman gave milk to the young Krishna. Theythought that her milk might be highly poisonous,they gave him a bath with cows urine and dung andon his forehead, they put a tilakam made of dustunder her hoofs.

14. Sri Krishna the God performed many deeds to letthe world know about the cow. From his infancy hetook a lot of milk, curds and butter. Those childrento whom these gavyas are provided, become sturdyand intellectually sound. But today, how can peoplewho send the cows to be butchered, provide servicesof the cow to fulfill the needs of the children? Havenot the Indians become weak as a result?

15. The house with a cow and a basil plant needs nophysician.

16. 'Gostu matra na vidyate-There is no limit to whatwe may say about the cow.

17. The Ayurveda says that even poison can betransformed into ambrosia, with the help ofpanchagavyas.

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18. Panchagavyas will be available to all if the situationallows a cow in every house and a cowshelter inevery village.

19. For those who go in for ayurvedic treatment, everytime one or the other of the panchagavyas wouldbe necessary

20. By making a limited use of panchagavyas every day,all the deficiencies in the body will be rectified.

21. It is a matter of shame that in our country there aremore than thirty six thousand slaughter houses.

22. On the backbone of the cow there is a nerve centercalled suryakethu. It comes into operation underthe rays of the sun. The cow prefers to stay in thesunlight. It starts oozing out yellow fluids themoment suryaketu starts functioning. Thats whythe cows milk is yellow. This yellow substance curesall diseases and poisons.

23. The cows body smells of incense. It helps inpreventing environmental pollution.

24. The medicinal qualities of panchagavyas have beenattested by several research institutions of thegovernment of India (IICT, NBRI, CSIR, IIT,NCERT, NBAGR among others).

25. Come, let us go to the cow mother, come, let us goto the villages, to nature for protecting environment,come, let us go to Ramarajya through gramarajya.

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Cow ManureThe values are average of General Analysis and are

in dry matter basis1. Nitrogen1.00 Per cent / 100 g dry matter2. Phosphorous0.54 Per cent / 100g dry matter3. Potassium0.90 Per cent/100 g dry matter4. Iron2600 mg/Kg or ppm on dry matter basis5. Zinc57 mg/Kg or ppm on dry matter basis6. Manganese250 mg/Kg or ppm on dry matter basis7. Copper2.5 mg/Kg or ppm on dry matter basis8. Boron2.1 mg/Kg or ppm on dry matter basis9. Boron0.7 mg/Kg or ppm on dry matter basis

- Dr. H. C. BehraJodhpur, Rajasthan

COWS OF INDIAN ORIGINFrom ancient times the cow has been a companion

to people and a domestic animal. The Indian cow isvegetarian. The hump and the soft skin under its neckare the specialities of cows of Indian origin. Cows ofIndian origin can also be seen in Afganistan and someparts of Africa.

In the West, there used to be a meat-eating animalcalledYoras living in jungles. It has three feet long horns

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with a heavy body of seven feet. People theredomesticated it as they could take its milk. But this animaldoes not belong to the race of cows. For more and moremilk, we are importing the jerseys. But the milk of theJerseys does not have the quality of a cows. In the West,such cows are reared not only for milk, but also for meat.

As our governments have not properly prohibitedthe slaughter of cows, out of the 72 races of cows ofIndian origin, only 32 have remained, now. In urbanareas, there is a dearth of fodder. There is not evenenough place for the cows to move about. The cowscould not find a place in towns. The villages today areno different. Today, 6.4% of the cows are taken to theslaughterhouse every year for meat. After independence,there were700cows for a population of 1000, by 1951.Now the number has come down to 400.

Hybrid cows give more milk. But they do this onlyfor a few years. There are medicinal qualities in milk,urine and dung obtained only from cows of Indian origin.Providing panchagavyas with medicinal qualities likeimmunity to diseases and the ability to work well even inhot places, is the special it of those cows. As a result ofthe governments indifferent attitude, there is a dangerof cattle disappearing.The features of Indian cows1. A hump on the back and a soft hanging skin under

the neck are the specialties of native cows.

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2. In general, they have long horns. Their bodies arenormal.

3. Bulls of Indian origin can work hard. They are usedextensively in agriculture.

4. The cow bellows with a loud voice.

5. The cow is always active.6. Those cows give milk only to the owners, not to

strangers. Even amidst hundreds of cows, themother can identify its calf. The cow can identifythe house where it stays even from a great distance.

The uses of Indian Cows1. Milk from cows of Indian origin sharpens our wits.

It has all the nutrients. It provides immunity frompoisonous substances and boosts energy. It is mostbeneficial. It is easily digestible like the mothers milk.All the good qualities of mothers milk are to befound in the milk of cows of Indian origin.

2. It does not give much milk, but for 12-13 years, itgives it.

3. The cow of Indian origin inhales carbon dioxideand exhales oxygen.

4. Such a cows ghee reduces cholesterol, sharpens witand provides immunity from diseases. There aremany medicinal qualities in this milk.

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5. The cows milk has the ability to counter poisonousqualities. It keeps its skin glowing always with thehelp of its tail. Even those who touch the skinaffectionately will have the benefit of health.

6. The buttermilk obtained from the cow reduces theexcess heat of the body. It cleans the intestines andgall bladder. As a result, the body becomes moreactive.

7. There is no B.C.M. (Beta Caso Marlin, the poisonouscell) in Indian cows.

8. The milk, curds, ghee, urine and dung of the coware very useful, medicinally.

9. If after the death of the cow, its horns and the otherparts of the body are buried in the ground or farmit will become a special manure after six months.

Specialities of Native Cows1. If we burn one tula of ghee obtained from the native

cow, it will release a ton of Oxygen.2. Cows milk contains Kerotene that has the ability to

cure eye diseases. It works like an alternative toVitamin A.

3. Like cows milk, its curds also have medicinal qualities.4. Cows milk is thin. So even infants can digest it easily.

Native cows milk has all the good qualities ofmothers milk. So the cow is treated like the mother.

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CATTLE ARE THE LIFE OF INDIANAGRICULTURE

Cattle wealth and tractorsDr. Bhup Singh says that the best device for

agriculture to be obtained at low price is no other thancattle. A pair of good bulls may cost approximatelyRs.20,000/-. If you give it 5kilos of chana every day itwould cost about Rs.70/-. (510 Rs. chana+20 Rs. Drygrass). If we add 18% interest per month to a tune ofRs.300/- the cost of the fodder would come to aboutRs.2400 (70x30=300)-it would bring about Rs.20/-worthcowdung a day-meaning 20x30=600 Rs. per month.

On the other hand a tractor costs about rupees fourlakh. Every month the interest would come to about Rs.6000. A pair of bulls can till an acre of land per day. Forthe tractor to till an acre of land the expenses could be Diesel Expenses+ 10x32=320 Rs. The rent for the tractoris Rs.700. Compared to this the expense on a pair ofbulls would be less. Small patches of land can delay thework of tilling with the tractor.

Viewed at the national level every farmer on anaverage has an arable land of one unit, i. e. approximately1.5 hectares. In Haryana, it is 2.11 hectares (statisticalsurvey of Indian agriculture 1990-1991 by Governmentof India). A pair of bulls can till 7 hectares of land,easily. Two small farmers can till the land with one bull

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each, while in Haryana, the number of big units of 7hectares each constitutes 6% of the total arable land. Atthe national level, it is 4% (statistical report, Haryana1995-96). Tractors are not economically viable for smallunits of less than 7 hectares. While in Haryana thenumber of big units each of seven hectares or more is91658, the number of tractors there is 1,62,030. So theyare twice the number of the required ones. Hence it isclear that in our country for 95% of the farmers bullsare more useful than the tractors, to farmers.

At the national level the transport by bulls or camelsis thrice as much by the one by trains and trucks. Iftransport has to be done by diesel only, we have no optionbut to depend on foreign countries. The expenses wouldbe a terrible burden. Besides, there are pollution hazards.Combined with an economic perspective, it is clear thatthe bulls are of great utility in an Indian context.

Till now, we have learnt only about native cows andcattle. The king bull is like the backbone of agriculture.There is no other bull as beautiful or competent as theIndian bull. Our bull has a hump. It pulls along the cartor the plough with its help. This facility is not to befound among foreign bulls. The endurance of the nativebull is another aspect to be noted. When oxen and foreignbulls could not deliver the goods, our native bulls haveeasily and successfully performed their tasks.

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In the North and the West of India in particularwhere the use of tractors has increased, bulls are soldaway at a young age under the impression that they areof no use or they are sent to the slaughter house. This iswicked. We must review the position of entire India. Assmall farms in India are more, tractors are not of muchuse in all areas. 70% of the small farmers do not have anagricultural land of two acres each. Former PrimeMinister Late Sri Lal Bahadur Sastri has opined that itdoes not appear to be possible to run tractors in a landof lakhs of acres in India as we do not have even roadsto reach small villages.

Tractors used to till the land plough deeper thannecessary. As a result, good bacteria, helpful to agriculture,die along with bacteria. This becomes a curse to the landand crops. As the plough goes deeper, more water willalso be required. There is no consistent pattern for rainfallin our country. In many parts of the country, only 30%ofwater reaches the agricultural land. In such circumstancesthe problem of scarcity of water troubles the peasantseven more.

The urine and dung of the cattle do not producepollution. They are not only antiseptic but also help inpreventing pollution and have the ability to keep theenvironment, clean. Cow dung or dungs ash saves grainfrom insects. For protecting grains, people make use of

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dungash. In more contexts than one, we get urine anddung from the cattle-ploughing the land or drawing amotor, drawing juice from the cane or rotating the oilpress. They serve as natural fertilizers and insecticides.But if we come to tractors, the smoke that comes outfrom them pollutes the entire air. From the race of thecattle, cattle can be born, but no tractor can be born ofanother tractor.

Besides polluting the environment, the tractor hasits parts frequently broken or worn out. Sometimes theybecome totally useless. But even after death the cattlecontinue to be useful. Skin, horns and other limbs tendto be useful to people. The body of the cow can turninto a manure. A single horn stuffed with dung and storedin earth turns into an excellent and valuable manure. Evena dead cow can be sold. Thus it is proved that the cow ismore useful than man. A tractor requires many repairsand proves expensive with repairs from time to time.But a bull eats from outside. Given some fodder, itremains fit.

For two or three years however the task ofnourishing the calves rests with the farmer. The urineand dung provided by it during that period are very usefulto people. We need not compete with affluent nationslike America nor need we imitate them blindly. This is sobecause America has an area that is 2% of the worlds

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and 5% of the worlds population. Though our countryhas less area, it has a population that amounts to 16%of the worlds. In India, 70% of the people live onagriculture. America has the ability to utilize 33% of theworlds oil production. We cannot use even onehundredth of it in spite of our best efforts. In fact, wedo not have even 0.5% of the oil produced in the world.We are spending more than 5000 crore rupees every yearfor importing oil from outside. There are laws in Delhito control air pollution. Vehicles run on petrol and dieselsare inspected and tests conducted to gauge the measureof pollution. This is presently a problem in all towns.

In India arable land is only half acre per head. 70%of the farmers can not work with tractors on their smalllands. About twelve crore acres of land remains sterile.The fertility of these lands can be increased with theurine and dung of cattle even if they be old or maimed.The tractor is of no avail in this regard. Recently, speakingin a seminar on cattle power, a central minister said that4thousand crore horse power worth 10 thousand crorerupees is generated every year from 7crore 4 lakh oxenand 80 lakh bulls. Energy obtained from the cattleprevents atmospheric pollution. The cattle save us fromthe massive expenses on foreign currency for milkpowder, artificial manures and insecticides. In Indiathrough oxen7thousand lakh tons of (i.e. about 70%)agricultural or industrial land comes under cultivation.

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Agriculture, run with the help of tractors based onforeign policy, is by no means suitable to the Indianfarmer.

If we look at the activeness of the calves and thelethargy of the young ones of the buffalos, the specialtiesof the Indian cattle stand out clearly. An old cows dungcan provide fuel necessary for cooking for a small familyof four to five people. Those who want to cook for twopeople with kerosene need about half a litre per day.Cowdung does not involve foreign exchange spending.

In India, 2 crore tractors would be required if theyhave to be used in the place of oxen. A sum of 8 lakhcrores of Rupees required for such tractors is not in ourreach. To run these, we may have to import diesel worthhundreds of crores. The manures obtained from thecattle can yield five times of produce when compared toartificial manures. Lands that might turn sterile underthe influence of chemical fertilizers will gain completeprotection from natural manures.

Cattle and their resourcefulness have greatimportance in Indian economy. The cattle resources wehave are about one and a half crore bull carts coupledwith 4 crore ploughs. To increase the efficiency of thecattle wealth and developing them scientifically are verymuch needed in the light of agricultural products andtransport facilities in India. By fixing rubber tyres to bull

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carts, their efficiency may be enhanced. It would also bemore convenient. Srimannarayana, a former Governorof Gujarat said after returning from Japan, Even thefarmer in Japan started using oxen and cows instead ofbig tractors. When asked to comment, Srimannarayanareported that the farmer replied, Till now, we have beenusing artificial manures. We realize that as a result, ourlands were being ruined. So we started using cows andoxen. It appears the farmer from Japan added thesemachines do not give milk, nor even dung.

A famous scientist of the modern times, Einsteinsent a message to India, Indians should not adopttractors and chemical fertilizers. I say so because wherethese methods have been followed as in America, theproductivity of the land is going to come to a close in400 years, while in India where agriculture is based oncattle, the productivity has not lessened a whit. In 1951,Einstein added, In an agricultural land tilled by tractorsnot even a blade of grass will grow after a thousandyears. In recent times in Bhopal and Meerut indigenoustractors are made in the shape of bulls or oxen. This isvery useful to the farmers. It is time specific researchesbe made to make implements needed for Indianagriculture. We are very backward in this.

The bull is the best Indian tractor. Agriculture bythe cattle needs to be given an incentive. It is not suitable

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for Indian economy to blindly follow or imitate theforeigners. It would be good if instead of becomingvictims of the slaughter house, cattle may serve tostrengthen Indian economy.

THE COW : A MOVING POWERHOUSENowadays in India there is an acute scarcity of

electricity and fuel. Today we are producing gas with thehelp of foreign implements instead of implementsavailable to us that are cheaper. In the market a gascylinder of 19 kilos is priced at Rs.1000. This may go upin future. We are constructing big dams for hydro-electricity. By a massive use of diesel or coal we areproducing thermal electricity. In spite of this it is notsufficient for our needs. Besides, there are some risksinvolved in it. There is always the threat of dams nearhydroelectric plants falling down and the consequentthreat of inestimable losses. Yet another problem is theaccumulation of mud near the dams. With us, rawmaterial necessary for thermal electricity is rather meager.

Engrossed in and enslaved by concepts that are aliento us, we have mocked at the miraculous powers ofcowdung and cows urine. Gober gas can be producedon a massive scale with the help of cowdung. We caneven use the muddy substance coming out as a byeproduct -a valuable manure for agriculture. We have notonly neglected using the cattle properly in a manner

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befitting our economy, but are also given to killing themand by exporting their meat, making money. If weproduce gas from cowdung and urine we may save fueland dung cakes. With the help of research, we can evenfill the gas in cylinders and take up supply of the sameall over the country.

Near Ahmedabad, electricity is being produced fromgober gas with the help of Kirloskar engines. Thus bytaking up production in small units in every village or bymaking such efforts in cattle shelters, the requirementof electricity in villages can be met with to a large extent.The need of the hour is to enhance the production insmall units rather than thermal and micro-units with thehelp of heavy machines. This is easier and also lessexpensive. It is also risk-free. This can be done by thesociety on their own without depending on thegovernment.

In a gas plant, 12 cubic feet of gas can be obtainedthrough 10 kilos of cowdung. In the newly developedgas, 6 cubic feet of gas may be enough for an individualto cook. If we can convert the dung of all cattle intogober gas, it would meet the needs of 60 crore people.The gas in urban areas today comes from crude oil. Theprice of oil is soaring up. On the other hand, the demandfor gas is increasing day by day. The cattle yield dung,taking fodder of grass, leaves and such like. With dung,we can have gober gas plants and through them electricity.

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The cattle need to be saved at least for this. If we stopfelling trees, atmospheric pollution will be reduced.Thereby people will become healthy.

All the cattle, even those that are thought to beuseless will yield dung. Like dung being processed in gasplants, even in pits filled with leaves dung gets processednaturally into manure. The difference seems to be thatin pits made for natural manure, it gets processed alongwith Oxygen, releasing Carbon Dioxide, outside. In gasplants, it gets processed without Oxygen and will havetwice as much Nitrogen in pits dug for natural manure.Nitrogen has a definite role to play in agriculturalproductivity. Humus has even a greater role to play thanNitrogen. It multiplies the microbes underneath. As muchhumus is contained in the mud coming out of the gasplants, the manure thus obtained would be of great use.

All the cattle yield 10 kilos of dung on an average.Some of it falls into the pit and becomes manure. Aboutone third will be useful in making dung cakes and theyare burnt to a shape. But only 13% of the heat generatedfrom the dung cakes thus burnt would be useful. Theremaining heat goes waste. But the heat generated fromthe gas kilns is useful upto 60%. If in the garbage heapwe have 1% of Oxygen, the manure obtained from thegas plant contains 2% of Nitrogen.

If we can utilize all the cowdung and cows urine wecan fulfil the requirements of of cooking gas and natural

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fertilizers of the country to a large extent. At least 25lakh tonnes of dung is obtained every day from 24 crorecattle. Everyday we get 10 crore cubic metres of gas withone cubic metre of gas being produced from 25 kilos ofdung. This will meet the requirements of 20 crore people.As a result, the pressure to import oil and kerosene isconsiderably reduced. Even if we calculate at 2% with90 tonnes of dung every year we will have enoughNitrogen for all agricultural lands. As there are nutrientsin cattle fodder, the productivity power of the lands willgrow with natural manures. Besides in rice thus growntaste and sweetness increase and we will be saved fromdiseases to which we may be prone from artificialfertilizers. In a conference on energy in Nairobi, the thenPrime Minister Indira Gandhi has said that in India thepower obtained from the cattle can be more than thepower obtained from all other power plants. As per thecost those days, it was estimated that through the cattle,6thousand crore rupees worth milk, 5 thousand crorerupees worth energy, 3 thousand crore rupees worthmanures, 2 thousand crore rupees worth gas, into 16thousand. crore rupees worth benefits would accrue interms of economy.

In many places now wall clocks are run with thehelp of cows urine. Calculators, transistor radios, smalltelevision sets and even tube lights were made to work.

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The stall that exhibited these things was a centre ofspecial attraction in the Maghamela of Prayaga in January1998. It was praised by everyone. The exhibition stallwas organized by institutions for cows protection inwhich there were medicines made of cows urine, gobergas plant, fertilizers, insecticides and production ofpower. 40 Thousand megawatts of power (worth about27 thousand crores of rupees) can be obtained throughcattle and this is much more than what can be obtainedfrom todays power plants. Through this the problemof environmental pollution can be completely solved.

Nowadays out of energy obtained for agriculture inIndia, 90% is obtained through cattle. Ploughing the land,running cane presses, water pumps and dragging weightsalong are all attended to by bulls. Had this been donewith petrol and diesel we would have been forced tospend100 times on foreign exchange to oil-producingforeign countries.

If we can utilize the resources properly we canproduce twice as much as the power we generate todayfrom power plants. Otherwise we need 30 thousandcrores of rupees for power alone. This is beyond ourreach.

Today it is necessary to establish cowsheds and cowshelters in every big village. All the cowdung must becollected and gober plants established there. The local

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requirements must be met with to the extent possible byproducing power from gas. Thus the needs of the peoplewill be fulfilled. People need not depend too much onthe government, then. One estimate says that a megawattof power can be produced with the help of a hundredcattle. The villages will also have power. In states likePunjab and Tamilnadu, one need not fall prey todeceptive promises by politicians. Where is the need todepend on government when there is a possibility ofproducing power easily and locally? As per the experienceof Dr. Kuverjee Bhai of Edara in Gujarat who isconducting experiments, 0.34 cubic metres of biogas isproduced daily from 10 kilos of cowdung. With a totalof 19 crores of cattle in the country 6.46 crores of rupeesworth power is produced. The production cost wouldcome to 4.94 crores of rupees at the rate of 50 paise perunit. If we go by market value at the rate of 2 rupees perunit, it comes to19.76 crores of rupees. This thereforecan become the most important channel for meetingthe power requirements, in particular, of the rural areas.

THE COW AND THE ENVIRONMENTThe dung and urine of the native cattle are by no

means unclean. They are actually helpful in cleaning dirt.They are not the cause of environmental pollution. Theyare friends of the environment and enemies of pollution.By sprinkling cows urine on heaps of dirt, garbage, leaves

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and rinds of fruits, flies and mosquitoes stop growing.Besides such garbage heaps turn into natural manuresand help the crops. In such manures there is 1% and inmuddy manures of the gas plants there is 2% ofNitrogen. It is unfortunate that we, the inheritors ofgreat culture and civilisation who have scaled thepinnacles of glory have come to become slaves literallyand psychologically during an alien rule. We have falleninto an illusory trap that what suits the people abroadwould suit us also. In the post-independence era the traphas enslaved us even more. This is proved beyond doubtin our attitude to the native cattle. Good colonies havebeen built in meteropolitan cities like Delhi with valuablematerials like cement, concrete and marble. Every familythere has a vehicle of its own. In many houses there arealso garages to shelter them. Even dogs are brought upin imitation of the West. But no one makes provisionsfor keeping a cow at home. It is surprising that we wantvehicles that create and promote pollution and a doghowever much it may make the surroundings, dirty. Wethink that this is a measure of modern life. But we dontrespect the cow-mother. We should alter our way ofthinking. Cows which can protect the environment mustfind a place in colonies where aristocratic sections live,thereby checking environmental pollution and the smokethat emanates from the vehicles that can spoil theenvironment. It has been proved that the evil effects of

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pollution can not touch houses sprinkled with cowdung.Hence, to protect our houses, we must make it a habit tosprinkle them with cowdung and cows urine. Nowadaysit is vehemently questioned as to how everyone cannurture the cows. There are no joint families now andevery family is a unit by itself. Every one is busy withones own work. But is it the meaning and goal ofmodern life to write off into, social life and togetherness?Though each and every family may not be able to dothis, four families together can bring up ten cows thatcan give milk, curds, butter and ghee. With these, familiescan enjoy health and happiness. Not only that. They caneven keep the surroundings free from pollution. Peoplein the West are attracted by our life style of familial bondsand social togetherness. But here we do not even accostour neighbours even when we run into them. So thefts,murders and assaults have become a daily fare. It issuicidal to keep the cowherds far away from the coloniesof the white-collared. To think of keeping cowdung andcows urine away from the habitations because they arestinking and revolting is a result of surrendering ourselvesto the notions of the West. It would be very useful toprovide ourselves with cooking gas and power fromgober gas plants. With this we can save fuel and saveourselves from pollution from kerosene and other suchfuels. So it would be good to think of adopting thismethod.

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Wisdom consists in using cowdung and cows urinefor manufacturing manure and insecticides. Through this,people will obtain tasty grains free of poison. In villageswhile some dung is used in the form of dung cakes,most of it can be used as manure. The use of dungcakesreduces the need for felling trees. Thus protection offorests becomes possible. For a pollution-freeenvironment the planting and nurturing of plants is verymuch required. The Chirapunji mountain range has thehighest rainfall in the world. The unbridled felling oftrees there has led to the lands there in the mountainregion becoming barren. Chirapunji has lost its formerglory.

We can establish many cowsheds and cowsheltersin the country. We can even think of acquiring landsuitable for rearing the native cattle and for making useof cowdung. Plantation programmes can accompany. Wemight come out at least to some extent of the fear thatholes in the ozone layer are increasing day by day.Consequent to the new policy of 1991 with regard tofree trade and globalization machine-run slaughter houseshave been promoted and encouraged to export meat.The World Trade centre holds the rights of Europeanindustries that obtain raw materials at a low cost as moreimportant. It also holds the inalienable right to workand right to life of the Indian culture, useless. TheGeneral Agreement on Trade and Tariff (GATT) has

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clearly stated that any restrictions on exports and importsby any country would be illegal as per code11, thoughthey might be felt necessary in the light of culture,environment and economy.

The ministry of agriculture both at the centre andstate have been giving 100% grants for establishingslaughter houses, in addition to many subsidies. A reportof the central government branch connected withenvironment in 1996 reported that in the preceding fiveyears, 32000 slaughter houses were opened unofficiallyand illegally. Earlier, there were only 3600 licensed andlegally approved ones. Even this might be less for acorrect estimate. While the exports of meat in 1975 wereto a tune of 6195 tonnes, they grew to a staggering137334 tonnes, twenty times in twenty years. In 1975the export of meat from cows and other cattle amountedto 3412 tonnes, in 1995 it grew by 33.7 times, i.e. upto125282 tonnes. While the total exports n 1975 amountedto 8517000 dollars, in 1995 they grew up to 14455000dollars. As the exports of flesh grew by geometricalprogression, the number of cattle in the country starteddeclining very fast. Their progeny also started decliningin number gradually. While in 1951 there were 700 cattlefor every thousand people, by 2001 it has come down to400. If this continues it might be reduced to 20 by 2011.It is unfortunate that cattle that are useful are beingdeclared useless and are slaughtered. Every year, cattle

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to a tune of 20000 are being clandestinely being exportedto Bangladesh and Pakisthan.

The native cattle have specific uses, social and culturaluses in addition to their endurance to environment andimmunity. There is a pressing necessity to preserve themas they are. They are the live wire on which thefoundations of Indian agriculture have been laid. Naturalmanures are the sources of power. The progress madeby exporting the flesh and hide of cattle is no progressat all. That is the path to destruction. If we have aslaughterhouse with exports to a tune of 20 crore rupees,it means that we are losing 910 crore rupees of manuresthat can be obtained from the cattle. Thus we are invitingeconomic ruin. As a result, Indian agriculture facesinstability and poverty increases even more.

In agricultural set ups like the ones in India theperspective on cattle and their importance would betotally different from the ones abroad. In those countriescattle are reared more for meat and dairy products thanfor agricultural products. In India they are thought of asbeing the basis of dairy as well as agriculture. Theinvention of hybrid varieties is a big blow to the nativecattle. A report of World Agricultural Organization in1996 stated that native breed of cattle from India arefast disappearing. The Punganur cow of Andhra Pradeshhas almost disappeared. Even the Ongole breedrenowned all over the world has become scarce.Nowadays we get about 32 varieties only of these cows

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belonging to the native breed. If agriculture has to befirmly deep rooted we must revive variety in cattle andcrops as well. It is much necessary to rear and protectthe cattle for preventing atmospheric pollution. The riverwaters of the country are exposed to pollution becauseof the neglect in protecting cattle. Drinking water hasbecome scarce. From what the scientists say we gatherthat frequent earth tremors that have been responsiblefor the destruction of population occur owing to theslaughter of cows. The progress of Indian economydepends on the protection of cows and cattle. If wetake up protection, service and welfare of the cow, wecan enhance our income by leaps and bounds. The livesof people will be enriched with health and prosperityand the environment will become clean. Our focus mustbe complementary to our culture and rural economy.

MOVEMENTS TO PROTECT THE COWSwami Dayananda Saraswathi led many movements

from 1881 to 1892, to protect the cow. He penned thebook Gokarunanidhi. He even convinced the Britishrulers. Some English officers stopped eating beef,convinced by his arguments. They collected opinion onthe protection of cow from the Indians.

India is preeminently an agricultural nation. Evento date there are about 70% people who depend onagriculture for their livelihood. 26% of the national

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income comes from agriculture. The cattle are at the rootof agriculture. Today the mutual dependence ofagriculture and the cow has come to be known asswetakranthi. Rishi Dayananda has therefore mootedthe idea of establishing a society for protecting the cowand agriculture with the name of Go krishyadi rakshineesabha. His book Gokarunanidhi was published in 1937in two parts. In the first part the aspiration to obtainand profit from milk, curds, butter and ghee amongothers has been described as being more beneficial thankilling them to eat their flesh. Similarly the harm fromeating meat and the great advantages of vegetarianismhave been elaborated. In the second part the guidingprinciples of Gorakshinisabha intended to be establishedto protect the living creation like the cows have beenindicated. Commenting on the name Gokrishyadirakshini sabha he said that it has been named thus byhim because through that the protection of cows andother animals might be enabled, agriculture and otherworks might prosper and all the living creation includingthe human beings should be blessed with appropriatecomforts. Almost the same words have been put intoArticle 48 of the constitution.

THE COW IN INDEPENDENCEMOVEMENT

The cow took the front seat in independencemovement. The cow and its protection were mentioned

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as prominent features by the leaders of IndianIndependence Movement. They promised to take all thesteps necessary for the protection of the cow inindependent India.

During the independence movement, the nationalleaders have expressed their opinion on the subject.

In just five minutes after getting Independence,Lokamanya Bala Gangadhara Tilak has said cowslaughter will be stopped with the stroke of a pen. PanditMadana Mohan Malavya felt that the prevention of cowslaughter should be the first issue to be tabled in Indianconstitution. Rajarshi Purushottamdas Tandon felt thatit would not be proper to make a mockery of the delicatesentiments of people as there is great reverence for thecow in Indian mind. He felt prohibition of cowslaughterwas scientific and logical and that powerful popularopinion must be gathered in favour of prohibition ofcowslaughter. Protection of cow is the ideal of our lives.To keep ourselves away from this will betray ourweakness, he says and argues we should vote in favourof those who vow to protect the cow. He felt that ifcowslaughter continues, the cow might not endure forlong. Mahatma Gandhi says that he considers the cowas the mother who confers good luck and prosperity.He felt one should know the importance of products tobe obtained from the cow like milk, curds, ghee, urineand dung and educate the others about the same. In his

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view, protection of the cow was no less than theattainment of freedom. Sardar Vallabbhai Patel opinedthat the basis of our culture is agriculture and that wehave to protect the cow whatever be the odds as it is thebasis of our culture and agriculture and any harm doneto the cow is harm done to agriculture and structure ofeconomy. Acharya Vinobha Bhave said that total andunconditional prohibition of cowslaughter is the desireof people and the Prime Minister has no option but toaccept the same. If we can not protect the cow, theAcharya felt, we would be losing the benefits ofindependence.

Our view of the protection of the cow inindependent India is reflected to some extent in MahatmaGandhis views. He used to say that we can not considerhim to be a Hindu who has no faith in protecting thecow. He used to consider the protection of the cow moreimportant than the attainment of freedom. Though theprotection of the cow finds a mention in the DirectivePrinciples, owing to the former Indian Prime MinisterJawaharlal Nehru, the protection of the cow had beendeemed an economic problem. The protection of thecow that has been recognized as a part of Hindu cultureeven by foreign rulers like the British was taken to bemerely a financial problem by the rulers of IndependentIndia and the latter therefore perpetrated a great betrayalof Indian culture.

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God created cows and oxen in this world to providethe humans with a lot of milk and also help in agriculture.To allow them to be butchered is like cutting ones ownfeet. The problem of the cow is not primarily aneconomic problem. It is an important social problem.Whatever it be, it remains a cultural and social problemrather than an economic one. The present governmenthave come to believe protecting the cow, a natural partof industrial policy. As per the training in economics invogue today there are two kinds of thinking on the cow.Dr. V.M.Dadekar is the representative of one school ofthought. In his view the problem is all about the numberof cows. It is felt by people that if the number of cowsis considerably less, the available fodder would beadequate for the number of cattle suggested by theeconomists and legislators and they might be able toproduce ample milk and as much meat as the people canconsume.

To the second school of thought belong economistslike Dr. K.N. Raj and Dr. C.H. Hanumantha Rao. Theyopine that at present the cows are less in number. If wereduce it further, an ordinary farmer may have to partwith his oxen. If the number of lean oxen has to bereduced, even farming to a large extent would beendangered. Farming on a large scale sustained by heavymachines alone would survive. They would run as asection of large scale farming that is part of a modern

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industrial set up. They say if cows are reduced in number,all the small farmers would lose their livelihood and beon the roads. Dandekar observes that to put into practicethe programmes designed by the Government circles withgratitude and devotion by praising those sections,accepting the checks of Government policy, is thecooperation to be given by the people to theGovernment. But Sri Raj and Hanumatha Rao have feltthat industrialization is merely like modernindustrialization in America. Industries run with the helpof heavy machines and huge capital will render manpower useless and will make industries run on such power,bankrupt and increase unemployment. National policieslike operation flood and such others for empoweringand protection of cow provide incentives to the policyof slaughter of cows, thereby creating a situation wherethe small farmers are denied even the much needed oxen,fertilizers and even dung cakes for the fuel. Sucheconomists can at best feel that cow slaughter should beprohibited at least to the extent that the small farmersmight survive.

Even those who oppose the economic policies ofthe government are in a fix. If it is thought that the selfsufficiency in food production is the minimum essentialrequirement of the nation, small and medium farmersneed to be encouraged. During 1970-71 out of the160224000 hectares of land, the farmers who had less

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than 5 hectares of land numbering to 62479000 cultivateda land measuring 5421200. It is the responsibility of theGovernment to protect the lean cows and oxen of thesesmall farmers. The labour put into the land by the farmersand his family must be treated as his capital. A costeffective system thus can provide security to their ownagricultural needs to be evolved. The habit of destroyingnative cattle in large numbers under the pretext ofproductive competence must be given up. Protectingcattle must be given top priority as a need of the hourfor the nation.

The luxurious, the tyrannical and the easygoingamongst us should keep their cool. Otherwise there is apossibility of their being rejected and avenged by thesociety. In The Living soil, a book by E. V. Bafur, themethods to improve agricultural lands with the help ofdung from old emaciated cattle; In Romance of Cattleby Elert Bosch of East Germany and Basic Facts aboutWealth and allied matters by Harban Singh and Y.M.Panekar, the specialty of cowdung has been elaboratelydiscussed. A famous sloka (Astaiswaya mayee Lakshmivasanti gomayee sada) from the Mahabharatha statesthat Goddess Lakshmi abides always in cowdung andcows urine.

Only when the entire society raises its voiceunanimously against cowslaughter can a governmentpolicy to prevent it anywhere and in any form can take

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shape. Only a society that respects nonviolence basedon the power of duty and spiritual reflections can buildan administration with true faith in nonviolence. Onlyan administration that has such a governmental policycan build a system of its own. Such a government cantake strong measures to protect the cow with the consentof all. So to prohibit the slaughter of cows is a socio-political and cultural problem. This is more an emotionalrather than economic problem. It is more of a legalproblem than one of sympathy and mercy. It is more aproblem of coexistence than protecting the race of thecows. In fact, the cattle in India are not more in numberthan they are required. In fact, their number is muchless. During 2003-2004 there was 14crore hectares ofcultivable land in India. If we add land allotted for cattleand others it comes to 19 crore hectares. Then the totalnumber of cattle comes to about 18. 52 crores. India ismore than thrice the size of Britain. While the urbanpopulation of Britain is 91%, in India it is only 22%.While Britain developed industrially, India developed inagriculture and rural scenario. While in 1965-1975 thecattle grew by 78.64% in Australia, 27.89% in America,24.5% in Britain, 54.6% in Brazil, 46.72% in Columbia,38.30% in Argentina, 34.88% in Mexico, 28.67% inPakisthan, 25.4% in Burma, in India it grew only by2.59% during this period. In India during 1975 it was 18crore and 2 lakh. But when compared to the population,

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the number proved to be very meager. This is so becausein industrial nations like Britain, with a population of5crore 60 lakh there are 1crore 47 lakh cattle and inUnited states of America with a population of 5 crore60 lakhs, there are 13 crore and 18 lakh cattle. At thisrate there must at least be 40 crore cattle. In earlier yearscows were slaughtered on a massive scale in India. Thisis a big blow to the nation.

From the facts mentioned above, it is clear that cattleform the foundation of Indian economy. Protectingcattle of Indian origin is not only a social and culturalresponsibility but also an economic and political necessity.If we want to make the country self sufficient on thebasis of the present economic policy, we must protect,nurture and improve Indian cattle. Aping the West blindlywould set our economy on a downward path. It wouldbe better if we become alert, conscious and active beforeit is too late. All the elderly wellwishers of the countryfirmly believe that if we take to this path, our future willbe bright culturally, socially and politically.

MOVEMENTS FOR THE PROTECTIONOF THE COW IN INDEPENDENT INDIA

Ascetics and savants led a movement in 1966.Acharya Vinoba Bhave went on a fast unto death. Eventhen there was no response from the government. Thehouses for cowslaughter grew. Though the directive

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principles of the constitution mention protection of thecow, the central government shifted the responsibilityto the state governments. The laws on cowslaughtre inmany states are merely nominal. Even the ones in vogueare not implemented properly. Every day thousands ofcows are herded into the slaughter houses. In the lightof the above, organizations connected with Hinduismconducted a viswamangal gogram yatra for protectionof the cow and made efforts in that direction byeducating people about the specialty of the cow and cowbased products and by making everyone serve the causeof protecting the cow.Protection of the cow

Being a lofty ideal, the protection of the cow gavethe much needed impetus to Indian Independence. Whenthe independence struggle started in 1857, the Indiansworking with the British refused to handle bullets coatedwith cow fat with their mouth. National leaders likeLokamanya Bala Gangadhar Tilak, Mahatma Gandhi,Lala Lajapati Roy, Madan Mohan Malavya andPurushottam Das Tandon among others held protectingthe cow and preventing cowslaughter as their first andforemost ideal.

Protecting environment is the duty of every citizenas per Article 48A. The cow helps the entire humanityand the world as well. So it must be looked after withlove. It is the duty of every citizen to see that they are

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not troubled. All the rishis with one voice and the godsadvocate in the four Vedas protection of the cow asnational wealth and protection of the cow as protectionof the world. Gandhiji, the father of the nation, saidthat to him protection of the cow is even more importantthan Indias independence. Similarly Tilak maintained thatin the protection of the cow is the protection of theworld.

Ushne varshati site va marute vati va bhrusamPrakrutee twatmanah pranam gorakshitwa tu saktitah

Protect the cow first rather than protecting yourself.from heat and heat waves when cold breezes blow orwhen rain comes.

Vanaspatyam mulaphalam homadravyam tathaiva chaTrunam cha gobhyo grasarthamasteyam manurabraveet

If you take fodder from anothers manger forfeeding a cow it does not amount to theft. If fruit treesunprotected by a fence, roots, faggots for homa, sacrificialfire, fodder for a cow-even if they belong to others, canbe utilized as it does not amount to theft, says Manu inhis smriti.

Stota me gosakha syatThe parabrahman made it clear in the Atharvaveda

that a devotee may praise him but he must be a friend tothe cow.

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Cowslaughter has increased. Stop it. While protectingthe cow mother ones concentration will be more oneffort than on result. Protect the cow and it will protectthe entire human race. In this world of ours we can buymany things with money. But we can not buy the cowwhich is another form of the divine. The percentage ofprofits from the cow can hardly be estimated.

The story of uttaragograhanam places before us theinformation that wars were fought for cattle amongindependent kingdoms of the past. Our country is a holyone which deems the offer of a funeral ritual to the deadbody of an orphan or destitute. Even after the death ofan individual, we respect the body till it is given a properburial as it is a social ideal. The same should apply to thecow-mother.

WHAT GOVERNMENTS SHOULDDO TO PROTECT THE COW

1. The cow must be declared as the national animal.2. A law must be made at the central level for protection

of the animal.3. The lacunae in the existing laws on cow protection

must be amended. and the laws must be implementedscrupulously.

4. In the process of promoting the native cattle, foreigncattle breeds must be discouraged.

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5. In order to promote cattle wealth, land must beallocated to cattle and the right steps must be takenin this direction.

6. A separate branch must be constituted for cowprotection both at the centre and states.In order to achieve the above said objectives, it is

proposed to collect public opinion and bring pressureon the government by collecting signatures from allpeople above fifteen years of age in view of the proposedviswamangal gogram yatra and submit them to thePresident of India. Public pressure coupled with peoplesagitations must be resorted to till the above demands aremet by the government.

WHAT WE CAN DO FORPROTECTING THE COW

1. We must study literature that focuses on theimportance of the cow. The youth in particular inevery household must be made to read this.Reverence for the cow must be promoted amongthe children.

2. We must encourage the use of cow products likemilk, ghee, soaps, shampoos and tooth powder andincense sticks in daily life.

3. We must encourage all the members in householdsto make use of medicines prepared from cows urine.

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4. The trustees and devotees of temple must see to itthat at least a cow or two may be looked after by thetemple.

5. Visiting cowshelters with family and helping themfinancially, spending sometime for them and evenworking as a member to help their functioning.

6. At least once a year during Krishnaastami or anyother festival the cow must be worshipped by alland the importance of the cow must be stressed ina temple or school as venue.

7. The families that domesticate the cow in rural areasmust be encouraged. Nurturing the cow in individualcapacity must also be encouraged.

8. A village with 60% of people with loving concernfor the cow can be treated as abhayagramas. Suchabhayagramas must be encouraged to grow innumber.

9. The practice of allocating land for rearing cattle inevery village must be revived.

10. The farmers must be encouraged to give up the useof chemical fertilizers and to follow practices thatare cow-centred.

11. Groups of youth must be trained in every place toprepare various products from cowdung and cowsurine.

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12. When we come across incidents of cows beingillegally transported to slaughter houses, we mustobject, report the matter to the police and take legalaction against such a party or parties.

13. Eating of cows flesh must be stopped by educatingpeople about its evil results.

14. Participating in various movements and progrmmesmeant for protection of the cow.

15. We must give up using plastic products that causedamage to the environment and are responsible forthe death of lakhs of cattle.

THE BENEFIT OF GIVING ACOW IN CHARITY

Datasyah swargam apnoti vatsaran lomasammatanKapila chettarayiti bhuyascha saptamakulam

Giving a single cow in charity may yield the benefitof donating a thousand cows. If one were to give a kapilacow or kapilagovu in charity, it helps in conferringsalvation on seven generations.

It is said in the sastras that our forefathers can crossthe fearsome Vaitharani lake if we give a cow in charity.Go bhu tila hiranyajya vaso dhanyagudani chaRaupyam lavanamityahuh dasadanah prakirtitah.

The calf must be given in charity along with thecow. While giving a cow in charity, it should be seen that

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the cow giving milk and the calf drinking must not facethe same side. In other words, the one who gives a cowin charity and the one who receives it, must face eachother. This suggests that the charity of a cow can makeone happy in this world and the other world. The donoris blessed and his forefathers will come to occupy theholy other worlds. So the charity of a cow is preferableto other kinds of charity.

THE BENEFIT OFCIRCUMAMBULATING THE COW

Once God Brahma called for a big competitionamong those who desired to marry Ahalya whom hecreated as a symbol of beauty that stunned all the worlds.Along with all the Gods, the parabrahman who couldgive moksha to all in the world, participates in thecompetition along with Gautama, one among thewellknown seven rishis, the saptharshis. The sageGautama circumambulates the cow instead of the earthas per the sastra and marries Ahalya, traditionally.Circumambulating the cow is equal to circumambulatingthe globe. So pregnant women have an easy delivery ifthey circumambulate the cow.

THERE IS NO ABSOLUTION FORCOWSLAUGHTER

Vinayaka promises his mother that he will free herfrom the rivalry of another woman as wife to Siva. So

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he wants to send Ganga from the tresses of Siva to theearth. He knows Gautama alone can transform heaveninto earth. He disguises