By: HH Bhakti Raghava Swami
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We should be in line with what Srila Prabhupada wanted, not something whimsical or concocted.
Srila Prabhupada very clearly instructed 1) that every temple and project immediately establish a Varnasrama College to teach and train devotees about Varnasrama Dharma, 2) that every city temple get land, establish a farm community, keep cows and produce their own food within a 50 kilometer radius of the temple and 3) that our society introduce Gurukulas and teach traditional education based on our Vedic sastras.
We have recently celebrated ISKCON’s Golden Jubilee. After 50 years, who has followed these instructions? Where are the Varnasrama Colleges, where are the flourishing farm communities and where are the Gurukulas? Practically no one has taken those instructions seriously.
Establishing Varnasrama is the responsibility of every single householder and every single member of ISKCON.
Following the instructions of our Founder Acharya is the first responsibility of all initiated devotees.
The real wealth of our mother cow is not the many types of panchagavya products one can produce.
The real wealth of our mother cow is not even the milk, yogurt and ghee and other milk products she gives.
The real wealth of our mother cow is the food that she can help produce naturally with the help of her male calves that can become strong bulls if allowed to live.
The real wealth of our mother cow is the soil she can help make naturally fertile if allowed to graze most of the day with her calf.
The real wealth of our mother cow is the dry cow dung that can be used as cow cakes to cook our food in the most natural, safe and tasty way.
The real wealth of our mother cow is the wet cow dung that can be used as antiseptic daily in our homes to cover the floors and the walls, both inside and outside.
The real wealth of our mother cow is the service she allows us to render to her in the form of Go Puja and Go Seva.
The real wealth of our mother cow is how she allows us how to develop our deep love for Gopal Govinda by being herself naturally loving and caring.
But because we are not following the above mentioned instructions given by Srila Prabhupada what has become the fate our our cows, what has become the fate our our Villages, what has become the fate of our health and what undertaking have we gained about Varnasrama Dharma?
Yes, we can benefit from milk and it’s many by products. We need milk, ghee and natural wholesome food to keep healthy, that no one can deny.
However, unless we make serious efforts to establish Varnasrama Colleges, unless we make serious efforts to establish rural communities (and live in those communities to grow our own food and protect cows) and unless we make serious efforts to establish Gurukulas we will simply continue to neglect those fundamental instructions of Srila Prabhupada. It means we have no faith in those instructions.
By growing our own natural ahimsa food we more easily keep good health and don’t need to rely or depend on panchagavya products.
To those who will help establish Varnasrama Colleges, to those who will help establish rural communities or engage in rural outreach programs and to those who will help support the establishment of Gurukulas, Lord Krishna will help them get all their necessities of life, including milk.
The real wealth of cows is the conducive consciousness of pure love and mood of Vrindavan residents when we live in.middst of Cows, which is difficult in city life. Thank you Maharaj.