Life With the Cows and Land

Maddy (Madhavi) Comes Home

2011-12-20T21:33:00.012Z

Maddy's (Madhavi) first step on ISCOWP ground.

Maddy (Madhavi) has finally come home! She arrived Saturday, December 17. Thanks to Judy Gross for initiating the rescue of Madhavi and all her work in finalizing the needed tests to cross the border and arranging for transport. Also, thanks to the Champaka Mala and Ananda Subramanian for naming her and all the ISCOWP members that gave to saving Madhavi and providing for her continued care.

Upon meeting Madhavi, we could understand what Judy was saying when she wrote that Madhavi needed a break. Her milk bag was huge and her hips bony, her tail was cut off and she walked gingerly as if she didn't get much exercise. Judy was telling me that one of the three cows she saved was a milking cow too. Her hips filled out and her bag shrunk when she was dried up. So, we have hopes for Madhavi to become strong and healthy and happy. Unlike our cows, she has no winter coat yet from being inside all the time. We are keeping the barn doors closed so she doesn't get cold. Next year she should have a winter coat as she will be outside a lot and will have time to acclimate to the winter weather.

Madhavi came from a kinder dairy than most and still one can see the suffering for the cow in the business of commercial milk. If you haven't already, please read the current issue of the ISCOWP News in pdf file online whose articles address the issue of "Blood Milk vs Ahimsa Milk" and" Is Your Milk Ahimsa Milk?

You can see a photo album of Madhavi coming home HERE.

You can see a short video of Madhavi entering the barn HERE.

Another short video of Madhavi heading for the feed aisle HERE.

Judy helping Madhavi settle in.

"Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for opening your home (well, barn - LOL) to Maddy! I was thrilled to see how wonderfully your cows are cared for. I knew I was leaving her in very good hands - the BEST! Love to you all.' Judy

Dhananjaya performing artik to Madhavi to officiate her name changing and to honor those ISCOWP members who gave to save and maintain Madhavi.

"To me the position of Mother Cow is so beautiful and merciful. Maddy/Madhavi has come from a very intense and thankless life of a commercial dairy cow. She was not really seen as anything but a serial number to be measured in gallons of milk and dollars and cents. It is so nice to see her have the life she deserves as a wonderful Krsna Dasi. Because she is so merciful she naturally takes to her service of reminding us of Krsna and His pastimes with His lovely cows. Thank you Madhavi!" Dhananjaya

We pray this letter find you well.

Yours, Chayadevi

ISCOWP Co-Managing Director

Saving Cows

2011-12-08T12:23:00.012Z

Maddy the Cow is Saved
Save the Cows in Krsna Valley(sign the petition)
Read the latest ISCOWP News articles:
Is Your Milk Really Ahimsa Milk? Blood Milk vs Ahimsa Milk

This can all be found in the
latest ISCOWP e-newsletter

Or you can read the
ISCOWP News in PDF file online

ISCOWP Ox Training Again!

2011-11-22T03:50:00.003Z

Teamster in training Dhananjaya with teacher Balabhadra suoervising.

Read more about it here

Latest ISCOWP e-newsletter

2011-10-09T12:13:00.002+01:00

Balabhadra and Dhanajaya visiting with Shyama

Read more at the latest ISCOWP e-newsletter.

Here is the link:
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs001/1102923281326/archive/1107956626337.html

Latest ISCOWP News

2011-07-08T02:26:00.004+01:00

The latest ISCOWP News is now online.

Some articles included:

Friends Pass Away

Geriatric Barn Roof Needs Your Help!

ISCOWP Farm Update!

Ox Power in Slovakia

All About You (Reiki and Cows)

ISCOWP in Ukraine

Q & A: Want Milk?

Protecting Cows in Slovenia

Cowherd Outreach

2011-02-16T10:46:00.007Z

Nandi the ox.....rescued 19 years ago by Paramesvari Radha and her son Maha. He is one of several oxen and cows rescued by Gopal, a cow protection organization headed by Paramesvari Radha and Maha in Serbia. Paramesvari Radha is feeding apples to Nandi.

Read about more cowherds around the world in the
'February ISCOWP e-newsletter'

Check out my @constantcontact newsletter

2011-01-20T14:42:00.001Z

In the village of Ershova, Russia, Sandesh is outfitted with a small load to get him used to the idea that he will need to pull something behind him. This was only the second time he had pulled a small load and he did very well.

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs001/1102923281326/archive/1104257308189.html

Back in the USSR!

Latest ISCOWP News

2010-12-18T10:56:00.003Z

The latest ISCOWP News is now available online in PDF:
http://www.iscowp.org/uploads/NLVOLUMNE20_ISSUE%203.pdf

Some articles:
Q & A: Want Milk?
Ahimsa Mrdangas
ISCOWP Travels

The ISCOWP December e-newsletter is also online at:
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs001/1102923281326/archive/1104054703211.html

For the Cows... via #constantcontact

2010-11-06T08:38:00.001Z

Swetha Menon hugs Priya at the ISCOWP farm.

Check out the latest ISCOWP e-newsletter at:

For the Cows... via #constantcontact

Moo-oo-oo to You

2010-09-28T12:37:00.004+01:00

Madhava finds the the grass tasty.

To read the latest ISCOWP e-newsletter please click this link.

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs001/1102923281326/archive/1103692005463.html

Hare Krsna!

Balabhadra

Latest ISCOWP News

2010-08-21T00:15:00.005+01:00

The latest ISCOWP News is now available online in PDF file.

Check it out at this link:

http://www.iscowp.org/uploads/NLVOLUMNE20_ISSUE%202.pdf

The Latest News for June

2010-07-03T16:23:00.006+01:00

One of the protected cows at Bhaktivan

Reading about cow protection at ISCOWP

Click this link to read the ISCOWP June Latest News.

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs001/1102923281326/archive/1103520605435.html

If you would like to read some back issues of the ISCOWP e-newsletter click this link:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs001/1102923281326/archive/1103269798068.html

ISCOWP Mid-May e-newsletter

2010-05-23T10:39:00.005+01:00

An offering to the cows and prayers for your well being.

Priya loves the treats offered.

The ISCOWP Mid-May e-newsletter is now out with the latest news on rebuilding the old barn roof and pics of loving exchanges with the cows. If you would like to know how you can have an offering given to the cows in your honor please check out the following link:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs001/1102923281326/archive/1103419085016.html

'ISCOWP Update'

2010-04-20T18:13:00.000+01:00

'ISCOWP Update'

Here is the latest e-newsletter from ISCOWP.

Moving to Facebook

2009-11-05T20:00:00.006Z

Dear Friends,

Haribol!

We are moving to Facebook as Balabhadra finds it easier to make entries and has made many friends their. Please go to the following link to become a fan of our new page.

International Society for Cow Protection (ISCOWP) on Facebook

There is also a new link on the right column of this page that will enable you to become a fan.

Another page is the Facebook cause page of the International Society for Cow Protection. You can find that at: www.causes.com/cowprotection

Thank you so much and we hope to see you there.

Yours,
Chayadevi

ISCOWP Co-Managing Director

ISCOWP News Volume 19 Issue 2

2009-09-17T19:32:00.007+01:00

The latest ISCOWP News is just out and available online. Please click this link: Latest ISCOWP News Volume 9 Issue 2 to view it in PDF file. It will contain all the current news. All current members will be sent a hard copy. It is going to the printers Monday, a little late as their printing machines were not working. Thank you or your patience. Here is an excerpt from the editor’s column.

Dear ISCOWP Members,
This spring and summer has been full of activity at ISCOWP. Every farm experiences its busiest time during these seasons. Not only is there planting, harvesting, preserving of produce, cow care and fencing, but in our case there is also conducting tours for guests desiring to understand and experience cow protection. The touring experience is a new one for us and we are learning how to improve it with each tour.

Big Shyam, one of our most beloved oxen passed away in July. He was an older ox, 14 years old, as is half of our herd. His sweet and affectionate nature will be missed.

Please help us fix a barn water system breakdown (page 3) before winter when it will be most difficult to deal with. Thanking you in advance for your help,

Yours, Chayadevi

You can also read about the barn water crises and donate to it on our web page at: Emergency: Water for the Cows!

Krishna says: “I am the taste of water…” B.G. Chapter 7 Text 8

Praying that this letter finds you well,

Sincerely,

Balabhadra & Chayadevi
(William E. Dove & Irene M. Dove)
ISCOWP Co-Managing Directors

Big Shyam Passes Away

2009-07-11T00:25:00.004+01:00

Govardhan presided over Big Shyam from the hay loft

Big Shyam 2 weeks before passing away

Big Shyam a year ago on pasture

Big Shyam a year ago

Big Shyam passed away Wednesday night July 1, 2009 at approximately 10:15 PM. Balabhadra and I went to visit him at 8:30 PM and spent about a half an hour with him. We felt the end was near, but we were feeling that for some time. We left as we saw the Brahmans coming into the barn. We knew he would have companionship as they always sat near him to keep him company. Balabhadra went back about 10:15 and found he had passed away.

It was approximately 2 weeks since he could not walk. During that entire time he had Govardhan Sila looking over him from the hay loft above him and Srila Prabhupada chanting continuously from a CD player. Chaitanya Bhagavat would sometimes place Govardhan Sila on his head and give him water in a squirt bottle from several holy rivers in India. Big Shyam would take the squirt bottle in his mouth and with his teeth squeeze the bottle to get the water.

The babies (Brahmans) would sit right next to him for hours at a time, sometimes licking him and he licking them in return. Soon after the babies came to the farm, Big Shyam was put in with them so he would not have to traverse the hilly terrain and he could have companionship. They all became fast friends.

Big Shyam had developed a hip and back leg problem in the fall of 2008. We discovered him limping and then brought him into the geriatric barn. The vet said he would either heal or get worse and there was nothing more he could do. Up until 2 weeks before his passing he was able to walk somewhat, even pasturing on the private pasture connected to the geriatric barn. We had been giving him various homeopathy medicines that seemed to help and aspirin. He was lucky that he had the Brahmans as companions, which helped him accept his limited physical abilities. He was 14 years old and one of the older members of the herd.

Big Shyam was known for his huge size, (1 ton and 6 feet tall) and affectionate nature. He was like a huge teddy bear. Never was he pushy or aggressive, except when it was time for his grain, even though he could easily get away with it due to his size. A friend to all, Big Shyam will be missed.

He was adopted by Kirtana-rasa d., Beth, Clair Chaitanya, Nathan Kesava, and Oliver Rupa

Submitted by Chayadevi

ISKCON Farms 2009

2009-06-17T21:33:00.007+01:00

The ISKCON Farm power point presentation presented to the Governing Body Commission of ISKCON at their Mayapur meetings in February 2009 can be viewed HERE

ISCOWP May Update Letter

2009-06-10T20:18:00.005+01:00

Dear Friends,

Hare Krishna!

Sorry our blog has been inactive for a few months. To catch up we are now posting the May ISCOWP Update letter

Madhava is carrying out the “haw” command given by Balabhadra while Navadwipa from MISCOWP looks on.

Cows
Balabhadra showed Navadwipa from MISCOWP a few pointers in ox training with Madhava who remembered his commands after 6 months of no ox training activity. He was rusty at first, but got better and better during the session. Balabhadra was enthusiastic with Madhava’s performance. He is going to continue training him and his partner Kesava as well as the Brahmans Sri and Priya. Madhava’s cooperative behavior put no physical strain on Balabhadra’s health.

The cows are now on the green, lush pastures of spring. The weather is cool with intermittent rainfall. This is one of the most enjoyable times for cows. There are hardly any flies and the fresh grass is such a delight after months of hay. Like all good things, spring will end and the heat of summer will come too soon.
.

Jayanti massaging Priya.

Kanti and Jack with the Brahmans.

Guests
Jayanti, a cowherd from New Talavan Farm, came to visit the ISCOWP farm and cows. Jayanti is not only a hands-on cowherd, but also the efficient record keeper of New Talavan’s herd of 98. We discussed cow care, the obstacles as well as the rewards.

Kanti and Jack, members of ISCOWP, came to visit for a few days. They stayed in the cabin and had this to write about their experience: “Thank you so much for the opportunity to share your little corner of the spiritual world for a few days. These are the experiences we carry in our hearts while working day to day – the cows peacefully grazing on the ridge with the sun going down behind the hill. We appreciate the work and dedication you all put in to create this sheltering environment for the cows.”

Rasikananda came to film Balabhadra and the cows for the film Lost Village. The Following two paragraphs are from the film’s synopsis.

For the first time in human history, a smaller proportion of the global population now lives in rural areas, states the United Nations statistics from June 2006. The twentieth century witnessed the rapid urbanization of the world’s population. As a result, villages have been eclipsed in importance, as units of human society, settlement and traditions. This issue is being dealt with by the character based documentary Lost Village.
Lost Village aims to explore that simple way of life that is crucial to the solution of ecological problems and social dilemmas. “Is that simple village life destined to die?” is the call of millions throughout the world.

The trailers, previous to Balabhadra’s participation, are available at http://www.lostvillagemovie.com/

Monoram and Radha Krishna, residents of the ISKCON farm in Hungary, came for a visit and appreciated the cows and atmosphere at the ISCOWP farm. They are traveling about to describe and inform audiences about their progressive self-sufficient farm

Staff Update
Balabhadra is making slow progress towards increased strength and well-being since his heart attack and inability to use his legs. He has stopped taking some medications and feels better for it. Back and leg problems are on going but we have some treatments scheduled soon and we will see if they help improve his range of painless movement. Lakshmi’s hand is improving but she does not yet have full use of it. She is expecting her baby in mid June. Despite our limited physical abilities, farm activities are accomplished. Janardana and his wife Mercy come several times a week to repair fencing, hang new gates and do general farm work. Seedlings are planted in the greenhouse and we are getting ready to put seeds and seedlings in the earth soon as our last frost is May 15 or 20.

Signs
We now have a sign at the head of the lane so you, are guests, can find us. After a mile down the lane, there is a large sign that tells you that you have found ISCOWP. We thank my brother Henry for the original logo design that is very attractive on the sign. Previously, we were told it was hard to find us. Recent guests say that the signage makes finding us very easy. More signage is needed about the farm that we are presently working on.

Praying that this letter finds you well,

Sincerely,
Chayadevi
(Irene M. Dove)
ISCOWP Co-Managing Director

The herd grazing on the lush, green, spring pastures

GBC Farm Resolutions

2009-03-31T19:13:00.004+01:00

We wish to thank all the ISKCON farms that fulfilled the farm surveys that we sent out. About 30 farms responded. The information gleaned from these surveys were the facts and figures that made up the body of the power point presentation given to the GBC body. The GBC farm resolutions were left for voting at this time. Syamasundara prabhu (European Minister for Cow Protection and Agriculture and head of the Bhaktivedanta Manor Goshalla) developed the presentation and gave it in Balabhadra's absence. Due to illness, Balabhadra could not attend the GBC meetings. In future blogs we will present some of facts and figures from the farm surveys.

310. GBC Participation in Farm Projects [Guideline]

Whereas ISKCON farms and farmers often struggle to make their operations viable;Whereas ISKCON farms, cow protectors, farmers, and those engaged in rural development often feel unsupported by ISKCON management;

Whereas the successful establishment of varnasrama and rural life was a key concern of Srila Prabhupada;

Whereas the Vedic system is supportive of agricultural and rural communities;Whereas there has been a global decline in the general status of farm projects;

Whereas ISKCON farm projects in which GBC members put energy are often successful;

RESOLVED:That all GBC members, as far as possible, commit themselves to spend 10% of their time helping to develop farm projects:

by giving 10% of their classes on the importance of farm development and cow protection
and/or by spending 10% of their time on a farm or farms to encourage the farm devotees

311. Purchasing from ISKCON Farms and Farmers [Guideline]

Whereas ISKCON farms and farmers often struggle to make their operations viable;Whereas the majority of temples and centers do not buy produce from their local farm, farmers, or goshalla;

Whereas in times of global economic crises, by not buying from our local farms there is danger of high prices and food shortage due to dependence on outside sources which are in turn dependent on oil-consuming transport companies;

Whereas other religious groups successfully purchase from their own projects thereby presenting an ecologically-friendly, self-sufficient lifestyle to the world; Whereas it was Srila Prabhupada’s desire that we, ISKCON, present an ecologically-friendly, self-sufficient lifestyle to the world “independent from outside help;”

Whereas the Vedic system was supportive of agricultural and rural communities;Whereas there has been a decline in the development of ISKCON farms and most remaining farms are struggling;

RESOLVED: That all ISKCON Deity kitchens, temples, restaurants, and relevant projects should purchase, wherever possible, produce, flowers, and milk products from ISKCON farms in their local region up to a ceiling of their current purchases, provided they are of reasonable quality and can be afforded. Where practical, the ISKCON temples, restaurants, or projects concerned will explore the possibility of purchasing land and making it available to farmers to cultivate. Additionally, temples should make available, at a reasonable cost, space for farm produce to be sold.

Nanda

2009-02-17T17:06:00.005Z

We have some sad news to tell you. Nanda passed away Sunday evening the 15th of February 2009. He was fourteen years old. The picture attached was taken in the afternoon of February 15th. As you can see he appears well. What we understand happened is that he lost his balance, due to his ongoing leg and back problems, fell and then could not get up. Such a huge ox, 7 feet at his shoulder, can not last long in a lying position due to much stress on the internal organs.

I had checked the barn in the late afternoon of the 15th, and everyone was fine. We have concluded it happened in the night as we found him the following morning lying in the barn; his soul had already left his body. The other cows seemed calm, like they had already accepted the fact that he was gone.

We are thankful he went quickly as with his ailments he could have lingered a long time because he was healthy otherwise. During last summer, he fell once and could not get up. It was during the day and on pasture. We tried to flip him, pull him, etc. but he could not move. We then went for help and when we arrived later we could not find him. He was found happily pasturing under the nearby trees. That time he was able to get up.

Since he was 3 years old he has had leg and back problems. Throughout those years we have tried different treatments and medicines like homeopathy and acupuncture. These did seem to help and therefore give him a quality life and a longer life. He was able to pasture and mingle with his herd mates till his last hours.

Jaya and Nanda were an ox team. They were named after Jayananda, a very inspiring and pure disciple of Srila Prabhupada! Both Jaya and Nanda have been gentle and gentlemanly despite their huge size (half Simmental). It was a pleasure to be around Nanda as he was never rowdy and aggressive. We will be greatly miss him due to his brahminical nature.

He had the priviledge to be adopted by the same adopter for 4 years and another adopter for 2 years. All glories to Nanda!

February Update

2009-02-14T12:27:00.006Z

February 11, 2009

Dear Friends,

Hare Krishna!

Thank you for your support. Herein is the February update letter.

Cows
I (Chayadevi) have been replacing Balabhadra and Lakshmi in the everyday care of the cows in the barn. Ray has been coming almost every day to help me and he has been a tremendous help especially with the heavier tasks. I have finally learned how to pitch hay more efficiently than ever before :).

Now we are having some warm weather, but we had a full month of very cold weather, sometimes -8. There was also lots of ice and snow. I wanted to get you all pictures of this weather but it was a challenge just to get the tasks done in the freezing temperatures.

The water system broke down in the geriatric barn on one of the very cold days. Tejo, our devotee plumber, came and worked on it in the freezing cold for hours. He was very determined to make sure the cows would have water. He achieved a temporary fix that will have to be dealt with when the temperatures are consistently warm.

Everyone is happy with plenty to eat and a warm sunny winter day after freezing temperatures.

It is quite amazing how the cows do not seem to feel the cold, even the Brahmans. They have all grown their thick furry coats. As long as they have plenty to eat and drink, they do fine. Of course, nothing compares to grazing on green pastures. I have noticed that in the very cold weather they eat and drink more. Due to the presently warm weather, they are now in the barnyard enjoying the sun and warmth. Since the lower barnyard was covered with snow and ice, they did not venture beyond the immediate barn area for a month. I do expect that we will get cold weather again before the official winter season is over, but the warmth is a nice reprieve for everyone.

Winter temperatures in the barnyard.

Balaram receiving some love from Madhava on a warm sunny winter day

Health Update
As receivers of the previous updates, you know that Balabhadra had a heart attack and a leg and knee problem that prevented him from walking for over a month. Our recent visit to the heart doctor gave us some information. He has coronary artery disease. One of the main arteries on one side of his heart is blocked. It is very thin in one area and then shortly after is completely blocked. Because the other arteries are in very good condition and the other side of his heart in good condition, he has done very well for so long without incident. Now he is on a cocktail of heart drugs that he seems to be tolerating well and keeps his high blood pressure down.

Due to his acupuncture treatments, he is now walking for short periods of time and short distances. There is still a degree of pain. We have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon on February 18. Due to the help of Dr. Piyush Gupta, we have gotten an MRI of his hips and knee and this appointment. Now we have quite a collection of MRIs and X-rays to show the surgeon, since up until now we have been sent for tests but not been given a diagnosis. We will have more to tell you after this appointment.

You also know that our daughter Lakshmi broke her wrist and is now wearing hardware on her wrist and arm. She is the one that usually takes care of the database, monthly letters, gifts, etc. The bones are healing very well and the pain has decreased greatly. A few days ago, the stitches came out. She is now holding down her meals as before the pain medicine made her nauseous. She has the use of only her left hand. Maybe in 3 to 6 weeks the hardware will come off and then she will be in a splint, still with restricted movement. Her pregnancy is progressing nicely and according to her OBGYN her baby is in good health despite all the trauma.

Our Services to You
We want to thank all of you for all the letters of concern and encouragement. We know this time will pass, as everything does, but it sure is helpful to hear encouraging words from all of you. Please be patient with our services to you, monthly update letters, gifts, etc. I have been putting most of my energies into taking care of the cows and now I hope to see to some of the paper work since lakshmi and Balabhadra are feeling a little bit better. As you may have guessed I have never had the inclination or physical capabilities for this part of the service and at 63, I thank Krishna that I have been able to do it. It is actually fun, I just wish I was a bit younger :).

Praying that this letter finds you well,

Coming back from serving the cows at the barn

Your Servant,
Chayadevi
(Irene M. Dove)
ISCOWP Co-Managing Director

Speed Bumps in Life's Journey

2009-01-29T20:52:00.000Z

On January 13th about 6:30 PM, Lakshmi was walking over to her house after working at her computer doing some ISCOWP paper work. She was only about 100 yards from our house when she slipped on some ice and fell, breaking her wrist. Rudra, our farm dog, kept pulling her in the direction of our house as she was sobbing and in great pain. I still was not able to drive due to some medical difficulties you read about in previous updates, so I called the neighbor and he took Lakshmi and my wife Chayadevi to the ER at the hospital in Moundsville, about 10 miles away.

Not only were we concerned about the wrist, but Lakshmi was just going into her 5th month of pregnancy so we were worried about the baby.

The wrist was x-rayed and indeed it was broken. The doctor monitored the heart beat of the baby and the baby was alright. They didn’t return home until almost midnight.

Two days later Lakshmi was scheduled for a cast to be put on the broken wrist. Again my wife and Lakshmi were driven to the hospital only to find out that it is a very bad break and that she would need an operation to properly set the broken bone. The operation was set for the next day.

Because of Lakshmi being pregnant it was deemed too dangerous for her to receive general anesthesia as it would adversely affect the baby. The 2 hour operation was done with a local anesthesia and screws were set in her wrist and arm with metal rods holding the bones together above her arm....quite a site to see.

There is no cast, just a gauze dressing which is changed daily and her arm cleaned with Hydrogen Peroxide. Painful and no fun at all for Lakshmi. She is a tough young lady and toughing her way through everything.

Krsna Rupa comes everyday to cook for Lakshmi and do some cleaning for her. Thank you Krsna Rupa. Gintas is driving Lakshmi and myself to our Drs appointments and helps with some errands in town. Thank you Gintas. Chaitanya Bhagavat was driving us around and helping in the barn until he had a hernia operation. Thank you Chaitanya and we pray you recover well.

Laksmi will be out of commission for the next 6 to 8 weeks as that is when the hardware is scheduled to be removed. It is on the right arm and wrist. After that she will still not be able to do as she has before for awhile.

For many years Lakshmi has done our data base, monthly letter update, monthly gift preparation and packaging. Part of her service was to notify donors about their total yearly donations for tax purposes. Needless to say we are running behind on everything in the office. So we humbly ask that you be patient with us and we will get the imformation to you as soon as possible.......hopefully within the next week. Thank you very much.

So, Chayadevi is now taken care of the feed out for the cows and making sure the water troughs are de-iced. Ray, a local friend, comes up every other day to help with the cows as well. Chaydevi is still helping me as well as playing nurse to Lakshmi and trying to keep up with ISCOWP office work. She is definitely going full steam ahead.

I have been seeing an acupuncturist. Slowly but surely the pain in my leg is diminishing. This week I have been able to take short walks around the house without too much pain. Each day seems to be getting better and better, and I am actually doing a little bit around the house to help Chayadevi.

Today I actually drove from our house over to Lakshmi's house and went into the little barn and saw the Brahmans for the 1st time in 2 months. Needless to say I was very excited. The babies were very glad to see me and started licking my hands and face.

The Acupuncturist feels that by mid March I will be able to do some work in the garden department. I have an appointment with the heart Dr. on February 3rd, so no new news on the heart now.

We would like to thank all of you for your kind words, letters, and prayers during these speed bumps in life’s journey. We couldn’t take care of the cows without your support on all levels

Balabhadra Health Update

2009-01-05T10:37:00.001Z

Dear Maharajas and Prabhus,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

The many letters, prayers, and phone calls have been a great source of comfort for Balabhadra. Thank you again and again. Our hearts are touched with your kindness.

Balabhadra is now at home. It was concluded that heart surgery was not necessary. He has been given many medicines to take for his heart and high blood pressure. In one month he is to meet with the cardiologist again to see how he is doing. He is not feeling so good from the medicines but we are told that his body will adjust within a few days. His heart was not at all damaged by the heart attack.

The test results on his liver came back normal.

The whole situation with his leg has not been resolved as the neurologist did not come into the hospital on the weekend. Our general doctor there gave us the name of the expert neurologist in the area and wants us to call him and get an appointment as soon as possible. The fact that he has been immobile and in pain for so long is not good for his present and future health.

Right now he is sleeping soundly which he wasn't able to do in the hospital. The pain in his leg comes and goes in severity. He is scheduled for the acupuncturist in a few days and hopefully he will be feeling well enough to have the treatment as it gave him much relief.

Balabhadra is receiivng phone calls at our home phone: 304-843-1658. I am hoping he wil feel well enough to access on his laptop his own email at balabhadra.iscowp@earthlink.net . You can still also write to iscowp@earthlink.net and I will make sure he will receive it.

If you could continue to pray for his improved general health and that his leg situation is resolved soon so that he may be able again to walk amongst the cows.

Your servant,
Chayadevi

Balabhadra's Health

2009-01-03T15:52:00.002Z

Written by: Chayadevi (Balabhadra's Wife)

Dear Maharajas and Prabhus,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

We would like to thank all of you for your phone calls, messages and prayers. It means a lot to Balabhadra.I will try to explain as simply as possibly what has been happening with Balabhadra's health.

Balabhadra has always had back problems for over 40 years
(he is approaching his 63 birthday in April). He was always able to get over any flare ups and continue to physically work very hard. His whole life has been full of physical work and in his devotee years (initiated in 1969) mostly centered on farm life and the cows. This last year has been different. He has collapsed about four times and his recovery has been slow, like two weeks or more for each collapse. His visits to doctors, MRI, etc. revealed herniated disks, moderate spinal stenosis and some other deterioration but nothing that was considered an emergency surgery candidate. Some meds, instructions how to go about his activities, and physical therapy was recommended. At the same time it was found that the pain he was experiencing in his left knee was a result of very little cartilage on one side of the knee. Because he was favoring the other knee this was also negatively affecting his back problems.

Five weeks ago he was in physical therapy to strengthen his left knee and felt a tinkling and burning in his right leg. He told the therapist and was told to work through it. The following day he could not walk, the pain in his right leg was so severe. We went to the emergency room and were told he sprained his knee and the pain should decrease in a few days. The next five weeks were spent trying to get the state clinic we are a member of to understand this is not a sprain because the pain is severe and not getting less intense. After being prescribed more meds, we were told they could do nothing for us. The third week we then tried an acupuncturist who gave Balabhadra some relief but was scheduled to go on vacation for the next two weeks. The acupuncturist felt positive he could relieve the pain with more treatments.

Last Tuesday we were able to get a treatment at the acupuncturist and for the first time in five weeks Balabhadra could lay in bed without constant pain. We were very happy thinking we were on the right path to recovery. The past five weeks he had been bedridden, his only activity trips to the bathroom which is about 15 feet away from the bed. The pain became most intense when standing upright. Then Wednesday night he went to the bathroom and I heard a loud noise, as if something was knocked over. I opened the bathroom door and found him lying on the floor, his forehead bloody. He fell and hit his head on the ceramic floor. He was conscious and I tried to help him move back to the bedroom. Halfway there he began to slowly fall from me onto the floor. On the floor his neck began to arch and his eyes began to roll to the back of his head. He was moaning and he seemed to be leaving me and this world.

From caring for dying cows and other animals, this is what I have seen before the soul leaves the body. I started lightly slapping him and calling to him, he came back to consciousness and I called 911, turned up the volume of the Prabhupada bhajan tape we had playing and gave him rescue remedy. At one point he began to lose consciousness again but by talking to him he stayed conscious.

The ambulance came and brought us to the hospital where he was hooked up to a lot of wires and drips and monitors. It was decided he should stay overnight since some of the readings were questionable. The next morning we were told the blood tests indicated he had a heart attack and it was ongoing. That was why they were checking on him constantly and readjusting all the drips. It was a mild heart attack and his heart was not damaged. Eventually the heart would stabilize or something bad would happen. We were told that people who have this type of heart attack usually have one again within 6 months, and then it might be more severe. It was decided that he needed a procedure (angioplast ?) in which the doctor goes in through a vein in the groin and takes pictures of the heart to see if and where any blockage might be. In the meantime the blood tests found that there is something not quite right with his liver.

His heart stabilized by the following morning (yesterday) and he had the procedure. Problems were found which needed some consultation with the expert cardiologist in the area. We are now waiting to hear what the doctors recommend as to the next step for his heart, more test results on what is up with his liver, and a report from the neurologist as to what is causing the pain in his left leg and hip.

The good news is that since the one treatment by the acupuncturist he has been off most of the meds for his leg pain and is experiencing far less pain in his leg and hip. His heart remains stable and he is off the drips. The other good news is that he is hearing from devotees their concern and that they will pray for him. He is still in the hospital and has been receiving calls at (304) 843 3301. You can also write him a note at iscowp@earthlink.net and I will print it out and give it to him. It really does mean a lot to him when he hears from the devotees. We are now just waiting for information. It may be a few days as it is the weekend and a holiday here.

Balabhadra is realizing he is at a crossroads in his life. He no longer has the facility to be the workaholic "earthworm" and has to now become a "bookworm." With your prayers and blessings and Krishna's desire he will recover and in the years to come will engage himself more in speaking about cow protection with the purpose to encourage others and fulfill his eternal debt to Srila Prabhupada who has saved us all.

Your servant,Chayadevi (Balabhadra's wife)

Training Oxen in Belarus

2008-11-23T12:28:00.004Z

Recently I traveled to Belarus which is located next to Poland and Russia. I met with some very sincere devotees of Lord Krsna and spent 1 week with them and the cows they are looking after. The cows all looked healthy and happy. There were many little bull calves who needed to be trained for working purposes. Every morning I would spend at least 1 hour with Ananda devi dasi who has spent 10 years growing up with these cows and calves. I showed her the basics of training oxen and the importance of loving exchanges with the animals. She was 14 years old at the time and just a few days ago has turned 15. She is a remarkable young lady and is very sensitive to the cows and calves. When I left the farm I had asked her to train all of the baby bulls, who have just become oxen. If I remember correctly, that would be 12 to 17 animals to be trained through the winter months. The following is a recent letter I have recieved from her. I have not changed the lanquage in the letter. She speaks Russian and is learning English. She was very happy to practice her English with me when I was at the farm. Enclose please find some photos of Ananda and her ox pupils.

"Mitra stay."

"Simha Op!"

"Rupa Op!"

Prabhavati dd. (Mother of Ananda) gives Rupa a present after training.

Hare Krsna! Dear Maharaja, please accept my humble obeisences.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

When you came for us at the second time, I was training 6 bulls: Darshan, Mitra, Chandra, Rupa, Kirtan, Jay. After the Sanyas cerimony they had one week holidays, they had little swelling for two weeks. Than I continued to train them and began to train Vrata, (he was shy but friendly). At the begining he behaved as Mitra at the first time, little wildely. But than Vrata showed himself as very-very clever pupil (he was born on Pandava ekadashi 14.06.08). Now his level of knowledge is the same, as other's 6 baby oxen (the commands OP, WOOL, STAY, FOOT, HA, JEE). Chandra wants me to train him. Often he comes near to me, when I put on the holter on somebody's head. Every day I can train 2 or 3 oxen. While I was training 7 baby oxen, I tried to make relationship with the wildest baby ox Yukta. Short time ago he allowed me to put on the holter, and I started to train him. Once when I put on the holter on Madhu his brother Simha (the father of all calfs, he was licking your hands) watched attentively at me. I decided to train him too. When he was just born, I planned to make ox team: Madhu and Simha, they were only wite bulls in our herd at that time. A few days ago I began to train Simha.

Your pupil Ananda dd.

October Update Letter

2008-11-05T11:31:00.012Z

November 4, 2008

Dear Members and Friends,

Hare Krishna!

Herein is the October update letter.

ISCOWP News

The latest ISCOWP News,Volume 18 Issue 2 is now online.

We are bringing it to the printer tomorrow and hope to have it in the mail to you, our donors, by the end of the week.

The issue will give you all the latest ISCOWP News, including reports on how the Brahmans are enjoying their new home, European cow protection farms and conference and the new project, ISCOWP Farm Outreach. You can read about this project and donate to it through the newsletter and online at:
ISCOWP Farm Outreach

Amrita, Sri and Priya (the Brahman calves) are now available for adoption at:
Adopt A Cow Today

Sri and Balabhadra

Thank you for donating to bring the Brahmans to ISCOWP and for your future help with the New Project, ISCOWP Farm Outreach. We pray this letter finds you all well.

The Brahmans are Home!!

2008-08-14T12:38:00.010+01:00

In April, we wrote to you about how we wanted to acquire some Brahman cows for ISCOWP. The reasons were to rejuvenate the herd that is mostly middle aged now, utilize the potent Brahman dung and urine, and have an ox team that can work in the hot weather. Due to your donations to this project, we were able to arrange the acquisition of two Brahman bull calves and one female calf from William Fenn, a breeder of registered Brahmans located in Sweeny, Texas. Originally, we were looking at a breeder in a colder climate, but he did not handle his animals like William Fenn. The Fenn family is unique amongst Brahman breeders as they develop a personal relationship with their animals.

Dad and I left for Texas on Wednesday the 6th of August to pick up the calves. We had 1456 miles and six states to pass through from West Virginia. As we were getting closer, we were getting more and more excited to see and meet these new members of our family. It was totally worth the whole craziness of driving that distance when we met them for the first time. They just stole our hearts as soon as we laid eyes on them.

The weather was extremely hot, 98 degrees and a high humidity factor. We were sweating the whole time we were there even at seven o’clock in the morning. One of the qualities of Brahmans is that they can tolerate extreme temperatures. “A factor which contributes to the Brahman's unique ability to withstand temperature extremes is a short, thick, glossy hair coat which reflects much of the sun's rays, allowing them to graze in midday sun without suffer¬ing. In severe winters, Brahmans grow a protective covering of long, coarse hair beneath which a dense, downy, fur-like undercoat can be found. An abundance of loose skin, characteristic of the breed, also aids in its ability to withstand warm weather by increasing the body surface area exposed to cooling. In cold weather the skin is contracted, increasing the thickness of the hide and density of the hair, which aids in retaining body heat. A special feature of the Brahman breed is their ability over other breeds to sweat freely, which contributes greatly to their heat tolerance.” www.brahman.org

Meeting Amrita, Priya and Sri
Balabhadra meeting the new team, Priya & Sri
Oswald, son of Bullzilla, is the father of the babies
William Fenn saying goodbye

The Fenns were such great hosts and friendly people. They have been breeding Brahman cows for three generations. The calves were actually staying at William Fenn’s parents home. It was a great pleasure meeting the Fenn family and spending time with them. They went out of their way in taking really great care of us. After spending a day with them and the calves, we said goodbye and started the trip back home. With our new truck and trusty trailer, which we acquired back in the early nineties, the calves had a plenty of room and a secure ride. Two days later, we arrived home late in the evening and the following morning introduced them to their quarters in the barn.

Bringing Brahmans to a cold climate will be a first for a cow protection program in North America. The New Vraja Dhama cow protection farm in Hungary just also acquired a bull calf of a similar breed. They have a climate like ours. Bringing the calves to our farm was time sensitive, as we wanted them to come in the warmest weather season so they could have a good chance to acclimate gradually as the weather got colder.

Greeting Daddy at one of the rest stops
Meeting Mommy and totally stealing her heart
Madhava asking “Got Brahmans?” (got to do a t-shirt like that)
Backing into their new home

Can’t wait to get out, just waiting for the door

Nice fresh well water at the grown up tank

The babies did very well on the trip, no fussing or complaining. The boys Sri and Priya sure love to lick my arms, neck and try for my face. Priya loves to try to eat hair. With Brahmans, you have to have lots of patience and move slow getting to know them. As a breed, they are standoffish and shy, but once they know and love you, they love receiving attention. The boys very quickly let us touch them, rub them and pet them. Things are moving slow with Amrita, but she is letting us touch her and she likes smelling us. One trick is to let them come to you on their own speed. They will come because they are curious; you just have to have patience.

Having breakfast at their new home
Checking out the barn

The babies have not met the rest of the herd yet. The herd has not come into the big barn yet for water, but they know the babies are here and will come and meet them in their own sweet time.
Sri Uddharan Datta Thakur
Priyavrata

Sri Uddaran Datta Thakur, formally WF40, was named by Jimmy & Terry Devine of MN. There is a description about Sri Uddharan Datta Thakur in a book called Sri Chaitanya: His Life & Associates. We are going to be calling him Sri. He has on the top of his head, where his horns would be coming out, some red hair. Sometimes we call him Mr. Red; he is very outgoing and loving.

Priyavrata, formally WF41, was named by Anonymous C. He is so sweet and loves kisses. He loves licking and trying to eat hair and maybe licking the face, but arms will do if he can’t have anything else. Both he and Sri are supposed to be grey like their Daddy Oswald when they get older.

Her Royal highness, Amrita
Amrita checking out the feed aisle

Amrita, formally WF42, was named by Vrajavadhu dasi. Amrita means nectar of the Gods. She is the queen of the group; the boys follow her around even though she is the youngest. She was the first one into the trailer and the first one out. She is letting us touch her a little bit and getting friendlier everyday.

So far, they are adjusting well. We will keep you informed as the time goes on as to their progress.

Praying that this letter finds you well,

Sincerely,
Lakshmi Devi Dove

Some of the cows have come to meet the babies.

Big Shyam meeting Amrita
Amrita, Sri and Priya, with Balaram and Krishna looking on

College Students Visit ISCOWP

2008-07-13T15:47:00.007+01:00

A dinner fresh from the ISCOWP organic garden

Meeting Jaya in the barn

Columbia and Rutgers University was represented at ISCOWP with a visit of students from 26th Second Avenue temple headed by Gadadhara Pandit and Doyal Gauranga. Again it was raining and plans to visit the cows on pasture were curtailed. However, discussions on what is cow protection and a farm fresh meal were enjoyed. Some comments from the guests:

Premananda das & Gauri Priya dd: “Most amazing, enlightening, and uplifitng experience coming to spend time with your family. Thank you!”

Gretchen Turner: “Could not be any more beautiful! Thank you a 1,000,000 times. “

Talitha Wachtelborn: “Thanks for having us! It was wonderful!”

ISKCON Youth Ministry Visits ISCOWP

2008-07-06T16:41:00.014+01:00

Balabhadra giving a class to the youth in the barn

The new ISCOWP barn restaurant

Madhava is very charismatic

Kalki enjoys the affection

The ISKCON Youth Bus Tour came for June 30th for a visit. There were torrents of rain the whole day which changed our plans of service in the garden and and a bonfire. Instead we utilized the ISCOWP barns for classes and partaking of lunch. The youth asked many questions which led to in depth discussions not only about cow protection but growing and preserving food, how current events are affecting all of us, alternative oxpower. Some comments:

Radhanatha and Anapayini Jakupo: “Very inspiring and educating tour. Thank you so much for keeping this project alive and for your time to share with all of us. We feel very honored to have been able to visit your home and barn! Thanks!”

Jahnavi Harrison: “I was really so inspired by my visit to your farm. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to see that projects like this are sustainable and can really work! I hope to visit again and learn much more about taking care of cows and organic gardening – maybe that I can put into practice at home temple (Bhaktivedanta Manor). Haribol!

Sarah Silberman: “ I really enjoyed visiting your farm and learning about living off the land the way Prabhupada wanted. Thank you so much for everything. “

Kamala Kumar Mayshark:
“I was so inspired to see your barn and home and to see the amount of self efficiency in your family. Your cows are beautiful!”

Meet the Cowherds

2008-06-01T18:42:00.005+01:00

Meet the Cowherds
At the first ISKCON EU Farm Conference
By Chayadevi

Devotees came from nine countries to attend the first annual ISKCON farm Conference at New Vraja-dhama in Hungary. America, England, Belgium, Germany, Czech, Slovakia, Poland, Sweden, and Hungary were represented. Many of these devotee cowherds and farmers serve their farms in a rural setting distant from a bustling city temple. They perform their service with little recognition and applause, but their reward is in the service itself to the cows and land. Not only is there spiritual reward but there is also the joy that comes from a peaceful and healthy life close to the land and cows.

In the last approximately ten years, there has been a decline in the development of ISKCON farms and in the ISKCON consciousness of the importance of such farms to the spiritual development of ISKCON as a whole. This conference, organized by the ISKCON European Minister for Cow Protection and Agriculture, Syamasundara das, was the beginning step to reverse this trend within Europe. In that attempt, it was a success, with the devotees leaving inspired and hopeful for the future.

Clockwise: Smita Krishna Swami, Balabhadra das, Syamasundara das, Gaura Sakti das

Balabhadra das, ISKCON Global Minister for Cow Protection and Agriculture gave the opening address. He spoke how within our movement, there is a need for a social structure that will provide a haven from the outside world where devotees can live and raise their children peacefully so they too can be Krishna Conscious. Srila Prabhupada envisioned such a social structure within farm life, village life, with the cows and land providing the necessities of life. Our farm communities are therefore very important, as they are the starting point of developing self-sufficient life. “The whole idea is that we are ISKCON, a community to be independent from outside help.” S.P. letter to Satyabhama March 30, 1969 As the world changes with higher gas prices creating higher cost of food and living in general, such farms will be seen more valuable to more people as providing the answers to a more and more difficult life.

Nandi the bull meeting Govardhanlal on tour of Vraja-dhama

The conference was graciously hosted by Gaura Sakti das, president of the New Vraja-dhama farm community in Hungary. At present, New Vraja-dhama is the most advanced European ISKCON farm in the development of self-sufficiency. A part of the conference was touring the New Vraja-dhama operation. From June through October, the community of 120 consumes only fresh produce from the farm, and during the winter months, they are self-sufficient in grains, and potatoes. A storage unit with 3 seperate chambers, each 150 feet long by 20 feet wide was just built at New Vraja-dhama for this purpose. Five trained teams of oxen are active and perform most of the farm work. 2000 fruit trees produce a variety of fruits, and eight devotees care for the five acres of vegetables.

The guided tours, given by Gaura Sakti das, were an inspiration because they showed the possibilities for every ISKCON farm. Other farms also gave presentations. Varnasrama das talked about the successful flourmill business that helps support the Czech farm. At the Czech farm, they produce all their own flour from the grains they grow. They also sell the flour and produce cookie prasadam, which they sell and distribute on sankirtan. Haladhara das, from the Cornwell farm project in England, gave a presentation of the Govardhan Whole Food business that helps support their project. Salad boxes, which cost little to produce, are getting a maximum return.

Issues, such as providing for the cowherd and farmer so he can stay on the farm and support his family, were discussed with solutions suggested. Smita Krishna Swami from the Sweden farm described how they provide housing for such devotees. Gaura Sakti das joined in with a description of their housing development and arrangements.

Aside from the practical discussions and information on how to support and operate a self-sufficient Krishna Conscious farm, Sivarama Swami, ISKCON Guru, GBC, and spiritual leader of New Vrajadhama, and Balabhadra das, spoke about the spiritual importance and need for such farm projects. Sivarama Swami stated that to have cow protection one must have cow protectors and the cow protectors must be protected so they can protect the cows. To provide this protection and for cow protection to thrive there is need for the social system of Varnasrama in which cow protection is an integral part. He also stated that to be a cowherd is as important as standing on a corner distributing books.

As explained by Balabhadra das, the entire cycle of preparing the land with the oxen, planting the seed, nuturing the plant that comes, harvesting the fruits of the plant, and then offering it to Radhe Shyam, the residing deities at new Vraja-dhama, is the perfection of devotional life.

Some of the presentations have been recorded at Sivarama Swami’s blog, check the archives for May 20 and 21:

Appeared on Dandavats May 30.

Oh No! Oh Yes!

2008-04-12T16:29:00.003+01:00

Nanda has had nerve problems in his back legs for most of his life. When he was down at the NV big barn he was always being jumped and pushed by the more aggressive oxen. Nanda is a passive, gentle fellow, although huge in size, he is about 7 feet from his toes to the tip of his horns and weighs about 2000 pounds.

Balabhadra found Nanda down on top of the hill this morning. Who knows how long he was down since last evening when I checked the cows and saw him walking about. He was on his side with his face looking downhill, not in a good position. While the sky was thundering and dark clouds let out torrents of rain, we tried to flip him with the truck and ropes. We wrapped ropes around his front legs and back legs, tied those ropes together, and then tied that to the hook on the back of the truck. Then Chaitanya drove the truck very slowly. But it did not work. Nanda kicked Balabhadra in the legs and Balabhadra fell twice trying to help Nanda flip. At this point Nanda got into a worse position. Then Balabhadra got the idea of pulling his back legs so he would lay sideways to the hill with his feet downhill and his head higher that the rest of him. We tied the ropes to his back legs and pulled with the truck. Nanda ended up in the position we wanted. Balabhadra was thinking that in this position Nanda would have more leverage to get himself up.

We could do no more with what we had on hand. Balabhadra then went to the temple barn to get the hip huggers and the tractor. The idea was to get Nanda standing up and then we maybe could walk him to the geriatric barn. We also had the fear that this was going to be a nightmare in trying to move him at all if he couldn't move his back legs. We tried massaging his back legs and they were so stiff we could not get him to bend his knees.

I went home to take a hot shower and Balabhadra and Chaitanya went to get the tractor. When they came back they also brought some additional hands. Bhakta Mathew came and Krsna das, Soma, and another boy were coming in case we needed the help. Moses also showed up. As Balabhadra drove the tractor up the hill and we all followed, there was dread in our hearts as to what we would find. Balabhadra led the way and as he arrived at the crest of the hill, Nanda was gone! He feared that Nanda rolled down the hill, but Nanda was not at the bottom of the hill either.

We came to realize that Nanda walked away from the hill.

Then we realized that he could again be in a difficult position somewhere. We started looking for him and found him in the overgrown area between the cow burial grounds and the lower pasture. He was eating grass standing up. Of course, we were very happy but then we knew that we should get him in the geriatric barn where the ground is flat and thickly bedded. We walked him to the barn easily and there he is right now.

Submitted by Chayadevi

Remembering Gita

2008-02-27T13:30:00.002Z

Balabhadra teaching with Gita (on the left) and Vraja, and Gita and Vraja hard at work

For the last 18 years we have been blessed by the association of Vraja and Gita, our team of Brown Swiss Oxen. From the time we saved them from the slaughterhouse when they were 2 1/2 months of age until last fall when Vraja passed away at the age of 17, and this winter when Gita passed away at the age of 18, our time together has been full of lessons.

Vraja and Gita were twins and they each had completely different personalities. Vraja was the boss and head of the herd and Gita was the gentle soul and gentleman. From the age of 4 months, they traveled across the USA to many festivals and fairs to show the American public the beauty of full-grown oxen and to spread the glories of “OX POWER.”

I was their teamster, hauling wood together and plowing the fields besides traveling with them to many Rathayatras and festivals. They were both honest workers. Sometimes someone else would try to be Vraja and Gita’s teamster. Vraja would often test them by acting up but Gita would just watch the charade and wait for the teamster to get Vraja under control, which often involved my help. Those were Gita’s main characteristics, patience and tolerance.

When we saw a pair of horns above the corn, we knew it was you Gita. Even though we had chased you out of the corn field you would find your way back, eating and trampling all the corn under your feet. Your one fault was loving sweet corn too much!

What remains most memorable about you Gita was your uncanny ability to sense the suffering of both cows and people. You gave comfort by staying close often until the end of a life, listening patiently to any outpouring of anguish, and showing your understanding by licking and nudging the sufferer. Who were you in that bovine body that you possessed such empathy?

You have touched the hearts of many people worldwide over the years. Great souls VRAJA and GITA..................thank you for sharing your lives with us. You will always be in our hearts.

Submitted by Balabhadra

Memories of Gita

2008-02-25T14:40:00.002Z

Shelda made cookies for Gita and he loved to eat them

I was so sorry to hear of the passing of Gita. He will be missed by everyone that had the honor to have met him. He was the kindest, gentlest soul that I have ever known. It seemed that all he ever asked of anyone was some love and affection. I so treasure the time that I got to spend with him and am glad that I found a treat that he enjoyed so much, it gave me great pleasure to do that for him. I know that he is much better now and will no longer suffer with the pain of his arthritis.

Submitted by Shelda Bloomingdale

Memories of Gita

2008-02-24T14:48:00.003Z

Gita with Chaitanya Bhagavat and Shelda

I first met Gita when I came to New Vrindavan in June 2006. Balabhadra prabhu was showing the ISCOWP barn to me when I felt a nudge on my right shoulder. I turned around and there he stood, 7 feet high at the horns, 2000 pounds of pure friendship and loyalty. To describe him as majestic would be an understatement.

I turned to stroke his face and he began licking my hand with his sandpaper tongue. I took a few steps away from him to continue the tour with Balabhadra and Gita followed me closely wherever I walked. We became fast friends.

By Krishna’s mercy, I was able to spend many a day serving and caring for him over the past couple of years. The experiences and lessons from his association are so meaningful to me I could write a book and probably should.

The last few days of his life, I spent with him morning and evening. I would go to the barn and rock his head in my arms. He would just collapse into me as we both sat in the hay listening to Srila Prabhupada chant “Manasa Deha Geha.”

When I found his body that morning as I walked into the barn, Srila Prabhupada was speaking the purport to that song. His exact words as I approached Gita were; “My life, my body, my home, I surrender everything unto you.”

Submitted by Chaitanya Bhagavat das

Memories of Gita

2008-02-23T14:27:00.005Z

I saw Gita only a few times before recently helping with the cows at ISCOWP. I saw him here at New Vrindavan and LA Rathayatra. His size and beauty amazed me. He was seven feet from his toes to the tip of his horns and weighed 2000 pounds; a most beautiful servant of Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krsna.

At LA Rathayatra, I witnessed how people were in awe of him. I cannot help but think he influenced the minds of the people who saw and met him. Some realizing they were eating such a wonderful animal in their daily diet and perhaps becoming vegetarian or at least swearing off eating cows.

Srila Prabhupada often commented how if the people would do this one thing (stop cow killing) the consciousness of the world would change for the better. All glories to Gita, a sweet servant of the Lord!

Submitted by Tranakarta das (ACBSP)

In Memory of Gita

2008-02-22T15:39:00.005Z

Gita socializing with Lakshmi and guest jck Baldwin last May 2007

I was finally able to check my e-mail late on February 18 in India and wrote a letter to my parents asking how everything and the cows were at home. Mom wrote back (it was the 17th in America) that Gita was in very bad shape and most likely would not last that long. As I was reading the email, I started to cry. He was one of my babies, he was raised as if he was my brother not someone or something that you owned.

By this time, it was late in the evening and the middle of the night in the USA so I would not hear anything from parents until the next day. All day I was thinking about Gita and praying for him. On one hand, I was praying that he would pass fast and on the other hand, I did not want him to pass at all. You never want a family member to pass on who is dear to your heart, soul, and mind. Here in India it was Lord Nityananda's appearance day, a very holy day and a good day to pray.

I was finally able to check my e-mail in the late afternoon and there was an e-mail waiting from Mom. I did not want to open it. I knew it was about Gita. I was right, he had passed, but he had a very good passing. He was blessed that he went quickly and his passing was not prolonged. I started crying again. Just writing this right now, I want to cry and I am starting to tear up just remembering reading the e-mail.

It was a blessing to have known Gita because he was such a sweet, kindhearted, and gentle soul. I know he has moved on to another good place in his journey. I just wished he had not moved on so soon. Whenever I would go into the barn, he was always so thrilled to see me. He loved to be petted, rubbed, and sometimes just hugged. He had the most beautiful soulful eyes. I felt I could fall into them and be comforted and healed. Gita always knew when you were sad and would try to comfort you in his own sweet way by trying to lick the sorrow out of you with his big sandy tongue.

Gita and Vraja did so much outstanding preaching. They touched so many hearts and minds and changed them for the better. I remember traveling all over the country with them and the affect they had on the public. Gita was always the sweet and gentle one of the twins. We always had to watch out for Vraja, he really liked to use his horns. We never had to worry about Gita misbehaving or scaring people with his size or horns. He was the perfect gentleman.

Gita's full name was Bhagavad-Gita. Everyone who knew him will sorely miss him.

Submitted by Lakshmi devi

Thank You New Vrindavan Devotees

2008-02-21T15:27:00.003Z

Gita With The Herd last Summer

Within the story about how “Gita Moved On” we mentioned the selfless devotees who dropped everything and came immediately when asked to help Gita. We would like to mention their names: Bhakta Chris, Gopal das, Krsna das, Madhavananda das, Yamuna-Jivana das, Ragupati das, Lalita Gopi dasi, Vishaka dasi, Vrnda dasi. Special thanks to Chaitanya Bhagavat das who spent many hours with Gita in his aging days and in the last moments of his life, and Tranakarta das who recently has come back to New Vrindavan and helped with caring for Gita in his final days.

“On February 16, we moved him again and he again surprised everyone and walked around. This time we made certain he was in the larger part of the geriatric barn and he eventually sat down in a good place. However, the next day, after Chaitanya fed him his grains, Gita collapsed. From that point, he struggled to get upright. When he couldn’t, Chaitanya came to get me and we both went to the barn to access what could be done. We realized that we needed to flip him to get him into a better position but the two of us would not be enough to do it. Then, Chaitanya went to the temple to see what help he could get. About forty-five minutes later, Chaitanya came back with six devotees to help flip Gita. We had four devotees on Gita’s legs and three at his head to make sure his head moved with his body. We expertly flipped Gita and he landed sitting up. We braced him with square bales and then he tried to eat the bales. Enthusiastically, all the devotees ran to him with hay to eat. The cows ran to the gate to see. Everyone was very happy at what appeared to be a miraculous recovery. Joy permeated the atmosphere. I was inspired and moved to see the selfless service of the devotees and their joy at Gita’s recovery.”

Gita Moves On

2008-02-19T13:39:00.003Z

Gita left early today on Lord Nityananda's Appearance day, February 18, 2008. Last night strong winds were carrying warm air while they moved billowy clouds swiftly across the sky. As I walked to and from the barns, it felt like someone was turning on and off a floodlight until I realized it was the clouds passing over the white bright moon. The stars were very bright in the sky, often covered by the clouds. There was a presence in the night: the wind personified to bring Gita away as he thrust his head into the air and opened his mouth.

At first I said, "Don't do that Gita! Don't stress yourself!" And I would put his head down. After several hours of Chaitanya Bhagavat and I trying to make him comfortable, we came to realize he was trying to leave his body. He was opening his mouth so his soul could leave upward. We had given him Ganga water, placed the tape deck of Srila Prabhupada chanting next to him, as the winds were so fierce we could not hear it from the top of the barn, and placed Govardhan Sila on his head. Govardhan Sila then sat on his altar on the wall facing Gita.

He had arthritis for several years and each year it became more difficult for him to walk. This winter we put him in the geriatric barn so it would be easier for him to access his food and move around. Gita was one of our oldest cows. He turned 18 years old recently. His twin brother, Vraja, died last summer. He also had arthritis. Together, they led many Rathayatra parades in the United States and appeared at many events. They greeted guests with their handsome appearance and endearing personalities. In this way, they presented cow protection to the public.

Around February 9, Gita was not able to get up. He did not have the power in his back legs to push up his large body. Since he was an old cow, we expected that he would leave his body in the near future. We kept him as comfortable as possible and fed him as much as he wanted to eat and drink. In preparation for parting, He daily listened to Srila Prabhupada’s sacred chanting and received holy Ganga water.

On February 13, we attempted to move Gita into a better place with an apparatus called hip huggers. He was near the gate of the barn and a lot of wind was blowing on him. As he was lifted and placed down, he surprised everyone and started walking around. However, he was weak for he was down for a few days. After a few hours of walking, he sat down again in the same place.

On February 16, we moved him again and he again surprised everyone and walked around. This time we made certain he was in the larger part of the geriatric barn and he eventually sat down in a good place. However, the next day, after Chaitanya fed him his grains, Gita collapsed. From that point, he struggled to get upright. When he couldn’t, Chaitanya came to get me and we both went to the barn to access what could be done. We realized that we needed to flip him to get him into a better position but the two of us would not be enough to do it. Then, Chaitanya went to the temple to see what help he could get. About forty-five minutes later, Chaitanya came back with six devotees to help flip Gita. We had four devotees on Gita’s legs and three at his head to make sure his head moved with his body. We expertly flipped Gita and he landed sitting up. We braced him with square bales and then he tried to eat the bales. Enthusiastically, all the devotees ran to him with hay to eat. The cows ran to the gate to see. Everyone was very happy at what appeared to be a miraculous recovery. Joy permeated the atmosphere. I was inspired and moved to see the selfless service of the devotees and their joy at Gita’s recovery.

When I checked on Gita later in the day, he was lying down obviously struggling again to get upright. However, this time he was near one of the barn poles and flipping him would not be possible. It was six o’clock and it would be dark at 6:30. As he struggled to get up I tried to brace his back with square bales but he was too heavy and moved them away when he would fall back. He was fighting and trying to eat the bales that I tried to use to brace him. I knew Chaitanya was coming to check on Gita and I tried to comfort Gita until Chaitanya came.

When Chaitanya came, we spent a couple of hours trying to make Gita comfortable. The winds were so strong and loud and then there was a change in Gita. He started putting his head in the air and opening his mouth. He no longer reacted to our words. We felt he was in the process of leaving this material world. By then it was late evening. A few hours away and it would be lord Nityananda’s Appearance day. Just like Gita. We had always called him the Brahman of the twins. He was always the gentleman, sensitive to the feelings of others. Listening to Srila Prabhupda chanting, tasting Ganga water, with Govardhan Sila in his sight, on Lord Nityananda’s Appearance day, he left his body.

Submitted by Chayadevi

Gita and Vraja baby photo

2008-02-04T19:19:00.000Z

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GITA!!!!!!!

2008-02-04T19:06:00.000Z

It just seems like yesterday that Dad was calling around to local farmers looking for two baby bulls. At this time we were living in North Carolina and they had a different calving time compared to Pennsylvania. PA was the state we were living in previously for 9 years and they normally calve in late March thru May. Now NC is down south and the climate is a lot hotter so they calve in the beginning of the year.

Dad was calling around and no one had any calves, they had already been sent to the slaughterhouse. Then Dad called a place that was 2 hours away and the farmer said he had 2 twin bulls that were two months old. If Dad was interested in purchasing them, then he would have to do so fast because the farmer was planning on putting them in the next auction which was in a couple days. So Parents got into the car and went to go see the babies. When they saw them they just fell in love. They were so cute! The farmer was only holding on to them because he planed on fattening them up and selling them when they were 2 years old. But it was turning out to be too expensive.

Parents told him they would like to purchase them and the price was agreed on. It was the price of meat per pound at that time times how much they weighed. The next day Dad, I, my older brother and a couple of the neighborhood kids piled into our large red van. The back of the van was filled with bedding for the babies. I think the farmer was shocked when we all piled out of the van and were all so excited to meet the babies. .We told him we were all vegetarians and paid him with a International Society for Cow Protection check. Another shock! We put the halters on the two baby bull calves and Dad and Valadev (my brother) picked them up and put them into the back of the van. The rest of us climbed in with them to keep them company and to keep them calm.

That trip was a lot of fun. This is how it came to be that Bhagavad Gita and Vrajabhadu came to join our family. Even though it feels like it was just yesterday it was a long time ago. Vraja passed away in the winter of 2006 but we still have our beautiful Gita. For his birthday, February 2, he got many handfuls of cookies which he just inhaled. Gita is a special ox, apples, carrots and other items will just not do, he has to have cookies in some form or another.

Submitted by Lakshmi Devi

Bhumi's operation part 4

2008-01-26T20:19:00.000Z

I am so pleased to say that Bhumi’s eye area is looking great after having her eye removed due to a cancerous growth around it. It has healed extremely well. The hair that was shaved around the eye is growing back nicely and the eye socket is nicely formed.

We have made up with each other. For a while she was not happy at all with me. We gave her antibiotic shots to prevent infection after the operation, and I was the one who tied her up so she could get her shots. Now, when I go into the barn she comes over to me on her own accord.

I took down the fence separating Bhumi from Gita, Asha, Dwadasi and Shyama. So Bhumi is really enjoying herself bossing the other girls around. She dare not try to boss Gita around. Gita gets this look that says, “Don’t even think of doing that.” He has his expression perfected. When I give the medicine in the morning to Bhumi, Gita, and Jaya, Bhumi very patiently waits till I have given Gita his grain and meds before begging for her apple and meds. Bhumi is back to liking lots of attention and rub downs.

Submitted by Lakshmi Devi

Cold weather

2008-01-21T17:41:00.000Z

Submitted by Lakshmi Devi

We have been having some really cold days and nights. Although we humans find this weather difficult, the cows do not. They are enjoying the new cemented area of the barn where new construction took place last year. The barn is setup so the winter sun comes into the barn by about 10 feet. After a cold night, or during a cold day, the cows like to sit there and soak up the sun. You will usually find the barn kitty also soaking up the sun by sleeping next to one of the cows. The silo area which is not under roof is also a favorite of the cows especially after a feed out when we have put one of the big hay bales out. The cows like to tear up the hay bales and play with them and then sit on them and sleep outside. It is a favorite hang out for Yamuna, Ganga, Kalki, and Big Shyam.

Bhumi's operation part 3

2008-01-14T16:54:00.000Z

About a week into the healing process of Bhumi’s operation to remove a cancerous tumor behind her eye, I called the vet since I did not like how Bhumi’s eye was healing and it smelled bad. Dr. Moore called me back within 20 minutes and told me to give her penicillin twice a day for five days. At first he said to give 20 cc but then he said give her 30 cc since she is a big girl. It was a total circus giving her the shots. I am a total wuss when it comes to needles and blood. So, Caitanya Bhagavat volunteered to give her the shot while I tied her up and stayed at her head. It worked really well. After Bhumi got her shot we would then give her apples. She loves apples. This way she knows there will be pain but also something sweet and nice at the end.

One really sweet and interesting thing is that every morning Jaya goes and checks on Bhumi. The other cows stop and see her but no one is as consistent as Jaya. Jaya is the one who has also had the same operation as Bhumi, just on the opposite eye.

Bhumi responded very well to the penicillin. During this whole recovery period we also have been giving her homeopathy. So that also really helped her heal. After just a day and a half the smell left her. I was so thrilled about that. Smell is always a sure sign something is wrong, so for that to leave her was a good sign we were heading in the right direction.

After the 5 days I gave the vet another call. Dr. Moore said that he would come out Saturday to see how Bhumi was doing. It may be time to take out the stitches and see how the healing was progressing.

Saturday was a very nice day. Bhumi managed to take her halter off so she and I had a battle of wills to put it back on. She would not let me put it back on. When Dr. Moore showed up she was very happy to see him. I had a rope hanging around her neck so I tried her to the post with that. We wanted to see if she would let Dr. Moore remove the stitches without the halter on but Bhumi kept moving her head. It was a lot easier putting her halter on since she was already tied up. This way it was a lot easier for Dr. Moore to remove the stitches. Bhumi was still giving him a hard time by shaking her head but she just couldn’t move as much.

Dr. Moore said it looked like it was healed 75% but it was best for her case to remove the stitches. He sprayed some yellow stuff on her eye, I don’t remember the medical name of it. Also he ordered a special salve that will help the healing process. I am supposed to pick it up tomorrow and put a little on her eye.

We had an audience the whole time Dr. Moore was treating Bhumi. On one side you had Asha, Shyama and Dwadasi watching and on the other side you had Krishna, Balaram, Kalki, Bhima, Visaka and Jaya. They were all lending their support to Bhumi. In about a week or two I will take down the fence inside the geriatric barn and let Bhumi in with Gita, Asha, Shyama and Dwadasi so that she can start to learn to move around the other cows. Right now she moves really well by herself. Bhumi is getting close to the point were she wants to be in with the other cows.

Submitted by Lakshmi Devi

Gourangi fall 2007

2008-01-11T18:49:00.000Z

Gourangi enjoying the pasture, fall 2007.

Bhumi Part 2

2007-12-27T18:29:00.000Z

Bhumi’s excursion yesterday went very smoothly. A lot more smoothly then I was even praying for. It was very easy to sneak Bhumi out of the herd before they noticed. When Valerie arrived I had Bhumi tied up at the end of the lane by the barn happy eating a bale of second cutting hay. Valerie is the very nice lady who hauled us and Jaya to Columbus, Ohio for his surgery. This time Valerie brought her youngest son, who is a very nice boy.

All we had to do was hook up the trailer to her one ton pick-up truck and then load Bhumi. Luckly, I remembered how to do the hook up correctly. At first Bhumi did not want to get into the trailer, but she did want to finish that bale of second cutting. So, she finally got in and we were off to see the vet out in St. Clairsville at Mr. Young’s farm. Once we started driving she settled down and watched the countryside go by. It only took us about an hour to reach St. Clairsville which is a lot better then 3 ½ to 4 hours to Columbus where we had to take Jaya for his operation.

Dr. Moore was waiting for us at the turn off to the farm and he led the way to the barn. By this point, Bhumi wanted out and she came out very easily. Now the tricky part was getting her into the stockade. The opening for the chute was very narrow and at a weird angle so Dr. Moore opened up the side of the chute for her. I walked in first and Bhumi followed me right in. At the end I had to walk out, angle her head and horns, and not let her body out. Dr. Moore then closed the hydraulics of the chute so that only part of her neck with her head and horns were though and the rest of her body was in the chute. This would make it harder for her to move and easier to operate on her eye. The first thing the Vet did was to give her a general pain killer. He then took off her halter and lead rope and put his on Bhumi, and then he tied that to the side of the stockade so it will be somewhat easier to keep her head steady. She felt the general anesthesia very fast; you could tell she was going into la la land. He then shaved around her eye. The cancer she had was very fast growing and had grown a lot since he saw her 2 ½ weeks before. It was growing on her eyelid, in the eyelid, in the corner of her eye and behind the eye.

Bhumi was sedated nicely so Dr. Moore started doing the shots in a circle around her eye and all of us were feeling woozy. I was standing on one side of her out of the vet’s path and Valerie was standing on the other side of her. We were both talking to her and trying to keep her calm and steady. Chaitanya Bhagavat was standing by the control panel for the hydraulics. He job was to throw the switch and release the hydraulics in case she went down on her knees. If she went down with the hydraulics closed, she could badly injure herself. We were really lucky she did not go down and the operation only took 45 minutes from beginning to end.

After he was finished sewing up her eye, Dr. Moore told me I could untie her and take his halter off. I put ours back on and we walked her out of the stockade and back to the trailer for the ride home. Bhumi was moving very slowly as if she had a hangover. It was easier to load her into the trailer this time. She immediately had a couple of mouthfuls of hay. I settled up with the vet, it cost a little more then the original quote due to the advancement of the cancer. He had to take more of the eye area out then planned. Then we headed home.
Bhumi was moving around most of the way home. You could feel it in the truck when she was moving. Valerie and I would look at each other and say there she goes again. Once we got home she was fighting to get out of the trailer. I had to calm her down somewhat so that I could untie her. No way was I just going to unhook her halter and let her out in that mood after her having surgery. Once that was done she literally jumped out of the trailer and started walking really fast up the lane and past the big barn. All of the cows were really excited and happy to see her. They started mooing and walking parallel to us. We put her in half of the geriatric barn that was reserved for her. This way, she is separate but still with the herd. We did not want any of the cows to accidentally bump her eye area.

Bhumi immediately went to the gate that looks out into the silo pad area and into the big barn. She was not happy at all and very upset. Then a really sweet thing happened. Jaya came over and touched her nose. It was like they were communicating and she immediately calmed and settled down. They stayed like that for about 5 minutes. Now what really makes this sweet is that they normally have nothing to do with one another. They don’t hang out with each other at all, she has a higher standing in the herd then he does. Throughout the day either Jaya would be standing right next to her at the gate or other cows would be standing next to her or touch noses with her. It really touch’s your heart to see how much they care and are concerned about one another’s well being and state of mind and health.

Today Bhumi is doing well, eating hay, drinking water, and resting. I tried to give her pain killers but so far she does not want any. I will try again later today when I check on her again.

Submitted by Lakshmi Devi

Bhumi part 1

2007-12-25T18:34:00.001Z

Bhumi, Christmas Day 2007

Since the vet came up to see Radharani, I have been trying to coordinate getting the operation done for Bhumi. I finally got it worked out with the vet and Valerie, the lady who hauled us for Jaya’s surgery. The operation is set for December 26, 2007. For the last week I have been trying to anticipate any possible problems and their solutions that may arise. Also, I have to make sure I have everything ready when Valerie gets here tomorrow morning to pick us up. Dr. Moore has arranged that we are going to use another farm’s barn and stockade in St. Clairsville, Ohio which is about 45 minutes to an hour away. He decided on that place because he felt that the stockade is going to be big enough for Bhumi and her horns. She is very proud of her horns and does not like for them to be messed with or touched.

Before tomorrow morning I need to finish getting the inside of our cow trailer ready for Bhumi and divide up the inside of the geriatric barn so she can have one half of it. Right now Gita is in there with Asha, Shyama, and Dwadasi. Once the surgery is done we do not want Bhuni’s eye area to get accidentally knocked by any of the other cows. So Bhumi will be getting the smaller side of the geriatric barn all to her self for a couple of months. We are lucky it is winter time as there are no flies.

I am praying I will remember how to hitch up the trailer. In the past, I have helped Dad do it. This excursion is going to be hard since Dad is working in the mall this Christmas season out in California. But it has to be done and it has to be done now. The cancer growth is really growing fast in poor Bhumi’s eye so I am just going to have to suck it up and deal with it. I get sick at the sight of blood and for half of Jaya’s surgery I had my head between my knees. I am not going to have the luxury of being able to do that this time. Most likely I will have to be the one to keep Bhumi’s head under control so I am going to be right up there in the middle of the whole surgery. So everyone out there in cyber-world, please pray for Bhumi and I that we both come out of this in good condition.

Submitted by Lakshmi Devi

Radharani has passed on

2007-12-16T17:42:00.000Z

Radharani with her head on pillow. Gita, Shyama and Asha watching over her. Thursday evening.

I am sorry to announce the passing of Radharani. She passed away Friday evening between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Radharani was between the ages of 23-25 years. When she was passing and ill she was listing to Srila Prabhupada singing 24/7. I am truly going to miss her. Whenever I would enter the barn or pastures she was in, Radharani would try to pick my pockets or nibble on my clothing. She loved any and all treats she could get from anyone. Radharani was a really sweet, gentle loving cow.

One thing that really touched me in her passing was how Gita interacted with her. When ever Gita would sit down he would sit down right in front of her in her line of sight. He was a calming influence on her. He was like a meditating sage/old man giving comfort to an old friend during their illness. Asha and Shyama were also very good to Radharani. They would sit next to her or very close by. When I went to check her for the last time I knew that she had passed just by how Gita was acting. He had this look on his face saying “Radharani is no longer with us; she has gone on to a higher place”. She was not moving at all, usually when I would go to check on her I would be talking to her so her ears and eyes would move to hear and see me. I went over to her just to make sure that she had passed. I petted and stroked her like I usually do and there was no response at all. She was not as warm as she usually was. I knew for sure she was no longer with us. So I went over to Gita who was sitting right in front of her and petted him and thanked him for taking such good care of her. After I went out and closed the gates I called Mom and told her that Radharani had passed and if she could please let her adopter know of her passing.

Radharani was with the group that walked up from Gosh’s and decided to come live with us instead of returning to the big barn.

Submitted by Lakshmi Devi

Radharani is passing

2007-12-11T19:04:00.000Z

I have been very emotionally upset and drained for the last week so I have been unable to write anything. I would get ready to write and start losing control of my emotions. As it is I am tearing up right now. Radharani is passing and Bhumi needs an operation. Radhrani is one of my favorites, whenever she would see me she would come over and see what kind of treats or goodies I had for her. Bhumi has the same cancer in her eye as Jaya did. But that is another whole blog. Radharani is very inspiring to me on how she is preparing to pass. People could say, “Oh she is just a dumb animal,” but she is very aware of what is happening. She is very calm and meditative right now. Others would say you are doing too much, you are prolonging her pain and suffering, you should just put her down. (I have heard this from devotees when other cows have been passing. I have never heard it from my vet; he always tries to find ways to help me manage their pain. I always think that the devotee is not that realized at all and is missing the whole point. I always want to ask the devotees who say that to me, “How would you like to be treated when you are dying?” The time it takes for a soul to pass, no matter what body they are in, gives that soul a chance to burn off their bad karma and prepare for passing into another world. It is painful for us to watch them but how are we to understand the communication between them and God?

Gita, Shyama and Asha are holding a vigil for her right now and every night Gita sleeps right next to her. I have done everything I could to minimize her pain and make her as comfortable as possible.

Here is the correspondences Mom and I have been having with Radharani’s adopter, Vaninatha dasa.

December 5th:

Dear Vaninatha,

Hare Krishna!

I believe Lalshmi wrote you a note that Radharani's lump on her leg had gotten larger and her shoulder and leg seemed somewhat swollen. She was also having difficulty keeping up with the herd. At that point, we put her in the geriatric barn so she could easily get her food and water. We called the vet, but he only today answered our call and will come tomorrow afternoon. Since she was put in the geriatric barn, the swelling went down and she was getting around well, but just yesterday Lakshmi found her on her side unable to get up. She was lying on the side which has the leg with the lump. We thought that she could not use the leg well enough to push up. We managed to get her to sit up and she was doing fine. Then this morning Lakshmi again found Radharani down on her side unable to get up. She was shivering (it has been very cold here in the 20s and 30s). Lakshmi managed with help of two other devotees to get Radharani up and they covered her with blankets. Later in the day she was found down again. She was then braced by putting hay bales by her side to support her. A few hours ago, Lakshmi found Radharani with her head down and weak. She was still sitting up because she was braced by the hay bales.

We feel there must be something else going on in her body besides the lump on her leg which the vet had previously said was most likely a calcium deposit.. Lakshmi is feeling it is a possibility that she may leave her body in the night as she seemed very weak. We gave her Jamuna water and we have Prabhupada chanting on continuous play in the geriatric barn. Gita, Shyama, and Asha are in the barn with her.

We wanted you to know this latest development as we know you are a loving and concerned adopter. We will let you know how her health progresses.

Your servant,
Chayadevi

December 8, 2007 :

Dear Vaninatha Prabhu,

Hare Krishna!

The vet came and said Radharani had a stroke. He feels that at her age this may be just too much for her. A year ago the vet analyzed that she was anywhere from 23-25 years old in cow years. That would be 115+ in human years. Either she will have another stroke or she will get better and get up. He gave us some medicine to give her, but although we are giving it to her it does not seem like she is getter stronger. Gita has been watching over her along with Shyama and Asha. They are all sitting around her and a tape of Prabhupada singing is playing.

We will keep you updated.

Your servant,
Chayadevi

From: Richard M. Boyden $Vaninatha dasa brahmachary$
To: Lakshmi devi Dove
Cc: boydgood@hotmail.net
Sent: 12/8/2007 5:50:34 PM
Subject: Radharani............

Dear Lakshmi, All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Please accept my respects. It sounds like Radharani, the cow, is getting old and will have a hard time making it through the winter. That is not a problem. She has given her life for helping Krishna's devotees spread the word about Srila Prabhupada's mission, so she knows fully well that she is on the way to Goloka Vrindavana. She is happy and we should all be happy also. The most we can do at this point is to keep her comfortable and content. That is what CFC does, apparently. Even if they feel there is no hope, they keep trying something so the cow feels loved and comfortable. I think that is important--that the cows always feel content.
My best wishes to all.
Yours sincerely,
Vaninatha dasa (Richard Boyden)

December 10:

At this point she is very weak and we don't really know how she manages to breath. She is completely lying down with her head on a pillow and for the last few days she is not eating or drinking. Srila Prabhupada is continuously singing on the CD which we can hear from our houses which are on both sides of the barn.

Submitted by Lakshmi Devi

Number 16

2007-11-26T18:37:00.001Z

Offering obeisances before lunch. Number 10

Rudra has now officially gotten 16 groundhogs so far this year. He is a little behind on his groundhog kills for the year. Last year he got 20 and the year before he also got 20.

Every morning Rudra goes with me to the barn to help with the cows. He likes to hunt for mice, or any other animal that dares to come into the cows’ home without an invitation. Also he likes to make a nest in the hay and take a nap. Sometimes though he gets bored and goes back to parents’ house to nap on the sunny yard. Yesterday he hung out with me the whole time playing in the hay and dozing.

After Rudra and I finish taking care of the cows’ yesterday morning, we started walking back to parents’ house. When we got as far as the hay barn Rudra all of a sudden took off running towards the old woodpile and the black walnut trees. As I rounded the corner I saw him with a good size groundhog in his mouth which he was shaking very hard. He then ran to the house with the groundhog in his mouth. It was still alive. Sometimes the groundhogs die from fright by the time he gets home. That may have been the case, because by the time I got to the house it was dead and there was no blood.

Now we have this funny little thing we do after Rudra has gotten a pest (groundhogs will destroy your entire garden). He really loves it when we do it. We stand there and clap our hands and tell him he is such a good boy. He really likes it when everyone does it. You are supposed to do it at least three times on the day of the catch. If you don’t do it he makes sure to bring the dead groundhog to your attention when you come out of the house.

The next stage can go a couple of ways. Number one is that he immediately starts to eat the groundhog. Two is he lets it sit there for a couple of days and then he eats stewed ground hog. This is not bad in the winter time when it is cold since it does not smell much, but it is terrible in the summertime. The third way is interesting; he buries it, and lets it ferment for a week or two. Then he digs it up and has pickled groundhog. Rudra eats almost the whole groundhog every single time. That is unless we have to get rid of it because it smells so bad before he eats it.

He is a good dog, he eats everything he catches. No waste.

Submitted by Lakshmi Devi

Putting the garden to bed. Part 2

2007-11-23T17:40:00.001Z

The second part of putting the garden to bed has been accomplished. It took us several mornings and several helpers to accomplish this job. All the Yukon Gold potatoes have been dug up. Their skins have cured and now they are sitting in bushels in the root cellar.

It was a little nerve racking due to the weather. We had almost a week of cold and rainy days. The weather forecast was then calling for warm temperatures but with rain showers. What we needed was the weather to be warm and dry in order to be able to dig up the potatoes. Luckily the weather did cooperate and provide us with some really nice days for digging. The weather started to change the afternoon we finished digging up the potatoes. That evening we had a rain storm and the next day the temperature had dropped 20 degrees.

All we have to do now to finish putting the garden to bed is to put cow dung on a few more areas of the garden. We also need to take care of the asparagus patch.

Submitted by Lakshmi Devi

It is that time of Year

2007-11-19T18:38:00.000Z

It is that time of year again to put the old cows or ones with special needs into the geriatric barn and not let them out till spring time. So far I only have Gita and Radharani inside the geriatric barn. Radharani is the oldest cow in our herd at 23 years of age. She developed a growth on her right front leg earlier in the year. Dr. Moore our vet came and looked at it. He said as long as it is not causing her pain, or stopping her movement, he did not want to do anything to it because of her age.

I had noticed a couple of days ago that Radharani was not staying with the herd on pasture nor was she coming into the barn with them everyday. So Rudra (the dog) and I went to check on her several times a day making sure she was getting water and enough to eat. She is a real friendly lady and she also likes picking pockets for treats. She will eat anything; you really have to watch her. We were not too worried but then it started to get cold not only at night but also during the day. So Mom and I decided that if she did not come into the barn before 4 pm then we were going to put her in the geriatric barn.

So 4 pm rolls around and Radharani has not moved from the general area she was in that morning. Mom and I suited up in our cold weather gear. Mom went for the grain and I went and put gates up at the geriatric barn so that once we put her in she could not get out. Now Radharani is not only a real friendly lady she is also a real stubborn one. When she does not want to do something she does not do it no mater what you do. That is why Mom went for the grain. The trick is to have a grain bowl or bucket and that is how you get them to move without hopefully too much drama or frustration on our part. What you have to do is let them have a taste and then keep the grain right in front of them until you get them where you want them to go. Radharani was on top of the hill behind the barn, so that was going to be a little tricky and the cows were starting to come around the corner. So we had to get her though the gate at the bottom of the hill before the rest of the cows got that far.

It was close but we did it. Radharani was happy to go into the barn, in past years she was not happy in the beginning. Right after we put her into the geriatric barn Mom noticed that Gita was coming up the ramp slowly. Gita is one of the ones that Mom and I had talked about putting into the geriatric barn due to his arthritis. So we went and got another bucket of grain. Gita is always very happy to see a grain bucket and so it went very smoothly putting him in with Radharani. They have been in the geriatric barn two days together and they are very happy. We may put one or two others in with them but I am not sure yet who gets that privilege. It will depend on how the weather progresses and the cows’ health. Right now I am waiting to hear back from the vet on when he can come see Radharani to check out the lump on her leg. We will check also on what homeopathy treatment we can put her on.

Submitted by Lakshmi Devi

Putting the garden to bed. Part 1

2007-11-13T19:04:00.000Z

Now that fall is here it is time to put the garden to bed for the winter. This is the one time of year that we are willing to pick green tomatoes. Usually with the tomatoes we dry them as premiums for our members. If we have any extra after we have filled the dehydrators for the day, I can them as tomatoes puree, chutney or salsa.

When you do the last picking before the frost, you take every single tomato that is on the plant and any that may of fallen off since the last picking. We were lucky enough to get 5 buckets of tomatoes. One and half buckets were ripe and the rest were green. Mom has a really good trick to get them to ripen. What you do is get out a table put it in a room that is cool but well ventilated. You then put a vinyl tablecloth on it and then pour out the tomatoes. Also make sure that there are none piled on top of each other. Now the key is to have patience. Check them every couple of days, throw out the rotting ones and offer the ripe ones to Krishna and enjoy.

Now if you want fried green tomatoes you don’t have to do any waiting. My whole family loves fried green tomatoes and this is the only time of year we allow ourselves the luxury of them. The trick is to use a coating that does not overpower the delicate favor of the tomato. The mix I use is just cornmeal and a little salt. You put this mix in a container with a tight fitting lid. When you are ready to fry I put the tomatoes in with the cornmeal and salt and shake till they are well covered. Put them into a frying pan and just a little bit of your favorite oil (do not deep fry) and cook till golden brown on both sides. Repeat as needed. Offer to Krishna and Srila Prabhupada, then enjoy.

Memories of Govardhan Puja past

2007-11-09T17:13:00.000Z

Touring the Barn. Photo by Chayadevi Nov,1985

Ready for Puja and treats. Photo by Lakshmi devi Nov, 1985

Touring the other barns. Photo by Chayadevi Nov, 1985.

Getting back on the Ox-cart to return to the temple. Photo by Chayadevi Nov, 1985.

When I was growing up at Gita nagari, Govardhan Puja was always one of my favorite festivals. All of the girls’ asrams were responsible for decorating the temple, the barn, and the cows and making treats for the cows. Several weeks ahead of Govardhan Puja we would start cleaning the barn and brushing down the herd. We would start with the really bad cases first, the ones that needed to be hosed down as you brush them. That was really hard work and usually by the time you were done you were also soaking wet.

On the morning of Govardhan Puja we would decorate the cows and the barn. One of the really fun parts of decorating the cows was putting all different color handprints all over their coats. The paint was not harmful to the cows if they licked it or somehow ate some. Also we would spray-paint their hoofs and horns gold. After we did that we would have to run back to the asram to get cleaned up for the festival.

The really cool thing with any major festival was that Radha Damordha, the presiding deities for the farm, would come off the alter and go visit the barn. I don’t know of any other temple that the presiding deities come off the alter and tour temple/farm. Radha Damordhar would travel by ox-cart to the barn, then carried through the barn, set down on an alter, and then Go-Puja would be preformed to the chosen cow in front of them. After puja everyone would spread out and give the cows as many treats as they wanted. These were special treats, they were made out of ingredients that were not harmful to the cows no matter how much they ate.

After puja in the main barn, we usually would move onto the other barns to give darshan to the rest of the herd. Then it was back to the temple for any plays or special events before the feast.

Submitted by Lakshmi

Taking the high road

2007-11-06T20:45:00.000Z

Balaram Mediating/Sleeping

2007-11-06T19:24:00.000Z

Balaram mediating on lunch or is he falling asleep?

Krishna Fall 2007

2007-11-06T15:29:00.000Z

Krishna enjoying fall in the lower pasture.

Cutting Edge Cow Care

2007-11-02T15:01:00.000Z

Doctor Harthorn first felt Nanda's back for crucial spots to insert acupuncture needles.

The needles were then connected to a current.

Nanda got impatient and Balabhadra had to hold him.

A chiropractic tool was used on Nanda's spine

Nanda was very relaxed after the treatment.

One of our oxen Nanda, who is 13 year old , has had nerve problems in his back legs for almost his whole life due to an accident at the temple’s big barn. We rescued him from there and have been nursing him ever since. We were told by 3 previous vets over a 10 year span that there was nothing that could be done for him.

We found Dr. Harthorn who does acupuncture treatments on horses and he agreed to come and treat Nanda. He had never treated a cow or ox before and was a little unsure if he wanted to start treating one now. My Dad (Balabhadra das) explained to him that Nanda was not any ox but a member of our family and we were trying to make his life easier in his golden years.

On the day of the appointment we were going though the halters and seeing if we had one that could fit Nanda. Normally none of our cows or oxen wear a halter, but when the vet visits then they have to. So we were looking and we took out the largest one we have, it is for say a Clydesdale horse. When I went to put it on him it was 3 inches short. So I just put a lead rope around his neck. Nanda is a huge boy, when I stand at his shoulder there is still a foot to go before you get to the top of him.

This is the first time we have tried this treatment for spinal and nerve problems for one of our cows. Immediately after the treatment, we could see Nanda was standing differently, not so stretched and more like a normal cow. Since the treatment, we have only seen him freeze up once. But in that situation he was facing down a very steep hill. Once we (Rudra and I) got him turned around, he just walked off as fine as can be. We have not seen him freeze up since that time.

After the acupuncture treatment Dr. Harthorn gave Nanda shots of Vitamin B 12 and Hypericum. This was injected into the same spots the needles were taken out of. We had told Dr. Harthorn that we have been giving Nanda the homeopathic medicines Ruta and Hypericum. These medicines have helped but they did not made the crucial difference needed for Nanda.

We will have to just wait and see how Nanda does, maybe he will need more treatments, maybe he will improve enough with one treatment. Dr. Harthorn said he was not sure how much he could do for him since he has had this condition for a long time.

We have also been giving him Chinese herbs which were prescribed by the Doctor. It has been about two weeks now and he is really acting better. We are thinking about having Dr. Harthorn come out again and do another session on Nanda.

Dr. Harthorn practices a school of medicine called Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine (TVM) that includes a combination of acupuncture and Chinese herbs. You can read more about this cutting edge treatment at http://www.tcvm.com/.

Submitted by Lakshmi Devi

Moving to ISCOWP Web Site

2007-09-08T17:15:00.000+01:00

Dear Members and Friends,

Hare Krsna!

All cow protection and related information from ISCOWP will now be concentrated at:
ISCOWP Website We have been in the process of improving the site. Check it out!

If you would like to receive web updates, contact us at: iscowp@earthlink.net

Read the current ISCOWP newsletter in PDF by clicking the link: ISCOWP News Volume 17 Issue 2

The paper version was mailed out Friday to all donors.

In the previous Update Letter we mentioned that we were having some difficulty with the garden, read all about it at this link:

The Garden Needs YOUR Help!

See you at: ISCOWP Website

Your servant,

Balabhadra das

Remove the Mud Campaign Finished

2007-07-28T15:05:00.000+01:00

Because the location where we needed to pour concrete was inacessable to the concrete trucks, we had to hire a boom-pump truck. With its boom fully extended it could reach a hundred and ten feet.

We hired a local concrete contractor to help with the pour. We had hired them before and they enjoyed doing this job because of the unique nature of the project.

Halfway through the project and still going strong.

Bhima wouuld like to come into the barn and help with the pouring of the concrete. However we have a full crew for this job and Bhima doesn't have his rubber boots with him.

76 1/2 yards of concrete later and the job is finished.

"Ah, now I can come up the ramp and get back into the barn. Thanks guys, you did a good job!" Bhima exclaims.

Remove the Mud Campaign a Success

2007-07-23T14:59:00.000+01:00

New Vrindavan crew working on the fence line

Thanks to all our donors and volunteers for the improvement of the barn at the ISCOWP farm. When the ISCOWP farm was acquired in 1996, the property looked quite different than it does today.

Original barn in 1996

Barn now in 2007

The Remove the Mud Campaign has done what it set out to do-remove the deep mud in the barn area. Because there was very little in the way of a cement floor, deep mud and pot holes prevailed. Most of the barn area under roof has been cemented including around the silo. This week we will cement the 20 foot area from the new fence line to the second line of poles that runs horizontal to the barn. June 19 we started excavating this area and it is now ready. There is more about that part of the project here Update Letter

Ummm Good!

2007-07-18T16:15:00.000+01:00

"My friends and I rotate between two pastures on the ISCOWP farm to give each pasture some time to rejuvenate. Today, we moved to the other pasture. I must say that the grass on the other side of the fence looked a lot better than the rest of the pasture. I had to tell everyone else and they joined me in a scrumptious lunch. Maybe it is greener on the other side of the fence!" said Gita, now the King of the Herd.

Latest ISCOWP Newsletter Online

2007-06-23T14:10:00.000+01:00

Rathi Indian breed

ISCOWP Newsletter Volume 17 Issue 1 is now available online. Click
Latest Newsletter to access the PDF file with color pictures of “Cow Protection Around the Globe.” Hard copy is also available in black and white. Let us know if you would like to be put on our web update mailing list or if you would like to receive a hard copy.

Jaya’s Fight Against Cancer

2007-06-09T15:20:00.000+01:00

A rainbow formed and ended right above Jaya after his surgery

It has been 3 ½ years now since Jaya was diagnosed with cancerous growths in both eyes. We called our local vet back then and he came and diagnosed the growths as cancer on the third eyelid. Upon diagnosis, we immediately took Jaya into the barn and Dr. Moore surgically removed both growths. Due to the location of the growths, Dr. Moore felt there was no guarantee that he removed every cancer cell. Everything was fine for sometime. Again, we noticed some growth in the eye that previously had the larger growth. In September 2006, Dr. Moore again came and surgically removed as much of the growth as he could. The other eye remained clear. At that point, Jaya also had a spot of cancerous growth on his eyeball. Again, Dr. Moore told us he might not have gotten all the cancer, and he would most likely lose his eye in 6 months due to the spot he saw on Jaya’s eyeball.

Over the winter months, we used homeopathic remedies to see if we could minimize and hopefully kill the growth. Everything was going nicely and even the growth on his eye disappeared. In early spring 2007, the growth on his eyelid started again. It was growing slowly and then started to accelerate. It was again time to call Dr. Moore for an evaluation and possible surgery. Dr. Moore arrived at the ISCOWP farm and made an evaluation of Jaya’s eye. The cancer was now growing and pushing the eyeball back into his skull. Dr Moore recommended that we should go to Ohio State University Veterinary hospital. They could either laser or freeze the cancer and save Jaya’s eye. Dr Moore contacted the hospital and made the arrangements for us to go there.

Although we have a trailer, we do not have a truck road worthy enough to pull the trailer with Jaya in it on a long trip. Dr. Moore called one of his friends, Valerie McDonnell who hauls horses, to take us and Jaya. Valerie told us later that she was afraid to take the job because we were Hare Krishna’s. She decided to take us after Dr. Moore told her we were good people.

On Tuesday, June 5, she came and picked us up. My daughter Lakshmi, Jaya, and I were off to the Ohio State University hospital. It was a 3 hour drive. During the drive, Valerie and Lakshmi talked about caring for animals with love.

When we got there, Jaya was unloaded from the trailer and taken into his operating room. The first evaluation was that there was a tumor behind the eye as well. In order to get as much of the cancer as possible, it would be necessary to remove his eye. Of course, we were hoping that this would not be the case. Then the experts from the optical department were called for consultation and after a hands-on evaluation, they also concluded that in order to remove the cancer the eye would also have to be removed. All doctors evaluated the other eye as cancer free. He was then given general anesthesia and then local anesthesia in a 360 degree pattern around his eye.

The operation was performed and during the operation, the doctor and student interns were all talking to Jaya and addressing him by his name. Jaya is 13 years old and quite a handsome fellow what to speak of being over two thousand pounds. Nobody could believe that he was 13 years old and in such great shape. The operation took little over an hour and after the operation, we spoke with the doctor and the interns and gave them some ISCOWP literature. Everyone was very happy to meet us and to be able to be of service to Jaya. They all remarked how well behaved he was.

The doctors told us that this kind of tumor is not uncommon amongst white-faced cattle. By nature, the tumor has branches, and they thought there was a good chance they got it all. When the tumor was removed, it was the size of a softball about 3 inches in diameter, which apparently was causing a lot of pressure behind his eye.

On the way home, Jaya sat down in the trailer for the whole ride. When we got back to the farm, he was quite happy to be home. We put him in the geriatric barn with special cutting hay. Unfortunately, we have not allowed the other cows to come into contact with him for fear that his healing eye will get bumped. He is quite content in the geriatric barn. We will keep him there for the next 3 weeks until the time we can remove the stitches. In the barn, it is very cool and there are considerably less flies. The big concern now is to keep everything clean and the flies away from the wound. We were given a special spray to spray on his face to keep flies away. He is eating well and seems to be happy.

Valerie read the entire ISCOWP memorial issue for the passing of Vraja and decided to give us a discount for her services. She now wants to visit Prabhupada’s Palace and temple to understand more about the Hare Krishna philosophy.

After we had gotten Jaya secured in the geriatric barn, there was a five minute downpour of rain followed by a beautiful rainbow which ended right above the geriatric barn and Jaya. To us this was a very favorable sign and the end of successful journey to the Ohio State Veterinary hospital. We humbly request everyone to pray for Jaya’s speedy and full recovery.

Vishwa Gou Sammelan (World Cow Conference)

2007-05-21T18:01:00.000+01:00

A rescued bull attended all events at the main pandal

We received a personal invitation to attend the World Cow Conference in Hosanagar, India. After much debate, we decided to attend. An experience of a lifetime followed. On this page we write a little about the event to just keep you informed of our activities. We have also included a slideshow of the event at the bottom of this page. More information will follow in additional articles.

Shree Raghaveshwara Bharathi Swamaji, the spiritual leader of Shree Ramachandrapuramath has dedicated himself to the preservation of the indigenous breeds of Indian cows. Part of his mission is to prevent cruelty and slaughter of cows, restore love, dignity and respect to cows, conduct scientific research on different aspects of cow rearing and breeding, educate Indian farmers and general public about the benefits of rearing Indian breed cattle, promote cow centered organic agriculture, health care and therapy, and establishment of cow centered industries.

At the conference there were scientists, doctors, lawyers, farmers, cow protectors, and others from around the world presenting their knowledge and understanding of cow protection. We felt that it was important that our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, be represented as it has been his long term vision of cow protection that has inspired us for years to protect cows. To this end we were able to speak publicly of Srila Prabhupada's vision before a thousand people, many more by press coverage, and presented our literature to many individuals.

We want to thank all the other devotees that attended to increase Srila Prabhupada's presence. Special thanks to Govindanandana and Radha Kanta from Hungary, and Hrimate from Mayapur for their contribution of photos and assistance in making sure the devotees had a strong presence.

So much information was made available at the conference that it will take us some time to absorb fully. It was tremendously inspiring to attend such a mega event where approximately a 1/2 million people attended to just learn, share their knowledge, and see the cow.

You may view some pictures of the event by either:
World Cow Conference

Cow Protection Around the Globe Part IV

2007-04-11T09:43:00.000+01:00

Four of Sudevi's calves

I kept hearing about Sudevi and her cow protection program in Radha Kund, which is located about 20 miles from Vrindavan, India I kept asking different people who she was and how I could find her. When I visited Kurma Rupa's CARE FOR COWS in Vrindavan, I asked him about Sudevi and indeed he did know her and said he would take me to her place.

Sudevi is doing a similar program as CARE FOR COWS. Injured cows are brought to her for healing as well as cows being rescued from the streets so that the night time trucks of butchers don’t pick them up and take them for slaughter. Her main area of operation is Radha Kund and Govardhan and her shelter is located in Radha Kund.

Sudevi and helper taking care of a wounded leg

When I was there in the end of February she was taking care of 100 cows/oxen and calves. Her animals are very well cared for by herself and hired staff. Kurma Rupa's vet , Dr. Lavania, also visits Sudevi's shelter several times a month and gives her free medical aid for her animals.

Sudevi's project from the rooftop

Sudevi is of German descent. In her youth, her father was a German Ambassador to India. As a young girl Sudevi very much liked India, so when her parents were recalled to return to Germany she stayed on in India. She has been in India for 25 years and for the last ten years she has been caring for cows in Radha Kund.

Sudevi

Sudevi's shelter is run with love for the cows but is seriously under financed. She does not have a computer and relies on donations to keep her cow care project funded. Anyone wishing to place donations to her project can do so through ISCOWP and we will make sure she receives them. A very worthy project to help.

Cow Protection Around the Globe Part III

2007-04-01T15:01:00.000+01:00

Delivering hay to the barn by ox cart

Visiting Krsna Valley (New Vraja Dhama) in Hungary has been a desire of mine for many years. Finally the desire manifested in a visit to Krsna Valley in Early March 2007.

The cows are treated with love and devotion and are one of the focal points of the community. The oxen are being engaged in many different services daily so that their usefulness is appreciated and respected by the devotees. The barns are clean and hay and other feed for the cows are grown and offered with love and devotion to the cows/oxen.

Govindanandana getting ready for a training session with Tharkurji and Haladhar, a young team of oxen

The cow program in Krsna Valley is very carefully thought out in regards to growth of herd in relationship to carrying capacity of the land, available labor force, and long term (15-20-year) planning.

The driving force behind Krsna Valley is two fold, spiritual and practical. The first driving force is Sivarama Maharaja who is pushing the community to actually live a lifestyle depending on the COW/HUMAN/LAND relationship with all of the fruits of labor being offered with love and devotion to Lord Krsna.

The second driving force is Gaura Sakti Prabhu who is a very deep thinker and planner. Over the last 14 years the community has grown from 4 devotees to close to 150 devotees. Most of the devotees live directly on the farm and some live in the nearby village.

Gaura Sakti prabhu showing Syamsundar prabhu from Bhaktivedanta Manor in England, some of the products from the farm

A strong Krsna Conscious presence and practical, grounded, and well thought out planning are evident at every turn. There is a board of directors assisting Gaura Sakti Prabhu and each department head and department staff are always thinking and planning how to reach the community’s goal of depending on Guru and Krsna. based on the COW/HUMAN/LAND relationship.

Currently the community is totally self-sufficient 5 months of the year.

A sampling of some of the products from the farm

Spiritual Purity and careful, thoughtful planning are proving to be key ingredients in the successful development of the Krsna Valley community.

The morning spiritual program is daily attended by well over 100 devotees
The grounds are clean and well maintained.
There are well over 600 fruit trees.
Hundreds of trees have been planted bringing back into the local eco system many species of birds which have not been seen in the area for decades
There is a 175 colony apiary producing 1st class honey bearing the KRSNA VALLEY label, which is becoming famous throughout Hungary.
There is a first class art department that has created one of the most BEAUTIFUL temples in all of ISKCON.
First class Restaurant.
The community is currently hosting 25,000 visitors a year with many returning visitors bringing friends and family to experience the KRSNA VALLEY EXPERIENCE.
The cow protection and maintenance of the cows/oxen is first class and carefully thought out.
The community's school program is well thought out and developing nicely.
Development of cottage industry based on agricultural products is on going.

These are just a few programs going on at the Krsna Valley community. Next year we will be having a Cow Protection Conference at the Krsna Valley community. It will mainly focus on the European countries’ cow protection and farm projects development. I look forward with great anticipation to return to visit the Krsna Valley community and to have their association so I can learn more from them.

I do believe the cow conference will be around Gaura Purnima. Stay tuned for the announcement of actual time.

Anybody traveling close to Hungary please make KRSNA VALLEY a part of your travel plans. Krsna Valley is a must go to destination for any traveling Vaisnava.

Violation of ISKCON Minimum Cow Protection Standards

2007-03-29T22:51:00.000+01:00

In response to Madhava Gosh’s letter, I feel compelled to publicly voice my observation on the purchase of new cows to restart the New Vrindavan herd. During the course of numerous discussions with the NV cow department over the last 10 years, it was acknowledged that the breed of choice to restart the New Vrindavan herd would be Brown Swiss.

Last November a donor gave a sizable donation to purchase cows. More cows than we wanted to begin with. At that time, 2 Brown Swiss heifers were located and they were both pregnant. They were purchased and close to Christmas day, they both gave birth to bull calves during the Mangal Artik time (4:30 am). So 2 cows now turn into 4 cows. It was also considered auspicious that both calves born were bull calves, because this will be the 1st ox team for the new herd. So far so good.

About 10 days ago, Ranaka prabhu (goshalla in charge) and I again were talking about the next installment of new cows for New Vrindavan. He said it was hard to find Brown Swiss and he was thinking about the Jersey breed. There was no talk of actually buying the next installment of cows. Three days ago, I heard that 5 pregnant Holsteins had been purchased and they would be arriving on Wed. March 28th. These 5 pregnant Holsteins cost $8,000 and were delivered to the temple.

The problem lies in the fact that the temple goshalla has maxed out the little barn by the temple. The little barn has 8 stalls which will now be filled. The 2 existing calves are now living in what would be the birthing stall and within 2 to 3 months there will be at least another 3 calves. What to do with the calves when the birthing stall is needed?

When I asked Ranaka prabhu about the calves and birthing stall, he said cows could be sent to the big barn in the valley where New Vrindavan ran their commercial dairy that was shut down in 1992. At this location, 2 miles away, 150 cows were milking tied into a commercial dairy quota of milk for sale.

A few years ago, Radhanath Swami and other devotees at NV wanted to counteract the past history of cow neglect that took place at the NV big barn. The consensus was that when the cows are out of sight, less community participation in their care takes place and that’s one of the reasons that the cows were neglected. Even today, the old cows and invalid cows are staying at the big barn and do not receive proper medical attention. Guest are not brought down there, nor do the devotees go down there regularly.

Once again, the cows are being sent out of sight, out of mind.

When I asked Ranaka prabhu what the plan was for the new cows and calves, it was stated that there is no plan.

After 12 years of trying to get New Vrindavan to at least name their cows and to at least comply with the Minimum ISKCON Cow Protection Standards, it is now necessary to bring up this current violation. The purchase of these last 5 pregnant cows was a total surprise to the vast majority of community members, what to speak of some of the current Board of Trustees who had no idea that the purchase was taking place. The final straw of Managerial neglect is that there is no plan other than milk production for these cows.

I have been giving seminars at New Vrindavan for several years now entitled HOLISTIC COW CARE: NOT JUST MILK. It is unfortunate that this topic has fallen on deaf ears and that the cows are still considered as CASH COWS for fund raising, for milk production, and possibly for commercial milk sales. My position as the ISKCON Minister of Cow Protection and Agriculture is as an advisor. My advice on this purchase of 5 pregnant Holsteins was not sought. If consulted, I would have said too many cows too quickly. I am writing this letter to go on record that I was not a part of this purchase nor do I approve of this purchase.

Listed below is Standard 9, Requirements for Acquiring Cows, Not Allowed.
This is the standard that New Vrindavan has violated.

Not Allowed
• 1) Animal Acquisition
Procuring or breeding of a cow for the purpose of supplying milk without any plan for the care, training and engagement of offspring.
• 2) Lack of land and funds for animal care. Failure to provide sufficient land, cowherds, and funds to support the cow and/or offspring.

For a full view of the standards refer to: MINIMUM COW PROTECTION STANDARDS, ISKCON Law 507

Go to Section 2: Breeding Standards, Standard 1X Requirements for Acquiring Cows

Your servant,
Balabhadra das
ISKCON Minister for Cow Protection and Agriculture

Cow Protection Around the Globe Part II

2007-03-27T19:21:00.000+01:00

Another stop was Mayapur cow project in India. Here is an excerpt from Balabhadra’s letters while there.

“Yesterday we had a 3 hour goshalla meeting. The bottom line depends on how many bulls are working. The agriculture department will take 6 bulls and start working them. The Mayapur goshalla will use 6 bulls for agriculture and transport, and Hrimati's bullock man will take 2 for 2 months and train them and return them trained. They have now 9 bulls trained and doing service, so if all goes according to plan, 21 will be trained and working. The agriculture department showed up bright and early the next morning after the meeting and was checking out all of the oxen. Hrimati was there and she was amazed that they showed up so quickly and were fired up about picking out their 6 oxen.

Oxen are now employed in spiritual processions in Mayapur

Hrimati is a member of the animal protection committee at Mayapur. She speaks fluent Bengali and is not afraid to get involved. During the meeting, I was able to push through a lot of her proposals and projects that need done at the goshalla.”

Mahadeva, the lead bull was very sick when Balabhadra was there. He spent much time helping the devotees take care of him. An operation was performed, but we found out later he never fully recovered and has passed away. He was greatly loved by the devotees there.

Mahadeva right before he became very ill

Hrimate with Abhay Charan who will replace Mahadeva as breeding bull.

Cow Protection Around the Globe

2007-03-12T11:16:00.000Z

Balabhadra at Wenda's: "All of Wenda's cows/oxen are rescue. One of these 3 Holsteins was so sick that Wenda slept with him in the barn for 6 months. He is now quite healthy and as sweet an ox as can be. "

Being a simple cowherd at heart, Balabhadra now realizes he could have taken a laptop with him and updated you all as he traveled. Now that he is in Estonia taking a break, he has sent some photos of his trip.

The first stop was Wenda Shehata’s project in East Sussex England.

Another cow protector, Labangalatika in Raigad India, wrote us about her. That’s how we found out about her and decided to visit her.

“Do you know about Wenda in England who has a cow rescue place and 34 cows and bulls? When she was a small girl she freed some calves meant for slaughter and had to hide all night in the bushes to avoid being caught but got severely beaten anyway. She vowed when she grew up to have a place where nothing would ever be killed and when she was 35 she did this with help of Matthew whom she met after her son was grown up and on his own. They have this place for 13 yrs now and she does Agnihotra every morning and makes 500 cow dung cakes a day. The two of them do all their own work.

She is a devotee, and uses homeopathy in treatment of cows. She also was an activist to stop the veal trucks at Dover. She came to India this year to research how to use gobar and mutri and give some talks. She went to Kurma Rupa too and she has a book contract in Europe. She was to come and visit here but the Nasik riots held her up and she had to get her plane back to UK and have police escort from Nasik to Mumbai!!! “

Balabhadra: "The brown cow was terribly abused and was full of fear for a long time. Due to Wenda's sensitive and gentle care she is quite well now. She asked me to name her and I named her Vrindavan Isvari."

When Balabhadra visited he felt that the quality of cow care was exemplary and that we can all learn from their loving and efficient cow seva.

Submitted by Chayadevi

Cow Protection in a Cold Climate

2007-02-13T15:10:00.000Z

This winter we are having below freezing temperatures. The cows have grown furry coats to keep them warm. Some of them are hard to recognize in comparison to how they looked in the summer with their sleek shiny coats.

They voluntarily go outside the barns in the cemented area between the geriatric barn and the old barn, but they are not going as far as the barnyard. They prefer to stay close to the food, shelter, and water.

Because the temperatures have been well below freezing (one day it was -20 below 0), there is ice almost entirely sealing the water troughs that must be broken twice a day even though we have trough heaters. This afternoon the ice was so thick in one trough that I could only break some of it. With slightly lower temperatures the next day, the water heater was more effective.

Dwadasi taking a drink before I broke the ice

While I feel that I am fighting for survival in the cold and snow, I will see a cow standing in the cemented area chewing her cud covered in snow with some of it freezing on her ears and chin. She will remain contented, as if it is no big deal and she isn’t bothered in the least.

Shyama chewing her cud

Taking care of cows in a cold climate is definitely full of challenges not found in a warm climate. Hay has to be grown, harvested, and moved to the cows. Shelter has to provided from the wind, snow, and ice that is sufficient for the long winter months. Labor is needed to feed the cows daily. Frostless water hydrants and troughs must be operating to supply water. For those cows that are old and diseased, separate yet connected shelter gives them comfort in the cold months. All this and more as opposed to constant grazing on green pastures that is allowed in a warm climate.

submitted by Chayadevi

Hay = Food for the Winter Months

2007-02-06T14:33:00.000Z

Feeding out a big bale by unwrapping

The first step in harvesting hay is mowing the standing crop and laying it in windrows. A rake is equipment used to move the mowed windrow across the soil surface or remaining crop stubble, creating a narrower windrow that will dry more rapidly. Hay balers are farm machines that pack and tie field-dried hay into more dense hay bundles, called bales, for convenient handling, storage, and transportation. Hay balers are grouped by the type of dense bundle or "bale" produced; small square/rectangular, large round, and large square/rectangular.

Large hay bales were introduced with large round balers during the 1970s. Large round bales with diameters of 4, 5, or 6 feet and widths of 4 or 5 feet can contain between 1000 to 2000 pounds of hay (roughly the equivalent of 20 to 45 small square bales) and are too heavy to handle manually.

Compared to small square bales, making large round bales reduces the number of bales the farmer/rancher needs to handle and may save in reduced handling and labor costs.

We receive large round bales from the New Vrindavan cow department since the majority of our cows come from the New Vrindavan herd. Once these large bales are placed in the barn, the twine can be cut and removed and the hay placed in the feed aisle with a pitchfork. Either the round bale can be unrolled and plates of it put in the feed aisle or the hay removed from the bale by simply manually unwrapping and then placing it in the feed aisle.

Our barns are designed with an upper floor above the feed aisle where the large bales are placed. This makes it easier as there is a downward thrust to place the hay in the feed aisle. Gravity is working with us. However, it is still a labor-intensive service and takes about 3 hours everyday in the winter months. That time includes covering all the cow dung with old hay each day. We have a system of bedding that layers the dung and hay creating a soft warm bed in the winter.

ISCOWP Update

2007-01-19T15:00:00.000Z

Balabhadra riding plow at Bhaktivedanta Manor, England

ISCOWP News, Volume 16, Issue 3 is now online at ISCOWP Website. Take a look at the memorial issue for Vraja. If you would like a hard copy just email us your snail mail address.
You can contact ISCOWP at
iscowp@earthlink.net

Remove the Mud Campaign has been a success with all the needed funds collected. Construction on the non-cemented area of the barn will begin this spring or summer, depending on the weather.

Balabhadra and Lakshmi (daughter) have been in the mall since September to earn income for the personnel of ISCOWP. That will be over in a week. Balabhadra will then travel, as the ISKCON Minister for Cow Protection and Agriculture, to England, India, Hungary, and Czech Republic to visit the various ISKCON cow protection centers. If you would like to meet up with Balabhadra, contact us and we will see what can be arranged.

Act Now! Stop Cow Slaughter! Something you can do for the cows.

Here on the farm, winter is upon us and the cows are now restricted to the barnyard as there is no grass on the hillsides to eat. Daily feeding out of hay is great exercise. We will write more on taking care of the cows in the winter in the next entry.

A Joyous Occasion

2006-11-11T15:40:00.000Z

Let us see what is going on in the pasture!

Thanks for the heart rending but wonderful inspiring write up about Vraja. Here we can see how cows really have wonderful emotions.

I also had the good fortune to have a similar experience. The difference was that the occasion was of joy.

Once I had been to a farm of my devotee friend HG Dayanidhi pr. We reached there early morning. He has few cows that were disowned by their owners and were left at a veterinary hospital. The owners got them admitted and never came back to get them.

So, he got some of the cows as the hospital authorities were or could not take proper care.

Now the cows were happy as they had enough to eat and a place to graze.

We reached the farm early morning and were doing our prescribed duties. We could also see that the pregnant cow would give birth today. So, that cow was not sent for grazing on the day. At around 10am the cow gave birth to a nice calf. As the calf lay on the ground, and the cow was licking the calf, one cow who was grazing with the herd around 200 meters away, came close to the shed and saw that a baby had been born. She started jumping and dancing in happiness seeing the new baby just as we humans celebrate. Then while jumping she circumambulated the cow and calf and ran off to graze after being shooed away from the newborn calf by us.

We thought it was over. No, within few minutes the whole herd came jumping and galloping to the shed and after seeing the cow and calf were all right, performed a group dance for few minutes. The herd (only a few cows) was just jumping around the cow and calf and we could see sheer joy on their faces.

All of us were just as joyful seeing the cow dance. This dance was like devotees dancing at climax of Kirtana.

After some time they had to be shooed away and all went to graze happily after having seen and welcomed the new one.

I hope this helps all to develop their love for Sri Krsna's most dear animal and human's friend.

Your Servant
Madan Gopal Das

iscowp@earthlink.net
ISCOWP Website
Life With the Cows and Land

Remembering Vraja the Famous Ox

2006-11-07T15:50:00.000Z

Picture: Hauling wood, Vraja on right "leaning into the yoke"

All glories to Srila Prabhupad. Thank you so much for that glorious story about the departure of the great Ox Vraja. I too am sitting in a mall for Christmas but by hearing this pastime. I was immediately transferred to the woods of Gita Nagari bringing in wood with Balabadra and the oxen. All glories to the oxen!

Gour Hari das

Dear Chaya, Lakshmi, and Balabhadra,

Please accept my respectful obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I just wanted to express my most sincere condolences on the passing away of Vraja. He is now in the spiritual world with Srila Prabhupada, Radha and Krsna.

With love,
Karuna Purna dd

Dear Balabhadra, Chayadevi, & Laksmi,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

We were so sad to hear of the passing away of Vraja. What a glorious servant of Krsna. We will sadly miss him. We think of you often and look forward to our next visit. Hare Krishna.

Your humble servants,
Srutadeva das and Deanna Rose

Dear Balabhadra, Chayadevi, and Lakshmi,

I thought you would enjoy seeing this from a friend of mine. She had come over to my house to see the oxen and also had brought her grandchildren to see them while they were at the Govinda’s restaurant. Her grandchildren still speak of the experience.

Urvasi Devi dasi

Thank you for sharing this with me. I am very sad to learn of Vraja's passing. He served his time well on earth as he opened many people to a deeper perspective of these gentle beings. Thank you for bringing them to Ojai.

Dale

iscowp@earthlink.net
ISCOWP Website
Life With the Cows and Land

Remembering Vraja the Famous Ox

2006-11-03T18:35:00.000Z

Balabhadra, Vraja and Gita in front of the capitol building in Washington DC 92'

Hare Krishna,

I'm very sorry/happy to hear the sad/wonderful news of Vraja's glorious passing.
Thanks for all you hard work caring for Krishna's cows.

Hare Krishna
ysaf, Vidyananda dasa

I also posted a remembrance on my blog.

View From a New Vrindaban Ridge

Vraja was a long term resident of New Vrindaban. Read the story of his passing and remembrances of him at Life With The Land and the Cows.

“I don’t think people realize just how gentle, considerate, and intelligent these huge beasts are. They need our protection and our love and in return, they will give their very life, their total dedication in service to us. Can anyone say that about a tractor? Does a tractor soften our hearts or teach us lessons of life? Can a tractor show us the interconnectedness of all living creatures on the deepest spiritual and emotional level? From these great animals we can learn all there is to know about relationships and our own false ego and hang ups that keep us from surrendering fully to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and being in harmony with all that is around us.”

One day I was working in our garage when this pickup truck came flying out the lane from Balabhadra’s and stopped in a cloud of dust.

“Do you know who lives at that farm?” the guy asked me.

“Yes”, I replied, and he said”I just spent the last hour in a tree with my friend. A big bull chased us and we had to climb it to escape. He finally moved away a little and I was able to get down and make a run for the fence, but my friend is still up in the tree!”

I looked at him for a while, then asked, “Were you carrying a 5 gallon plastic bucket?”

His jaw dropped and he looked at me in surprise. “How did you know that?” he asked.

The reason I knew was that I had had similar experiences, and had guessed he had been carrying tools in a bucket. I forget why he was out in Balabhadra’s pasture, but it was some legitimate thing, working on a phone line or something, and he needed small hand tools.

While I was still healthy and doing Farmer’s Markets, and Balabhadra was still getting established, we used to clean out his barn in exchange for keeping the manure. I would back down into the barn and Tulasi and I would load 5 gallon buckets with the black gold. Having it in buckets made unloading and applying to the garden easier.

Vraja would come into the barn and be a real annoyance. He would get in the way. He would poke his horns in the buckets of manure and then toss his head. I tried to keep chasing him away but he was very persistent. I actually scheduled runs to the barn at the times I knew he would be out on the pasture where he couldn’t see us. It wasn’t that he was mean, but the chance he would step on your foot inadvertently or swing his head to chase flies and catch you with one of his long horns was a consideration. Mainly though, was being in the way.

Turns out it wasn’t that he necessarily liked hanging out with us; some curiosity was there, but mostly it was the buckets. Balabhadra fed him grain out of one, so he was conditioned to expect some goodies whenever he saw one and would crowd in so he didn’t miss anything. Hence, seeing someone in the pasture with a bucket, he naturally followed them and his enthusiasm for an expected treat had been misinterpreted as aggression. I still laugh visualizing those guys up a tree with Vraja waiting patiently below.
Madhava Gosh

In his own way, Vraja was a great preacher of Krsna consciousness and has now left his limiting material body to continue his devotional service in another sphere. It's sad to see him go, but wonderful to contemplate his life.
Your servant,
Hare Krsna dasi

Haribol dear god-sister Chaya devi,
Jaya Srila Prabhupada!
I've been meaning to email you for some time now, and Vraja's passing was the impetus to finally contact you.

Vraja was a special soul and dearly beloved by the other cows and devotees, so I wanted to offer my respects to this soul in a cow's body.

You know I love the cows, and in my small way, I try to help them by using my artistic abilities. Have you seen my website? Saradiya.com

I remember you and your dear husband from Seattle. It's been years!
Hope all is well.

Jaya Srila Prabhupada! All glories to Lord Damodhara, all glories to all the devotees and all glories to all the beautiful cows!

Respectfully,
Your god-sister,
Saradiya dasi

Dear Chayadevi Prabhu,
All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Please accept my humble obeisances. I am so sad to hear about Vraja. I'm sure all the prabhus there must be feeling a great loss. If my adoption came through before he passed, then I am happy to know he was remembering me from so long ago. It is for certain, that Vraja networked with me when I first saw him in D.C. in '92, even though I was not fully aware of it then. That is the power of Krishna's cows. Now we have come full circle and we will continue to grow in understanding even more as the years go by, by grace of guru and Gouranga.

Tears are running down my face. I don't know what to say.
Krishna gives and takes away. Blessed be His Name.
Your humble servant, Vaninatha dasa brahmachary 10/30/06

iscowp@earthlink.net
ISCOWP Website
Life With the Cows and Land

Remembering Vraja

2006-11-02T13:15:00.000Z

Shelda giving homemade peanut butter cookies to Vraja

My love to everyone,

Please just know that my heart and love as always is with all of you in this very stressful time, but also know that Vraj is home now and happy and young again, and able to move pain free and enjoy his life with Krishna. He had such a wonderful life and home with all of you. The work that he and Gita did over the years and the lives that they touched has been many, and he will always be in many hearts all over the world. Loved and treasured by so many humans, he knew that all his herd mates loved and respected him and wished him well and a speedy transition to the waiting arms of Krishna.

Please give my love to Chaitanya also as I know that he is going through a very difficult time with this. He had developed such a wonderful relationship with Vraj and loved him very much. You could see when the two of them were together that Vraj loved him as well and appreciated what he was doing for him.

I know that this is going to be such a loss for Balabhadra and my heart goes out to him. I realize that it is a void that can never be filled, but I know that in his heart he will always be alive and with him every second till they are reunited again.

I know that it is going to be difficult for everyone because he was family and so many years together will never be forgotten but treasured in rich and happy memories.

I didn't know him very long, but loved him very much just the same. I went to the barn a couple of times when he was lying down, and he let me give him a massage. I never did that unless he let me know that it was ok to give him a good rub. He would turn his massive head around and those big eyes would say "Ah thank you, that felt so good." Then he would let you know when that was enough and he just wanted to rest. I am so glad that I got to give him his peanut butter cookies because you could see the smile in his eyes when he got them. Of course, I never did get them made big enough for him, but he liked them just the same.

Please stay in touch and know that I am always here for everyone and I treasure your friendship and want to be able to help anytime that I can and in any small way that I can.

Love
Shelda

iscowp@earthlink.net
ISCOWP Website
Life With the Cows and Land

Tribute to Vraja

2006-11-01T16:35:00.000Z

My dear longtime friend Chayadevi and all others with the ISCOWP farm,

I am so deeply saddened about the passing away of grandfather Vraja. What a wonderful being he was! Such a wise and kindhearted soul. I’m glad that I was able to spend time with him just two years ago.

I will never forget when Vraja and Gita stopped by my house for a few days for some R & R between the Los Angeles and San Francisco Ratha Yatras. They were just young kids then and just as cute as can be. You had saved them from within one day I believe, of being sold. I loved giving them my front yard as their home. How they caused quite a commotion when sighted by the cars that drove by! Many people came over to pet them, and they learned about your wonderful program of cow protection, a vegetarian diet, and how the oxen love to use their tremendous strength to work. That year I went to both Ratha Yatras and I could just see that they enjoyed being in the parades and getting so much attention and admiration from the crowds.

Vraja (right) and Gita on Urvasi's lawn

I also remember the previous year when you brought the fully-grown oxen Burfy and Lee (short for Lilananda) for an R & R stay. One evening after dark I was out sitting and talking with them and giving them big hugs and affection as they laid in my front yard, both of them over 1,000 pounds each. With Balabhadra’s encouragement, I laid on one of their sides. To this day I can still feel his warmth, and the sounds of his deep inhale and exhale with the up and down movement of his chest as he laid there in complete trust and contentment.

Urvasi dd on right with Burfy and Lee, Beatrice Wood, and Balabhadra d

I don’t think people realize just how gentle, considerate, and intelligent these huge beasts are. They need our protection and our love and in return, they will give their very life, their total dedication in service to us. Can anyone say that about a tractor? Does a tractor soften our hearts or teach us lessons of life? Can a tractor show us the interconnectedness of all living creatures on the deepest spiritual and emotional level? From these great animals we can learn all there is to know about relationships and our own false ego and hang ups that keep us from surrendering fully to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and being in harmony with all that is around us.

Prabhujis, all glories to your most important service to the people of planet Earth, and Earth itself. You have dedicated your lives so fully to bringing this to the attention of the masses. I wish for you all facility for your expanding service. I know that your hearts are heavy with the loss of Vraja and it will take time for both you and the animals to grieve his loss. My love and prayers go out to you.

Your friend and servant in the service of Srila Prabhupada,

Urvasi Devi dasi

iscowp@earthlink.net
ISCOWP Website
Life With the Cows and Land

VRAJA

2006-10-31T19:00:00.000Z

Picture: Vraja this summer

10/29/06
Dear Vaninatha prabhu,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

It was a pleasure to read your letters, your history, and realizations. We were so happy to have Vraja adopted by you. But, there is some very sad news to tell you.

Yes, Vraja is the same ox you saw at the Washington DC Rathayatra in 1992. He and his brother Gita led many Rathayatra parades across the country. The potency of their preaching was beyond the preaching most of us devotees are able to offer to Srila Prabhupada. Vraja was so extremely handsome and noble that he attracted so many people to him.

If you look at our blog you will read how Vraja had arthritis for the last 2 years. Being old for an ox, they rarely live to 16 years, the arthritis was not a surprise. We treated it with some alternative medicines, as allopathic medicines really had nothing to offer. However, in the last month he was struggling to overcome it and was becoming weaker. We hoped he would make a comeback like he had so many times in the last 2 years.

We kept him separate from the herd because he had fallen and was having trouble keeping up with them. He was in the loafing shed (geriatric barn) with the gate open and could roam the adjacent lawn. Radharani was also there with him as company. She is an old cow, 22 to 25 years old, but she is in good shape. The way the barns are laid out, Vraja had daily association with the rest of the herd.

A week ago, he lost his footing and fell flat on his side. Chaitanya Bhagavat, trained by Balabhadra, is taking care of the cows in Balabhadra's absence. (Since we do not take funds from ISCOWP for our personal income, Balabhadra is in a mall for the winter season generating funds for ourselves. We do not collect enough to cover the cow projects and pay ourselves.) Chaitanya Bhagavat found him. Chaitanya talked to him and soon Vraja got up. However, Chaitanya noticed that he was walking less steadily than before.

When Vraja fell, all the cows came down the hill to see if he was okay. Ujala was moaning. Vraja got up and Ujala stopped moaning. The next day when Chaitanya went to feed Vraja, the herd came down the hill at a trot to see how he was feeling. They were stretching their necks over the fence to talk to him. He seemed to be assuring them that he was okay. Shelda Bloomingdale, a volunteer, was there and wrote about it in the blog. Please read that to know more. It is entitled “Cows Love one Another.”

At this time, the weather was glorious, some cold nights but also some warm days. There were no flies or bugs, etc. Vraja was enjoying himself. He loved to be near the apple tree that was close to the house and ate almost all the apples. The night before last, Vraja must have fallen and could not get up. When we woke up in the morning, Chaitanya heard Ujala moaning and quickly got out of his cabin and ran in the direction of the moaning. Vraja was down near the apple tree. He was by the fence line and all the cows were around him. He had struggled in the night to get up, but could not. His face was looking up at the herd. He was very weak. Chaitanya chanted the Maha Mantra and two names of Krsna (Govinda, Gopala) in his ear. He then told Vraja he would be right back. Then he left to get me to see if there was something we could do. When we got back to him, he had left his body. The herd was still there.

We are very much missing him. He was such a noble soul. To the last days he remained majestic and noble and we are happy that he did not have to linger in the barn for a long time. We are thankful that his last days were spent pasturing with the herd nearby. We are thankful that he heard the names of Krishna right before his death. We are also thankful that he obtained you as his adopter in his last days, that he wasn't forgotten by his admiring public while in his retirement.

We are most sorry to give you this news, as we have been to experience it. We will eventually have a memorial to him on the ISCOWP web page, blog, and newsletter.

10/30/06
Today we buried Vraja in the field. Ray tried to do it while the herd wasn’t looking, but near the end when Vraja was being covered with dirt, they figured it out and ran over to the spot bellowing. That bright moon evening they returned to the spot where he was buried. Bhima, Nanda, Gita, Surabhi, Vishaka, and Kalki sat in a circle around the spot where Vraja was buried. They were mooing and crying in memory of Vraja. It was if they were holding a memorial service. Chaitanya Bhagavat joined them and the memorial service went on for several hours. The next morning Ujala was bellowing and Chaitanya Bhagavat found her kicking the dirt at the highest point of Vraja’s mound and rubbing her face in the dirt. Then she looked up and joined the herd moving past Vraja’s burial place and onto the barn.

Vraja was their lead cow. He was like their father or grandfather. Since they were babies, he was the big protector and decided where the herd would go and who could do what. When anyone would come into the field, Vraja would approach first and analyze whether they were friend or foe. If a stranger came into the field not accompanied by one of us, he would chase them out of the field. When another cow went down, he would be right there supervising our rescue efforts. He would stand over all of us (he was 7 feet to the tip of his horns), watching.

Now Gita has taken up the position as King of the Herd. In fact, he had already taken up this responsibility when Vraja was not with the herd. However, Vraja still had the respect of the herd. He was sure to maintain a proud and noble stance, holding his head up high even when arthritic and at the time of death.

The pain of his separation will take awhile to pass after having protected and loved him for the last 16 years. We welcome any remembrance writings about Vraja to include in his memorial tribute.

Your servant,
Chayadevi

iscowp@earthlink.net
ISCOWP Website
Life With the Cows and Land

Vraja Left Us

2006-10-31T17:05:00.000Z

Picture: Vraja this summer

10/29/06

Dear Vaninatha prabhu,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

It was a pleasure to read your letters, your history, and realizations. We were so happy to have Vraja adopted by you. But, there is some very sad news to tell you.

Yes, Vraja is the same ox you saw at the Washington DC Rathayatra in 1992. He and his brother Gita led many Rathayatra parades across the country. The potency of their preaching was beyond the preaching most of us devotees are able to offer to Srila Prabhupada. Vraja was so extremely handsome and noble that he attracted so many people to him.

If you look at our blog you will read how Vraja had arthritis for the last 2 years. Being old for an ox, they rarely live to 16 years, the arthritis was not a surprise. We treated it with some alternative medicines, as allopathic medicines really had nothing to offer. However, in the last month he was struggling to overcome it and was becoming weaker. We hoped he would make a comeback like he had so many times in the last 2 years.

We kept him separate from the herd because he had fallen and was having trouble keeping up with them. He was in the loafing shed (geriatric barn) with the gate open and could roam the adjacent lawn. Radharani was also there with him as company. She is an old cow, 22 to 25 years old, but she is in good shape. The way the barns are laid out, Vraja had daily association with the rest of the herd.

A week ago, he lost his footing and fell flat on his side. Chaitanya Bhagavat, trained by Balabhadra, is taking care of the cows in Balabhadra's absence. (Since we do not take funds from ISCOWP for our personal income, Balabhadra is in a mall for the winter season generating funds for ourselves. We do not collect enough to cover the cow projects
and pay ourselves.) Chaitanya Bhagavat found him. Chaitanya talked to him and soon Vraja got up. However, Chaitanya noticed that he was walking less steadily than before.

When Vraja fell, all the cows came down the hill to see if he was okay. Ujala was moaning. Vraja got up and Ujala stopped moaning. The next day when Chaitanya went to feed Vraja, the herd came down the hill at a trot to see how he was feeling. They were stretching their necks over the fence to talk to him. He seemed to be assuring them that he was okay. Shelda Bloomingdale, a volunteer, was there and wrote about it in the blog. Please read that to know more. It is entitled “Cows Love one Another.”

At this time, the weather was glorious, some cold nights but also some warm days. There were no flies or bugs, etc. Vraja was enjoying himself. He loved to be near the apple tree that was close to the house and ate almost all the apples. The night before last, Vraja must have fallen and could not get up. When we woke up in the morning, Chaitanya heard Ujala moaning and quickly got out of his cabin and ran in the direction of the moaning. Vraja was down near the apple tree. He was by the fence line and all the cows were around him. He had struggled in the night to get up, but could not. His face was looking up at the herd. He was very weak. Chaitanya chanted the Maha Mantra and two names of Krsna (Govinda, Gopala) in his ear. He then told Vraja he would be right back. Then he left to get me to see if there was something we could do. When we got back to him, he had left his body. The herd was still there.

We are very much missing him. He was such a noble soul. To the last days he remained majestic and noble and we are happy that he did not have to linger in the barn for a long time. We are thankful that his last days were spent pasturing with the herd nearby. We are thankful that he heard the names of Krishna right before his death. We are also thankful that he obtained you as his adopter in his last days, that he wasn't forgotten by his admiring public while in his retirement.

We are most sorry to give you this news, as we have been to experience it. We will eventually have a memorial to him on the ISCOWP web page, blog, and newsletter.

10/30/06
Today we buried Vraja in the field. Ray tried to do it while the herd wasn’t looking, but near the end when Vraja was being covered with dirt, they figured it out and ran over to the spot bellowing. That bright moon evening they returned to the spot where he was buried. Bhima, Nanda, Gita, Surabhi, Vishaka, and Kalki sat in a circle around the spot where Vraja was buried. They were mooing and crying in memory of Vraja. It was if they were holding a memorial service. Chaitanya Bhagavat joined them and the memorial service went on for several hours. The next morning Ujala was bellowing and Chaitanya Bhagavat found her kicking the dirt at the highest point of Vraja’s mound and rubbing her face in the dirt. Then she looked up and joined the herd moving past Vraja’s burial place and onto the barn.

Vraja was their lead cow. He was like their father or grandfather. Since they were babies, he was the big protector and decided where the herd would go and who could do what. When anyone would come into the field, Vraja would approach first and analyze whether they were friend or foe. If a stranger came into the field not accompanied by one of us, he would chase them out of the field. When another cow went down, he would be right there supervising our rescue efforts. He would stand over all of us (he was 7 feet to the tip of his horns), watching.

Now Gita has taken up the position as King of the Herd. In fact, he had already taken up this responsibility when Vraja was not with the herd. However, Vraja still had the respect of the herd. He was sure to maintain a proud and noble stance, holding his head up high even when arthritic and at the time of death.

The pain of his separation will take awhile to pass after having protected and loved him for the last 16 years. We welcome any remembrance writings about Vraja to include in his memorial tribute.

Your servant,
Chayadevi

iscowp@earthlink.net
ISCOWP Website
Life With the Cows and Land

Cows Love One Another

2006-10-26T14:45:00.000+01:00

10/25/06
Dear Chaya,

I just wanted to share with you my experience Sunday morning when I accompanied Chaitanya to feed and count the cows.

As you know, the day before Vraja (16-year-old ox) had an accident. Due to his arthritis, he lost his footing and fell flat on the ground. It was a bit scary for Chaitanya Bhagavat and me as we thought that maybe he would not get up. After awhile he got up, but he later lay down again. Once again, we were concerned that he would not get up, as he seemed exhausted. After resting awhile, he got up again. Witnessing his fall, the rest of the herd came running to the scene to see what happened.

The next day I went with Chaitanya on his morning service to the cows. He mixed the medicines in the grain for Vraja and got the bucket of grain for Gita. Since Gita was right at the fence patiently waiting (not), he fed him first. Chaitanya then went around the corner of the barn to feed Vraja. Vraja heard us and came up to the road. Chaitanya gave him his grains and brushed him a bit before we crossed over the fence to count the other cows that were up on the hill.

We crossed over the fence and Chaitanya started brushing Balaram. I then noticed that all the cows were coming down the hill towards us at a faster than usual speed. I thought that maybe they had seen Chaitanya giving grains and were looking for that, but they sailed past us just as if we weren’t even there and went straight to the fence line where Vraja was still eating his grains. They all were straining to see how he was doing or so it seemed for they paid no attention to us. They just stood there watching him and seemingly stretching their necks over the fence out towards him, talking to him. He seemed to respond back to them as well, maybe reassuring them that he was better today. I don’t know actually how long they were there conversing, because I was so engrossed in watching them communicate. It was such a joyful sight to behold.

It was really amazing to be given the opportunity to witness this first hand, you could tell that they were genuinely concerned about their friend and were glad to see him back on his feet after his mishap yesterday morning. I have read about things like this before, as I am sure you have, but had never had the privilege to witness it. They truly do have compassion, respect, and love for one another, more so than most humans it would seem. Actually, I think most humans could learn something valuable from the cowherd families. At least you can know that their reactions are honest and pure and not the fake concerns that most humans offer one another.

Well, I am so glad that Vraja is doing much better now and I am sure that everyone else feels the same.

Shelda Bloomingdale

Vraja can be adopted at: Adopt A Cow

The Cows are Out!

2006-09-27T18:19:00.000+01:00

Picture: Krishna the rascal

What a pleasant day. No one around, nice and quite. A good time to read and write. Then the phone call came and everything changed.

It was Balabhadra in Pittsburgh to say the cows were out. He had gotten a phone call from Madhava Gosh that they were in his yard, which is about a mile down the road form our farm.

Ray just came by and was still at the house so I knew I could employ him to help me herd them back to the farm. There was no one else on the farm at the time. Ray and I got in his truck and headed down the road to Gosh’s house. More than half way down the road, we came upon Krishna leading a small group of cows towards the farm. Ray said, “That’s a good sign.”

Then Ray remembered there was a gate at Bhakta Dave’s property that bordered the road and led into the pasture that was just behind Krishna and his band of renegades. As we opened that gate I gave the “wooo-ooo-ooo” sound, and I saw Krishna completely turn around and look at me like “What’s happening now!” I said to him, “Get up Krishna! We’re changing pastures.” Well he didn’t buy it but the others did and went right through the gate. Then another bunch came down the road and they saw their friends go through the gate and they followed. Now we were getting very lucky until Radhe Shyam went through Pusti’s property to try to get into the pasture where the other cows were going. Little did she know that there was no gate from Pusti’s property into the pasture, so she was stuck and scared and did not know where to go. Ray walked her back through Pusti’s and down the road to where the other cows went but she wouldn’t go through the gate.

I started herding Krishna, Dwadasi, Yamuna, and Radhe Shyam down the road and Gosh herded the cows in the pasture in the same direction. Ray rotated between the two groups. The idea was to move them to another pasture where there was more grass. By this time, my heart was pounding, and I am trying to do yoga breathing while I am running with the cows so I won’t collapse. I was thinking, “Wow! I am 60 years old and running around like a teenager after these cows. I better not get too confident.”

Well we managed to get them into the greener pasture. Then I realized we should do a count to make sure we got them all. Counting the cows can be difficult especially when they are all moving at the same time in different directions and it is getting dark. Ray and I came up with a count that two were missing. Then we looked over to the next hill and saw Big Shyam coming. By the time Big Shyam got in the pasture, it was dark.

As I looked around the top of the hill where the cows now were, I hoped that I would get a different count but there was still one missing. Then Janaka came home and said that there was a cow at the bottom of the hill standing by the gate. Sure enough, it was Radharani, the oldest in the herd (about 22-25 years old). She probably could not keep up with everyone as she is now moving quite slow.

Once she was in with the rest of the herd, it was time to rest. It took several hours for the adrenaline rush to dissipate and then I really felt 60 years old plus a few years.

Chayadevi

Unbelievable

2006-09-25T14:29:00.000+01:00

What else is there to say. . .

Outrage and despair

The May 2006 issue of Discover magazine has an article about a train in Sweden that runs on cow manure. According to the article, the train "is billed as the most environmentally friendly train in the world." Wonderful!

But there is a disturbing second part to the article. "This summer, however, Svensk found a way to use the whole heifer. Now the company chops up the cows and converts their guts, fat, and bones into an organic sludge, which then gets processed as before. It takes about 30 cows to power the train along its 75-mile route from Linkoping to Vastervik, one of the countrysides's most beautiful stretches of rail."

The "rational" response to this is that the business of farming cows is anything but environmentally friendly. It uses a ridiculous amount of water and land and pumps tons of gallons of chemical waste into our oceans every day.

But I can't think about the "rational response" right now because my brain is spinning with questions of ethics. Morality. Spirituality even. In what moral system is it okay, even worthy of positive press, to breed and murder living, feeling beings to power your commute to work? How can I live in a world where scientists are actively pursuing more ways to brutalize beings who feel love, pain and terror? I'm sure that there is a nice explanation, that this technology uses the bits that are "left over," or "wasted" in the agricultural industry. Use their legs for dinner, their skins for a nice pair of shoes, and use their brains and guts for locomotive fuel. Does that sound the least bit repulsive to anyone else? Rationalizing the efficient, economic use of their bodies is beyond my comprehension. Have you ever been close to a cow? They are beautiful creatures with soft fur and funny tails, who like to graze in the company of others like them. They are not fuel. I don't even know what else to say.

Posted by Heather McKenzie at the Ojai Post Blog and sent to us by Urvasi dasi, September 2, 2006 10:17 PM

CANNING - A Way to Preserve Your Food

2006-09-22T13:36:00.000+01:00

Picture: ISCOWP root cellar

Before freezers were around canning was the most popular method of preserving. In many cold climate households, especially in rural areas, canning is still the primary method of storing garden produce. An obvious advantage of canning is that there is practically no storage problem. You may can until your basement bulges whereas your freezer space is definitely limited. And you need only invest in a pressure canner and canning jars, both of which can be used over and over again, through many harvests.

EQUIPMENT

Many of the items needed for canning are readily available in a well equipped kitchen. Of course some special equipment is needed: home canning jars, two piece vacuum sealing caps, small canning utensils and the appropriate canner necessary for the type of food being canned.

Jars - Glass home canning jars, sometimes called Mason jars, are the only glass jars recommended for home canning. They come in a wide variety of sizes and styles. The jars are especially made so the home canning closures will seal well when the manufacturer's instructions are followed. The glass in the jars is tempered to withstand the heat of the steam-pressure canner. Jars are available with regular and wide-mouth openings in sizes ranging from 4 ounces to one half gallon. Always select the size jar called for by the recipe, and follow the recipe processing time exactly.

Closures - The home canning two piece vacuum cap, a lid and band, comes in regular and wide mouth sizes. The set consists of a flat metal lid with a flanged edge, the underside of which has a rubber-like sealing compound, and a threaded metal screw band that fits over the rim of the jar to hold the lid in place during processing. The lid is not reusable, the band can be reused if it is in good condition.

Boiling Water Canner - Foods high in acid (fruits) can be processed in a boiling -water canner. The heat is transferred by the boiling water , 212F at Sea Level, which completely covers the jar and two piece cap by 1 to 2 inches. They are made of porcelain -coated steel or aluminum. They are available commercially at a low price.

Steam-Pressure Canner - Low-acid foods (vegetables) must be processed in a steam-pressure canner. The steam in the pressure canner circulates around the jar, transferring heat and bringing the food to an internal temperature of 240 F. Although purchasing a steam-pressure canner may be costly, it is essential if you are going to can low-acid foods.

Small Canning Utensils - Specifically designed utensils for home canning, while not essential, help make the canning process easier and safer. Most pieces are available where home canning supplies are sold or direct from a manufacturer of canning products:
Jar lifter - Lifts any size home canning jar, is rubber coated for a sure grip and has a heat-resistant handle to protect hands.
Jar Funnel - aids in filling regular and wide mouth jars and is best made of plastic.
Plastic Spatula - helps remove excess air from the jar without damaging the glass.
Lid Wand - has a magnetized tip and plastic, heat resistant handle from lifting lids from hot water.

PROCESS
The process for each food varies but all have some similarities. Vegetables can be canned as part of a recipe with other vegetables or alone. Fruits can be canned alone or as jams, sauces, etc. To give you an idea, the following is a description of canning a vegetable alone.

Canning Green Beans , Step by Step
1) Read recipe instructions; assemble equipment and ingredients before starting. Follow guidelines for recipe preparation, jar size, canning method and processing time. Do not make changes in recommended guidelines.
2) Visually examine canning jars for nicks, cracks, uneven rims or sharp edges that may prevent sealing or cause breakage. Examine canning lids to ensure they are free of scratches and the sealing compound is even and complete. Check bands for proper fit.
3) Wash jars and two piece caps in hot, soapy water. Rinse well. Dry bands; set aside. Heat jars and lids in a saucepot of simmering water (180 F). DO NOT BOIL LIDS. Allow jars and lids to remain in hot water until ready for use, removing one at a time as needed.
4) Select fresh green beans which are young tender and crisp. Wash beans in several changes of water; lift beans out of water and drain.
5) Remove strings and trim ends. Cut or break beans into uniform pieces. Prepare only enough for one canner load.
6) Cover beans with boiling water; boil 5 minutes. Remove beans from cooking water.
7) Remove canning jar from hot water with a jar lifter; set jar on a towel. Add 1 teaspoon salt per quart or 1/2 teaspoon salt per pint, if desired. Carefully ladle hot cooking liquid or boiling water over beans, leaving 1-inch headspace.
8) Run a metallic spatula between green beans and jar; press back gently on beans to release trapped air bubbles. Repeat procedure 2 to 3 times around jar.
9) Wipe rims and threads of jar with a clean, damp cloth. Remove lid from hot water with tongs or lid wand. Place lid on jar rim with sealing compound next to glass. Screw band down evenly and firmly, just until resistance is met.
10) As each jar is filled, set it onto the rack in the steam-pressure canner. The canner should contain 2 to 3 inches of hot water; keep water at a simmer (180 F) until all filled jars are placed in the canner. Check the water level; add boiling water, if necessary.
11) Put cover onto canner and turn to lock lid in place. Adjust heat; bring water to a boil, leave vent open until steam has escaped steadily for 10 minutes. Put weight on vent.
12) Bring pressure to 10 pounds for altitudes at or below 1,000 feet above sea level. Keep pressure steady during entire processing period. Process pints 20 minutes, quarts 25 minutes. When processing is complete, turn off heat.
13) Let pressure return to 0 naturally. Wait 2 minutes to open vent. Unfasten cover; raise canner lid towards you, allowing steam to escape in opposite direction. Lift off cover. Let jars set in canner 5 to 10 minutes to adjust to the lower temperature. Remove jars from canner and set them upright, 1 to 2 inches apart, on a towel to cool. Do not retighten bands. Let jars cool 12 to 24 hours.
14) After jars are cooled, check lids for a seal by pressing on the center of each lid. If the center is pulled down and does not flex, remove the band and try to lift the lid off with your fingertips. If the lid does not flex and you cannot lift it off, the lid has a good vacuum seal. Wipe off lid and jar surface with a clean, damp cloth to remove food particles or residue. Label, store jars in a cool, dry, dark place.

Chayadevi

Here Comes the Rain

2006-09-19T14:34:00.000+01:00

"The clouds, impelled by the winds, released their nectarean water for the benefit of all living beings, just as kings, instructed by their brahmana priests, dispense charity to the citizens". Srimad Bhagavatam 10.20.24

Spring was late in coming. It was cold and the last frost was a week late, happening in late May. Summer came with very little rain; possibly an official drought would be declared, but we just missed that designation. Now September is like October. It became cool immediately after the hot summer and the rains came. If only some rain had come during the summer! So many green tomatoes have not ripened! All in all the weather has been very poor for growing our garden.

Gardens need the warmth of the sun and water to grow. When the rains are insufficient so are the crops. While suburbanites do not care to see the sky darken with impending rain clouds, even after many long sunny days, gardeners are thankful for the sight. One’s whole perspective on life changes according to one’s lifestyle.

Chayadevi

Dentures Needed!

2006-09-14T01:50:00.000+01:00

Take a look in this mouth and give us an estimate of the cost.

Remember this patient chews mostly grass, sometimes grain.

He can not be expected to dental floss regularly.

Leave estimate and references in this blog's comments and we will get back to you.

Your services donated to this ox's dentures will reap good karma and be greatly appreciated by all cow lovers.

Why September 11?

2006-09-11T14:50:00.000+01:00

Ganga will never be slaughtered

The Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have others do onto you," Is one of the uniting principles in the world's major religious traditions. In Judaism, it is taught, "What is hateful to you, do not to your fellowmen." (Talmud, Shabbat 31a) Christianity teaches, "Whatever ye would that men should do to you, do you even so to them." (Matthew 7:12) The followers of Islam declare, "No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself." (Sunnah, Hadith) In Confucianism it is said, "Surely it is the maxim of loving kindness: Do not unto others that which you would not have them do unto you." (Analects 15.23) Buddhism also teaches, "Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.' (Udana-Varga 5.18) And finally, in the world's earliest religious scriptures, the Vedic literature, we find, "This is the sum of duty: Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done unto you."(Mahabharata 5.1517)

The world of science echoes the world's religions with its own equivalent of the Golden Rule. Newton's Third Law of Motion says that "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." While Newton's law applies only to material nature, the implications run deeper still, extending to the most subtle levels of existence. In the East, this is called the law of karma.

In a very fundamental sense, too, this law relates to our treatment of animals. The violence in society is at least in part the result of our merciless diet and abuse of the natural world around us. In karmic terms, violence begets violence. In dietary terms, you are what you eat.
Food for the Spirit, Steven Rosen

Not to hurt our humble brethren (the animals) is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough. We have a higher mission--to be of service to them whenever they require it... If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.
Saint Francis of Assisi (mystic and preacher)

Prabhupada: [...] But in the western country the cows are specially being killed. Now the reaction is war, crime, and they are now repentant. And they will have to repent more and more.
Jayatirtha: So the wars and the crime are a direct result of the cow slaughter.
Prabhupada: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. It is a wholesale reaction. All these crises are taking place.[...]
Room Conversation with Mr. & Mrs. Wax, Writer and Editing Manager of Playboy
Magazine -- July 5, 1975, Chicago

"Until he extends the circle of compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace."
Albert Schweitzer

In this age of Kali the propensity for mercy is almost nil. Consequently there is always fighting and wars between men and nations. Men do not understand that because they unrestrictedly kill so many animals, they also must be slaughtered like animals in big wars. This is very much evident in the Western countries. In the West, slaughterhouses are maintained without restriction, and therefore every fifth or tenth year there is a big war in which countless people are slaughtered even more cruelly than the animals. Srimad Bhagavatam 4.26.5

To be nonviolent to human beings and to be a killer or enemy of the poor animals is Satan's philosophy. In this age there is enmity toward poor animals, and therefore the poor creatures are always anxious. The reaction of the poor animals is being forced on human society, and therefore there is always the strain of cold or hot war between men, individually, collectively or nationally. Srimad Bhagavatam 1.10.6

Until we have the courage to recognize cruelty for what it is--whether its victim is human or animal--we cannot expect things to be much better in this world... We cannot have peace among men whose hearts delight in killing any living creature. By every act that glorifies or even tolerates such moronic delight in killing we set back the progress of humanity. Rachel Carson

We are the living graves of murdered beasts, slaughtered to satisfy our appetites. How can we hope in this world to attain the peace we say we are so anxious for? George Bernard Shaw (Living Graves, published 1951)

As long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seeds of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love. Pythagoras (6th century BC)

We don't want to stop trade or the production of grains and vegetables and fruit. But we want to stop these killing houses. It is very, very sinful. That is why all over the world they have so many wars. Every ten or fifteen years there is a big war -- a wholesale slaughterhouse for humankind. But these rascals -- they do not see it, that by the law of karma, every action must have its reaction.

You are killing innocent cows and other animals -- nature will take revenge. Just wait. As soon as the time is right, nature will gather all these rascals and slaughter them. Finished. They'll fight amongst themselves -- Protestants and Catholics, Russia and America, this one and that one. It is going on. Why? That is nature's law. Tit for tat. "You have killed. Now you kill yourselves."

They are sending animals to the slaughterhouse, and now they'll create their own slaughterhouse. [Imitating gunfire:] Tung! Tung! Kill! Kill! You see? Just take Belfast, for example. The Roman Catholics are killing the Protestants, and the Protestants are killing the Catholics. This is nature's law. JSD 6.5

As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields. Leo Tolstoy

If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian. We feel better about ourselves and better about the animals, knowing we're not contributing to their pain.
Paul and Linda McCartney

Panca-gavya, the five products received from the cow, namely milk, yogurt, ghee, cow dung and cow urine, are required in all ritualistic ceremonies performed according to the Vedic directions. Cow urine and cow dung are uncontaminated, and since even the urine and dung of a cow are important, we can just imagine how important this animal is for human civilization. Therefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, directly advocates go-raksya, the protection of cows. Civilized men who follow the system of varnasrama, especially those of the vaisya class, who engage in agriculture and trade, must give protection to the cows. Unfortunately, because people in Kali-yuga are mandah, all bad, and sumanda-matayah, misled by false conceptions of life, they are killing cows in the thousands. Therefore they are unfortunate in spiritual consciousness, and nature disturbs them in so many ways, especially through incurable diseases like cancer and through frequent wars and among nations. As long as human society continues to allow cows to be regularly killed in slaughterhouses, there cannot be any question of peace and prosperity. Srimad Bhagavatam 8.8.11

To kill cows means to end human civilization. Srimad Bhagavatam 1.4.9

The cow's calf not only is beautiful to look at, but also gives satisfaction to the cow, and so she delivers as much milk as possible. But in the Kali-yuga, the calves are separated from the cows as early as possible for purposes which may not be mentioned in these pages of Srimad Bhagavatam. The cow stands with tears in her eyes, the sudra milkman draws milk from the cow artificially, and when there is no milk the cow is sent to be slaughtered. These greatly sinful acts are responsible for all the troubles in present society. Srimad Bhagavatam 1.17.3

According to Manu, the great author of civic codes and religious principles, even the killer of an animal is to be considered a murderer because animal food is never meant for the civilized man, whose prime duty is to prepare himself for going back to Godhead.

He says that in the act of killing an animal, there is a regular conspiracy by the party of sinners, and all of them are liable to be punished as murderers exactly like a party of conspirators who kill a human being combinedly. He who gives permission, he who kills the animal, he who sells the slaughtered animal, he who cooks the animal, he who administers distribution of the foodstuff, and at last he who eats such cooked animal food are all murderers, and all of them are liable to be punished by the laws of nature. Srimad Bhagavatam 1.7.37

Apple Harvest Party

2006-09-10T03:02:00.000+01:00

Today we had an apple harvest party in the cool root cellar that is part of our house. Much of our house is built into the hillside. The root cellar is into the hillside, basically mostly underground, with no windows. It stays cool in the summer and makes a comfortable place to work.

Shelda came from Marietta, Ohio to help. Chaitanya Bhagavat and Jason came, and Kevin showed up too. Shelda attended our Harvest Workshop last year and ever since then has been coming to the farm to volunteer her services. She really likes cows and cow protection and has adopted Dwadasi. Chaitanya is now living in the cabin on our farm and is being trained by Balabhadra in self-sufficient skills. Jason has been living at New Vrindaban for the summer and is coming to the ISCOWP farm to learn what he can from Balabhadra. Kevin stayed with us 10 years ago; training with Balabhadra and helping us get established here at the ISCOWP farm. He has now just moved back into the area.

We had two apple peelers operating. You stick the apple on the prong, turn the hand crank and the peels fall away and a beautiful spiraled apple is left. You can adjust the hand machine for different sizes of apples. Then you put the apple in a solution of water and lemon to prevent discoloring. Cut the apple spiral and either put the apple pieces on a drying rack or in the cooker to make applesauce or apple butter. We made a lot of dried apples because you can use them later to make apple pie and other baked apple preparations during the seasons when there are no fresh apples. We also made 48 pints of applesauce.

Of course the best part is when we offer the applesauce and dried apples to Lord Krsna and then taste the FRUIT of our labor!

The Future Belongs to Organic Gardening

2006-09-08T02:15:00.000+01:00

Round zucchini is very popular with ISCOWP's organic produce customers.

Sales of organic foods have grown at an annual rate of 20 percent or more since 1990, making organic farming one of the fastest growing segments of U.S. agriculture. This rapid growth is all the more impressive because, unlike conventional agriculture, organic farming is not heavily subsidized by taxpayers' dollars. The rise of organic agriculture is consumer-driven, not subsidy driven, and indeed organic farmers market their food directly to consumers much more frequently than conventional farmers. Market share for organic producers will continue to expand due to rapid growth in consumer demand. In contrast, conventional agriculture is not sustainable because it depends heavily on petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides. An important policy implication of this article is the need to discontinue government subsidies for conventional agriculture, since organic farming is the only sustainable form of agriculture and will be the only alternative in the long run.

Agribusiness conglomerates, such as Monsanto, Du Pont, Dow, and Novartis, incorrectly argue that organic yields are low. Based on an ongoing long-term comparison study at UC Davis, organic yields were at least as high as conventional farming for all crops tested: tomato, safflower, corn, and bean (Clark, 1999). A recent study comparing organic and conventional apple production in California’s Central Coast showed higher yields as well as higher returns under the organic systems (Swezey et al., 1994). And another recent study compared organic, conventional, and integrated apple production systems in Washington State over a 6 year period, and found that the organic system was more profitable, had similar yields, better tasting fruit, and was more environmentally sustainable and energy efficient than the other systems (Reganold et al., 2001).

Organic agriculture can play an important role in averting future crop failures both in the US and in the rest of the world. The Rodale Institute compared conventional and organic systems for corn and soybeans in a study know as the Farm Systems Trial. Although yields were comparable during years of normal rainfall, the key result is that organic practices markedly improved the quality of the soil, thereby allowing soybean yields to remain relatively high even in the face of a drought. Unlike conventional farming, organic practices allow the soil to retain moisture more efficiently, while the higher content of organic matter also makes organic soil less compact so that root systems can penetrate more deeply to find moisture (Rodale Institute, 1999).

Not only is organic farming better able to withstand droughts, but it is also relatively immune to the inevitable shortages of petroleum supplies. Conventional agriculture is heavily dependent on petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides, while in contrast organic farmers are more insulated from volatility in energy prices. Therein lies an important competitive advantage of organic. For example, corn yields would fall dramatically from 130 bushels per acre to approximately 30 bushels, in the absence of chemical (petroleum-based) fertilizers, pesticides, and petroleum powered irrigation (Pimentel, 1998). The world is moving relentlessly towards this scenario, as conventional oil production could hit its maximum (peak) before the year 2010 (Campbell & Laherrere, 1998). Moreover, it is important to note that even before we reach this maximum, the costs of extracting petroleum would rise sharply, as oil companies are compelled to tap into oil deposits that are less accessible. Finally, the costs of extracting oil will exceed the benefits, implying that further production is not economical.

While organic production continues to grow rapidly in a competitive free market, conventional agriculture is heavily subsidized through direct farm payments, counter cyclical payments, crop insurance, and a network of research institutes and extension agents. These handouts, which are critical for the survival of conventional agriculture, tend to keep farmland and resources tied up in our highly mechanized, chemical-based farming systems, thereby inhibiting the growth of organic. It is reasonable to conclude that organic would have grown even faster if it had not been for the subsidies that conventional agriculture receives.

The misuse of taxpayers' dollars to subsidize conventional agriculture is symptomatic of a misdirected society. Even in the current situation, in which economically accessible supplies of petroleum are still largely available, conventional agriculture depends heavily on subsidies. The subsidy bill will have to grow sharply in order to maintain conventional farming systems in the face of rising petroleum prices and dwindling supplies. But we have to put these issues into the proper perspective. Although organic farming is a sustainable alternative, the human race will, on many other fronts, continue to experience an array of social, economic, and environmental problems unless we accept the spiritual principles that were enunciated by Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada. All the difficulties of material existence have a common source, i.e., we want the Kingdom of God without God. Fortunately, these problems also have a common solution, i.e., a society centered around the Supreme Lord.

Campbell, Colin J. & Jean H. Laherrere, "The End of Cheap Oil", Scientific American, March 1998, pp. 78-83.

Clark S., et al, 1999. "Crop-yield and economic comparisons of organic, low-input, and conventional farming systems in California’s Sacramento Valley." American Journal of

Written for the ISCOWP News by Chand Prasad PHD.

Alternative Agriculture v. 14 (3) p. 109-121

Pimentel, D. (1998). Energy and dollar costs of ethanol production with corn. Hubbert Center Newsletter, 98/2 M, King Hubbert Center for Petroleum Supply Studies.

Reganold, J.P., J.D. Glover, P.K. Anrews, H.R. Hinman, 2001. “Sustainability of three apple production systems, Nature, 410: 926-930.

Rodale Institute, 1999. 100-Year Drought Is No Match for Organic Soybeans, (http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/global/arch_home.html).

Swezey, Sean, Jim Rider, Matthew Werner, Marc Buchanan, Jan Allison, and Stephen Gliessman, 1994. “Granny Smith conversions to organic show early success,” California Agriculture, Vol. 48.

Two Brothers Reflect on a Protected Life

2006-09-05T01:19:00.000+01:00

Hay Gita, its looks like the real hot days of summer have again passed and the cooler days of Autumn are upon us. I can’t remember sitting in this spot and ruminating after a morning of grazing. This summer was so hot we were in the barn most mornings by 7:30 or 8:00 and stayed there till late afternoon. Those high 90's days were hard to handle. The humidity didn’t help either, but lucky for us Balabhadra has 3 water tanks in the barns and we have shade and cool, clean water within easy access.

That’s right Vraja, this summer was harsh and the rain has been a lot less than usual. Balabhadra is moving us from pasture to pasture quicker so we don’t overgraze the pastures. I remember one year back in the 1990's we were having to eat hay in the middle of August as the drought was so severe there just wasn’t any grass in the pastures to graze.

That was a really harsh summer Gita, but those drought summers do happen occasionally. We’ve seen a couple of drought summers in our 15 years of protected life with Balabhadra and family on the ISCOWP farm. We were just 1 day away from going to the sale barn when we were bought by ISCOWP and given a protected life.

We were trained to voice commands so we could work the land under Balabhadra's direction. Balabhadra had us doing so much service on the farm we were able to stay in great physical shape. We Plowed up fields, worked them down for the planting of grains and other crops, and hauled firewood and fence posts. Sometimes, we even had college classes come for visits and demonstrations.

Do you remember that one class that come from Hanover collage with Dr. Bob Rosenthal? We were giving a plowing demonstration and Balabhadra had us stop in the middle of the field and unhooked us from the plow with it still in the ground. He then asked the boys in the class to pick up the chain and pull the plow for the rest of that furrow. They couldn’t even pull the plow one foot to finish that furrow.

Balabhadra explained to them that a good team of oxen is the Backbone of the family farm and not the Soupbone.

Vraja, besides the farm work do you remember when were younger how we traveled for 3 months each summer? We traveled three times across the United States so we could lead Lord Jagannath in many Ratha Yatra parades and participated in many Festival of India programs. We met so many nice people across the land, both Americans and visitors, who we were able to discuss the concept of a vegetarian diet and OX POWER, an alternative to petroleum dependent agriculture.

Yeah Gita, those were the days. Traveling from place to place every couple of days and sleeping under a different tree every night. There were so many sights, new experiences, and new friends. It’s been a great life of service and teaching opportunities on the ISCOWP Farm for a team of protected oxen.

Hay Vraja, these purple flowers are sure beautiful and in a week or so the golden rod will be in bloom. Won’t that be a sight to see?

What a great and meaningful life its been for us on the ISCOWP Farm...!!!

PhD = Post Hole Digging

2006-08-27T15:31:00.000+01:00

Building a gate

The passing along of knowledge is very essential in all phases of life. In making a new fence line there are time tested procedures coupled with old timers "tricks of the trade" that are invaluable and make practical work much easier to accomplish.

The fence line we are currently working on was started earlier in the summer when the ground was not so hard and dry. I had hired two young men, Tulasi and Nirguna, to dig the new holes for the fence posts and too set the new posts. The holes traditionally are 3 feet deep and when the post is placed in the hole the dirt is slowly put back in the hole and "tamped" down so the post is secure with no movement. The "old timers” say the best time to "set" posts is during the waning of the moon, because then the moon is pulling downwards as it grows smaller and will pull the post down and keep them in the holes. These two young men are earning PhDs on the farm. PhD is short for POST HOLE DIGGING. They are becoming fully realized in the science of posthole digging and they will be able to use this knowledge anywhere throughout their lives.

Jason and Caitanya Bhagavt are learning how to do the next step, stringing the wire. There are two types of fence. One fence is too keep animals in the area and the second is too keep animals out of an area. The difference is which side of the post the wire is placed. Since we want to keep the cows in the pasture, we are stringing the wire on the inside of the post or the pasture side. Then if the cows push on the wire, they will also be pushing on the post itself. If the wire is on the outside of the post then when the cow on the inside of the pasture pushes on the wire they are only pushing against the staples that hold the wire in place.

We have already finished half of the fence and made "H BRACES" on the ends for extra strength. Slow work, as there are many little steps to complete the task. In between the two halves, we have left an opening with a simple gate. A team of oxen or a vehicle can pass through this gate to get to the wood lot on the other side of the pasture. If the job is done correctly, the fence will be sturdy and will last as long as the posts don’t rot away which could be as long as 50 to 75 years depending on the quality of the fence posts.

The choice of wood for fence posts in this part of the country is locust. Locust fence posts, when allowed to dry properly, will outlast several applications of wire over the years.

Weather permitting we will finish the new fence line today and facilitate the cows being switched back to new pasture on that side of the ISCOWP farm.

Balabhadra
ISCOWP Website
Life With the Cows and Land

The Spider and the Fly

2006-08-24T01:57:00.000+01:00

As I was going to the barn for my morning check on the cows, I saw this spider web of intricate, artistic design. I appreciated its beauty and then saw the fly wrapped within. Just as the fly could not see the web as it winged its way through the air and was caught; we humans also have to be careful of the illusory nature of the material world.

The Spider and the Fly
An Apologue.
A New Version Of An Old Story.

Will you walk into my parlour?" said the Spider to the Fly,
'Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy;
The way into my parlour is up a winding stair,
And I've a many curious things to shew when you are there."
Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "to ask me is in vain,
For who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again."

"I'm sure you must be weary, dear, with soaring up so high;
Will you rest upon my little bed?" said the Spider to the Fly.
"There are pretty curtains drawn around; the sheets are fine and thin,
And if you like to rest awhile, I'll snugly tuck you in!"
Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "for I've often heard it said,
They never, never wake again, who sleep upon your bed!"

Said the cunning Spider to the Fly, " Dear friend what can I do,
To prove the warm affection I 've always felt for you?
I have within my pantry, good store of all that's nice;
I'm sure you're very welcome -- will you please to take a slice?"
"Oh no, no," said the little Fly, "kind Sir, that cannot be,
I've heard what's in your pantry, and I do not wish to see!"

"Sweet creature!" said the Spider, "you're witty and you're wise,
How handsome are your gauzy wings, how brilliant are your eyes!
I've a little looking-glass upon my parlour shelf,
If you'll step in one moment, dear, you shall behold yourself."
"I thank you, gentle sir," she said, "for what you 're pleased to say,
And bidding you good morning now, I'll call another day."

The Spider turned him round about, and went into his den,
For well he knew the silly Fly would soon come back again:
So he wove a subtle web, in a little corner sly,
And set his table ready, to dine upon the Fly.
Then he came out to his door again, and merrily did sing,
"Come hither, hither, pretty Fly, with the pearl and silver wing;
Your robes are green and purple -- there's a crest upon your head;
Your eyes are like the diamond bright, but mine are dull as lead!"

Alas, alas! how very soon this silly little Fly,
Hearing his wily, flatering words, came slowly flitting by,
With buzzing wings she hung aloft, then near and nearer drew,
Thinking only of her brilliant eyes, and green and purple hue--
Thinking only of her crested head, -- poor foolish thing! At last,
Up jumped the cunning Spider, and fiercely held her fast.
He dragged her up his winding stair, in to his dismal den,
Within his little parlour --but she ne'er came out again!

And now dear little children, who may this story read,
To idle, silly flattering words, I pray you ne'er give heed:
Unto an evil counsellor, close heart and ear and eye,
And take a lesson from this tale of the Spider and the Fly.

by Mary Howitt 1821

From Sketches of Natural History (1834) , Effingham Wilson: London

Balabhadra
ISCOWP Website
Life With the Cows and Land

Ox Training

2006-08-23T14:31:00.000+01:00

Krishna and Balaram

This conversation was overheard in the barn. Krsna, the ox, is speaking with his herd mate Balarama, the ox.

Another day of training is upon us and we will be heading up the lane to our classroom where Balabhadra will be teaching us another directional command. So far, we have learned the command to "Get Up" which means to move forward.We have learned the command of "Whoa" which means that we should stop immediately.The third command we learned is "Ha" which means to come to the left.

Today we will start to learn the command of "Gee", which means to turn right. Balabhadra has been very busy and it’s been awhile since we had a lesson. It sure does feel good to be heading to class so we can learn more and become a valuable asset to the farm.

There is so much service to be done. In the spring, there is plowing, planting, and cultivation of the crops and gardens. In the summer when it’s dry enough there are fence posts that need split and then hauled to the various fencing projects or stacked by the barn for future use.

Firewood is needed for the three houses on the farm. Next to plowing, that is the most strenuous work of the summer because the weather is so hot and humid. But, allot of the firewood project is in the forest where it’s shady. It’s nice working in the forest. Besides being shady, there are so many neat places and the birds are all singing and talking to each other. There are also different tasting grasses and herbs that we don’t see or taste out in the pastures.

Balabhadra would like to get a small ground driven Manure spreader so we can spread manure on the fields and garden in the fall.

Balabhadra was talking to his daughter Lakshmi, and said that if we learn the command "Gee" quickly, he would like to Yoke us up in the very near future so we can learn how to walk together and then start pulling a small load.

Soon the fall season will be upon us, and the undergrowth in the forest will thin out and we will go practice pulling a small load through an obstacle course of trees and stumps and fallen branches. It’s so exciting to be in training again, so we can be of service on the farm. Vraja and Gita, the senior ox team, are retired and we will be taking up their service.

Vraja and Gita

It’s so nice to know that as trained oxen we have value and are not just looked at as a potential hamburger or considered as a burden because we just eat and sleep and don’t pull our weight around the farm.

I can’t wait until we are fully trained and we can show everyone the value of a team of trained oxen. After all, the conclusion of Bhakti Yoga, is to render service to Lord Krsna, with love and devotion. I can’t wait Balarama. How about you? This life won’t be wasted on just eating and sleeping.

Balabhadra
ISCOWP Website
Life With the Cows and Land

Dear Srila Prabhupada

2006-08-17T14:12:00.000+01:00

nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svaminn iti namine

namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine
nirvisesa-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine

Dear Srila Prabhupada,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to you, Srila Prabhupada!.

The experience I am about to relate happened on the ISCOWP farm. I was in charge of the cows during the winter when my parents were away in the mall earning enough money to pay our personal bills. They are disciples of yours. They have taught me how to care for cows. I am most thankful to you and them for this cow seva knowledge because of the happiness that I, and others, can experience while caring for the cows and oxen.

When I went to check the cows Saturday morning (December 3), the first thing I noticed was that Balaram, Gouravani, Visaka, and Radha Shyama were out eating hay in the hay barn and grass in the driveway. As I looked for the break in the fence where they got out, I looked up and saw a cow lying down and not moving in the barn. I cried out to Krsna and started praying that whoever was down was just sleeping.

When a cow is dying, we like to give them some holy water and have a tape of Srila Prabhupada singing bhajans 24/7. I did not have time to do either. I am also very attached to all the cows.

I rushed into the new barn where the cow was down and discovered it was Veda. He was barely alive. This spring the vet said that Veda had a wasting disease called Johne's disease and it would just be a matter of time before his demise. The vet knows we do not put any of our animals down, but I thought he would last longer. The day before he seemed okay, not well but ok, not at death's door. I started singing to him the Nrsringa prayers and checked to make sure that he was not stuck, in fact was actually down, and nothing else was stopping him from getting up. At this stage, he was also very weak and could not lift his head. I went and got bedding to make him more comfortable and also hay and water to see if he would eat or drink which he did not. I could do nothing more at that moment.

After I did this I gave Vraja his medicine for his arthritis, fed the cows in the loafing shed and old barn, went back outside to fix the fence, and put the four cows back inside. After calling my parents to find out where the CD player and blankets were, I collected these items and I covered Veda with the blankets and turned on the CD player to continuous play. As I was doing this, I noticed that Krishna and Visaka were sniffing Veda. Then they each went to stand on either side of Veda and stand guard.

To read the rest:

Dear Srila Prabhupada

Krishna is a Cowherd Boy

2006-08-16T13:29:00.000+01:00

sri-suka uvaca
go-vipra-sura-sadhunam
chandasam api cesvarah
raksam icchams tanur dhatte
dharmasyarthasya caiva hi

TRANSLATION
Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said: O King, for the sake of protecting the
cows, brahmanas, demigods, devotees, the Vedic literature, religious
principles, and principles to fulfill the purpose of life, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead accepts the forms of incarnations.

PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead generally appears in various types
of incarnations to give protection to the cows and brahmanas. The Lord is
described as go-brahmana-hitaya ca; in other words, He is always eager to
benefit the cows and brahmanas. When Lord Krsna appeared, He purposefully
became a cowherd boy and showed personally how to give protection to the
cows and calves. Similarly, He showed respect to Sudama Vipra, a real
brahmana. From the Lord's personal activities, human society should learn
how to give protection specifically to the brahmanas and cows. Then the
protection of religious principles, fulfillment of the aim of life and
protection of Vedic knowledge can be achieved. Without protection of
cows, brahminical culture cannot be maintained; and without brahminical
culture, the aim of life cannot be fulfilled. The Lord, therefore, is
described as go-brahmana-hitaya because His incarnation is only for the
protection of the cows and brahmanas. Unfortunately, because in Kali-yuga
there is no protection of the cows and brahminical culture, everything is
in a precarious position. If human society wants to be exalted, the
leaders of society must follow the instructions of Bhagavad-gita and give
protection to the cows, the brahmanas and brahminical culture.

Balabhadra

ISCOWP Website

Life Wirh the Cows and Land

Vraja's Flashback

2006-08-14T14:37:00.000+01:00

Vraja is having a flashback on a sunny morning in the shade of the ISCOWP barn at New Vrindavan.

Back in the day...............................

.......................the life of a traveling ox on the fair/festival summer circuit. We are in Los Angeles after slowly bumping across the United States in our 1979 Bluebird school bus. We have met so many people and made so many friends along the highways and byways.

One memorable friend is a young Krishna devotee girl in Los Angeles by the name of Ananda. The year is 1992. We arrived late in the evening and Balabhadra set up our temporary camp between the Tulasi house and the temple building itself. Gita and I have spent a restful night with Tulasi Devi on one side and Rukmini Dwarkadish on the other side...............what great neighbors.

The word is out that the oxen are back in town for Rathayatra and again will be leading the Rathayatra procession of Lord Jagannatha.

How do I know the word is out? The children start coming to see us. We will be loved, hugged, brushed, and fed many wonderful treats like carrots and apples and mangoes. Where are the kids getting all of these treats? It appears that they know where the walk in cooler for the temple is located and are helping themselves to the bounty of Rukmini Dwarkadish's stash of goodies. Shades of pastimes from the Krishna Book where Baby Krishna is a butter thief. Baby Krishna steals butter from His mother, Jasoda, and feeds it to the monkeys, so he is called a butter thief. The devotee kids are stealing Krishna’s fruits and veggies and giving them to us,Vraja and Gita the traveling oxen. How sweet of them to be playing the pastimes of Baby Krishna.

I feel a presence on my back and immediately I know who it is.........................it’s Ananda. She loves to hug me, lies on my back, and gives me long soft hugs that seem to last forever. She speaks softly to me and tells me how much she loves Gita and waits all year us to return to Los Angeles for Rathayatra so she can come and hug and brush us and feed us special treats. It’s so nice to see her again and to get those great hugs from this young cow lover.

Back to the present moment..............................

...............................it’s the summer of 2006 and I'm in the shade of the ISCOWP in New Vrindavan barn chewing my cud during the heat of the day.
Balabhadra is coming into the barn with a young lady who looks very familiar. My goodness it looks like Ananda from Los Angeles. Is it really her? It’s been so long, so many years. It can't be...........................but wait.........................that hug............yes, it is Ananda..................I will always remember her hug. It’s the hug of a 100% genuine cow lover.

Lets sit and talk awhile Ananda, my dear friend, and catch up on our realizations of this life...............it's so good to see again, my dear friend, its great to see you again..........!!!

Balabhadra

ISCOWP Website

Life With the Cows and Land

Garden Katha

2006-08-13T14:26:00.000+01:00

The ISCOWP gardens are on a timetable, which starts in spring when oats can be frost seeded. Potatoes can be planted 30 days before the last frost as they take about 30 days to start emerging from the confines of the ground. Peas, spinach, lettuce all like cool weather as does cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli which can be planted in early spring. Most everything likes a warm soil (70 degrees plus) to feel comfortable enough to germinate and grow.

Allot of veggies we start inside in a small greenhouse in March so they can be already up and ready to go into the ground as seedlings when the ground is warm enough and all danger of frost is past. Historically in this area, the last frost is around May 15, but this year we had a frost on May 22. Tomatoes and peppers, tomotillos, eggplant, Swiss chard, bitter melon and many flowers are just a few things we start early in the greenhouse.

Many veggies prefer to be direct seeded into the garden. All of the different types of beans like to be direct seeded as do carrots, beets, okra, cilantro, and summer and winter squash, just to name a few.

We stagger many of our crops or succession plant. Every 7 to 10 days we replant. This ensures that as a particular planting is being harvested a new crop is just about to mature. In this way, there is a continuous supply of fresh veggies throughout the summer months. It also means that canning, drying, and selling of garden produce can go on side by side without interruption of any of these three programs.

Another aspect of the garden is saving seed for the next year’s garden. Sometimes if a particular plant such as a tomato plant shows exceptional qualities, we will tag that plant and save seed from some of the fruit.

Long days but very rewarding to have good quality organic produce all year around fresh, dried, or canned.

Salad offerred to Lord Krishna made with all ingredients from our garden.

Moving to Greener Pastures

2006-08-12T13:09:00.000+01:00

The sun’s warmth changes the Earth
To bring green, luscious grass to birth.
The cold, dark winter is over,
Again, the cows will eat fresh clover.

From the hilltop barns the cows descend,
Eager to see the full streams bend.
Old Vraja, the king, leads the way,
Not a defiant word the cows say.

Noble Vraja’s concern is the herd,
Riding on his back, a bluebird.
They pass through the red gate
To be together without hate.

Kicking their hooves in the air,
Jumping, and chasing on a dare,
New to the pasture and not so calm,
Young oxen are Krishna and Balaram.

The pasture meets the pale blue sky.
Green grasses sway with a sigh.
Warm sunny days bring pleasure.
But, winter we do not treasure.

Beloved cows move on, move on,
To the transcendental land beyond.
Where Krishna a cowherd was born,
His youth spent herding cows each morn,

Deep in fragrant Vrndavan’s grove,
Ox carts Krishna and the cowherds drove.
Enjoying eternal pleasure in the glen,
His red, yellow cows and some that blend.

The cows and Krishna love each other.
Each calf has an adoring mother.
Their cow barns palaces of gold,
Srila Prabhupada to us you told.

To protect cows gives a higher taste
To see Lord Krishna with great haste.
Secret knowledge only for a few.
Thank you for this point of view.

Srila Prabhupada, with you our bond,
To the cows of whom Krishna is fond.
You taught us the joys of loving cows.
To you our repeated, respectful bows.

Agriculture and the Post Petroleum Era

2006-08-11T13:08:00.000+01:00

Plowing paddy fields with ox-power at Labangalatika's farm (Govardhan Trust) in Raigad, India

By Chand Prasad PH.D. Agricultural Economist
Written for ISCOWP News VOL 15 Issue 2

Oil is the lifeblood of industrial economies and modern agriculture throughout the world. But oil is also a finite, nonrenewable resource that is being rapidly depleted by Western societies and less developed countries that aspire for higher consumption levels. The United States alone uses approximately 20 million barrels per day – about one-fourth of global consumption. Oil production will peak at some point and then decline, leading to sharp price increases and painful adjustment costs, particularly for those who are strongly attached to the amenities provided by petroleum-based production and transport systems. One bright spot is that these difficulties may encourage an increasing number of people to question the values and assumptions upon which society attempts to sustain opulence and prosperity through dependence on finite resources.

Rising energy prices will impose economic hardships well before the earth runs out of economically accessible supplies of oil, and perhaps even before oil production attains its maximum daily (peak) amount, after which it then declines. The International Energy Agency (1998) estimated that conventional oil production could peak between years 2010 and 2020, while Campbell & Laherrere (1998) put the year before 2010. It is important to note that even before we reach this maximum, the costs of extracting petroleum could rise sharply, as oil companies are compelled to tap into oil deposits that are less accessible. The result is higher energy prices charged to consumers and businesses, which is equivalent to a massive tax that drastically reduces economic growth, particularly in countries that depend heavily on imported energy. Moreover, it takes a certain amount of energy to produce oil. Higher energy costs will therefore increase the costs of extracting oil and natural gas, implying a self-reinforcing, albeit decaying, feedback effect in which rising petroleum costs calls forth still higher energy prices. Finally, the costs of extracting oil will exceed the benefits, implying that further production is not economical.

To read the rest:

Agriculture and the Post Petroleum Era

Vraja.....................where are you?

2006-08-10T13:20:00.000+01:00

IMG_0864
Originally uploaded by iscowp.

This morning was quite unusual as the herd was fragmented into several small groups. Vraja, Gita, Shyam, and Surabhi were in the big barn. Yamuna was all the way back by the end of the pasture by herself. The rest of the cows/oxen were in small groups spread out over a 10-acre pasture. Quite unusual. All right, I thought, I’ve counted 23, which is the number of cows/oxen that we currently have under our care at the ISCOWP Farm.

It’s not that hot of a day so far and it’s only forecast to be in the mid eighties for the high temperature.

I have to go to town today as the errands have accumulated and taking the truck to town and burning the gas can be justified.

The errands take longer than usual and by the time I get back, it’s past 2pm. A quick lunch and a little quite time follows and now its time for the evening herd check.

I go to the barn as the cows are still in and are just getting ready to head out to pasture for their evening meal. Once, twice, thrice I count the cows/oxen and the number is the same each time.................22. Who is missing, who is missing? Vraja is missing!

Vraja is 15 years old and the twin brother of Gita. They are my personal team of oxen. When we lived in North Carolina, we saved them from going to the SALE BARN when they were 2 1/2 months old. We have spent a lifetime together, working side by side to plow, plant, cultivate, and harvest the crops. We have hauled in firewood to keep many families warm for the winter. We have pulled in numerous fence posts to numerous fencing projects. We have traveled across the United States 3 times participating in numerous fairs and Rathayatra festivals.

Side by side, we have led Rathayatras in front of the ever-merciful Lord Jagannatha, the Lord of the Universe: Vraja and Gita as the representatives of DHARMA, and I walking at their side as their servant.

Vraja is suffering from severe arthritis and has a hard time getting up from a sitting position.
Vraja is never separated from the herd. He is the herd patriarch, the headman, the boss; in short, he is the head of the herd. Sometimes just Vraja and Gita are together, but today all are present and accounted for except Vraja...........?

Vraja, where are you? Have you gone down and can not get up? Are you in the hot sun? Vraja, where are you?

When doing a pasture check I usually go on the top of the hill as I can see two pastures from that vantage point. But today Krsna, as Supersoul, the Lord in the heart is telling me to go to the lower pasture first. I'm in a panic state in my heart and mind. Vraja, where are you my dear old friend and companion?

I go around the first bend and no Vraja; then through the first pasture and no Vraja. My mind is going crazy and my heart is pounding. Vraja where are you? This is so unlike you.

Around the trees at the edge of the field and there you are standing in the shade of an apple tree, chewing your cud. I am over whelmed with tears of happiness to see my old friend STANDING in the shade and not down and disabled in the hot sun.

There you are Vraja. You are safe. Thank you Krishna!

My realizations on this episode are that I need to become more grateful of the service rendered by other living entities in their service to God. To take their association for granted and not to relish their association until death has taken them away is a great disservice to their very existence.

For now, Lord Krishna is letting you stay with us but one day He will take you to be with Him. Vraja, head of the herd, you are a great soul. I offer repeated obeisances unto you, the representative of Dharma and devotee of Lord Krishna. It has been an honor being in your association, working, and serving side by side with you.

Thank you for your association and the many lessons you have taught me.

"Nanda Maharaja was a big protector of cows, and Lord Sri Krishna, as the most beloved son of Nanda Maharaja, used to tend His father's animals in the neighboring forest. By His personal example Lord Krishna wanted to teach us the value of protecting cows. Nanda Maharaja is said to have possessed nine hundred thousand cows, and at the time of Lord Sri Krishna (about five thousand years ago) the tract of land knownas Vrndavana was flooded with milk and butter. Therefore God's gifted professions for mankind are agriculture and cow protection."
-Light of the Bhagavata, Preface

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