TO KILL COW: MEANS TO END HUMAN CIVILIZATION
3.
Humanity Owes ‘Milk-debt’ To Cows
Cow And Bull As Mother And Father
A mother (or mum/mom) is a woman who has raised a child, given birth to a child, and/or supplied the ovum that united with a sperm which grew into a child. Because of the complexity and differences of a mother's social, cultural, and religious definitions and roles, it is challenging to specify a universally acceptable definition for the term.
Vedic definition of ‘mother’ is quite broad.
atma-mata guroh patni
brahmani raja-patnika
dhenur dhatri tatha prthvi
saptaita matarah smrtah
There are seven mothers. These are, the original mother, the wife of the teacher or spiritual master, the wife of a brahmana, the King's wife, the cow, the nurse and the earth.
Humanity Owes ‘Milk-debt’ To Cows
Cow And Bull As Mother And Father
A mother (or mum/mom) is a woman who has raised a child, given birth to a child, and/or supplied the ovum that united with a sperm which grew into a child. Because of the complexity and differences of a mother's social, cultural, and religious definitions and roles, it is challenging to specify a universally acceptable definition for the term.
Vedic definition of ‘mother’ is quite broad.
atma-mata guroh patni
brahmani raja-patnika
dhenur dhatri tatha prthvi
saptaita matarah smrtah
There are seven mothers. These are, the original mother, the wife of the teacher or spiritual master, the wife of a brahmana, the King's wife, the cow, the nurse and the earth.
The fruits? The skin thrown away, and the cow will eat. And in exchange it will give you nice foodstuff, milk. Or it will eat in the grazing ground, some grass. So there is no expenditure of keeping cows, but you get the best food in the world. The proof is that the child born simply can live on milk. That is the proof. So anyone can live only on milk. If you have got the opportunity to drink one pound milk maximum, not very much—half-pound is sufficient; suppose one pound—then you don’t require any other foodstuff. |

Out of these seven mothers, cow occupies a special place. Our own mother nurses us for a while, but cow nurses us for the rest of our life. When we stop taking milk from our mother the cow gladly takes over the role. For this reason the Vedic scriptures refer to her as our mother. This is indicated in the vedic aphorism, ‘gavo visvasya matarah.’
As children, nearly all of us were nourished by cow’s milk. Certainly one’s mother is sacred and should not be killed. It is not a question of India or America. It is a question of common sense and human consideration. If we don’t have that, better to learn it from some “primitive worshipers of mythological totems”.
Cow’s milk is nature’s special way to provide nourishment in a civilized way. The barbarians take blood by slitting throats while the civilized take milk. Milk is nothing but a transformation of flesh. It contains all the nutrients of flesh without the need for attendant violence. Milk is a peaceful and nonviolent way of supplementing our nutritional needs.
We are killing millions of cows in very brutal ways in gigantic slaughterhouses. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation estimated that in 1984 229,249,000 cows and calves were killed for meat production. Since then the beef consumption has more than doubled. This is a very sinful activity. We are suffering in many ways as a result of the enormous karma thus generated.
Where would we be without a generous supply of milk, yogurt, cheese, butter, ice creams, butter milk and ghee. Since time immemorial, everything that gets cooked in the civilized world, has some relationship with these exotic products.
As children, nearly all of us were nourished by cow’s milk. Certainly one’s mother is sacred and should not be killed. It is not a question of India or America. It is a question of common sense and human consideration. If we don’t have that, better to learn it from some “primitive worshipers of mythological totems”.
Cow’s milk is nature’s special way to provide nourishment in a civilized way. The barbarians take blood by slitting throats while the civilized take milk. Milk is nothing but a transformation of flesh. It contains all the nutrients of flesh without the need for attendant violence. Milk is a peaceful and nonviolent way of supplementing our nutritional needs.
We are killing millions of cows in very brutal ways in gigantic slaughterhouses. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation estimated that in 1984 229,249,000 cows and calves were killed for meat production. Since then the beef consumption has more than doubled. This is a very sinful activity. We are suffering in many ways as a result of the enormous karma thus generated.
Where would we be without a generous supply of milk, yogurt, cheese, butter, ice creams, butter milk and ghee. Since time immemorial, everything that gets cooked in the civilized world, has some relationship with these exotic products.
Ample food grains can be produced through agricultural enterprises, and profuse supplies of milk, yogurt and ghee can be arranged through cow protection. Abundant honey can be obtained if the forests are protected. Unfortunately, in modern civilization, men are busy killing the cows that are the source of yogurt, milk and ghee, they are cutting down all the trees that supply honey, and they are opening factories to manufacture nuts, bolts, automobiles and wine instead of engaging in agriculture. How can the people be happy? They must suffer from all the misery of materialism. Their bodies become wrinkled and gradually deteriorate until they become almost like dwarves, and a bad odor emanates from their bodies because of unclean perspiration resulting from eating all kinds of nasty things. This is not human civilization. |
Milk - A Miracle Food and Heavenly Nectar
The Lifeline of Any Civilized Society
Mughal Emperor Akbar once asked his Hindu minister as to which milk was the best. The minister replied that it was buffalo’s milk. The answer surprised the Emperor, “How foolish! Everyone knows that cow’s milk is the best of all.” The minister explained, “Sire, You asked about milk and I correctly replied buffalo’s. I would have mentioned cow if you would have asked about elixir because cow gives no milk but elixir.”
Milk is a complete food. It is so loaded with nutrients that one can survive simply by drinking it. With abundant supply of milk, there is no need for any animal killing and no possibility of diets being deficient in any way.
Up until recently, wandering mendicants in India would stand at the door of the first household they found in the morning. Milk was so plentiful that the householder would immediately offer a pound of milk fresh from the cow. The mendicant would drink it and wander away. That took care of his eating program for the day. A pound of fresh milk is sufficient to supply an adult with all the necessary nutrition. In earlier days, saints and sages practically lived on milk. In India poorest of the men had a few cows, each delivering ten or twenty quarts of milk. No one hesitated to spare a few pounds of milk for the mendicants and other guests.
Srila Sukadeva goswami, the celebrated speaker of Srimad Bhagavatam, followed this simple program of life:
nunam bhagavato brahman
grhesu grha-medhinam
na laksyate hy avasthanam
api go-dohanam kvacit
O powerful brahmana, it is said that you hardly stay in the houses of men long enough to milk a cow. (SB 1.19.39)
Srila Prabhupada explains how generations of highly evolved beings simply survived on milk, “Because in those days in the jungles there were many hermitages. Those who wanted to live secluded life in the jungle, in the forest, they would have their home, very small cottage, and their means of living was milk and fruit. They would get fruits from the trees, and the kings would sometimes contribute some cows. So that was sufficient for them. To have some milk from the cow and get the fruits from the trees in the jungle, that was sufficient. That is sufficient still. Anywhere, any part of the world, you can live without any economic problem, provided... There is no question of “provided.” Anywhere, you can keep a cow. There is no expenditure. The cow will go out and eat some vegetables and grass, so you haven’t got to spend anything for the cow. And when she returns, she gives you milk, nice milk. We are trying to introduce this system in our New Vrindaban scheme. We are keeping there cows, and that place is in Virginia, Moundsville. It is about three miles away from any city or any citizen approach. But they are living very nicely, depending on some vegetables, fruits, and cow’s milk. So actually, a man can live very peacefully and healthy life. Not only peacefully. If you are healthy, if your mind is equilibrium, then naturally you are peaceful. So that was a system for the sages and hermits, they used to live on cow’s milk and fruits.” (Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam, 2.3.17, Los Angeles, July 12, 1969)
Whoever needs milk, bows to the animal.
~Yiddish Saying
Longer Life for Milk Drinkers - British Researchers
Research undertaken by the Universities of Reading, Cardiff and Bristol of UK this year, has found that drinking milk can lessen the chances of dying from illnesses such as coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke by up to 15-20%.
In recent times milk has often been portrayed by the media as an unhealthy food. The study, led by Professor Peter Elwood (Cardiff University) together with Professor Ian Givens from the University of Reading’s Food Chain and Health Research Theme, aimed to establish whether the health benefits of drinking milk outweigh any dangers that lie in its consumption.
Importantly, this is the first time that disease risk associated with drinking milk has been looked at in relation to the number of deaths which the diseases are responsible for.
The review brought together published evidence from 324 studies of milk consumption as predictors of coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and diabetes. Data on milk consumption and cancer were based on the recent World Cancer Research Fund report. The outcomes were then compared with current death rates from these diseases.
Professor Givens explains: “While growth and bone health are of great importance to health and function, it is the effects of milk and dairy consumption on chronic disease that are of the greatest relevance to reduced morbidity and survival. Our review made it possible to assess overall whether increased milk consumption provides a survival advantage or not. We believe it does.”
Findings clearly showed that when the numbers of deaths from CHD, stroke and colo-rectal cancer were taken into account, there was strong evidence of an overall reduction in the risk of dying from these chronic diseases due to milk consumption. They certainly found no evidence that drinking milk might increase the risk of developing any condition, with the exception of prostate cancer. Put together, there was convincing overall evidence that milk consumption was associated with an increase in survival in Western communities.
The reviewers also believe that increased milk consumption is likely to reduce health care costs substantially due to reduced chronic disease and associated morbidity.
Professor Givens concludes the report thus, “There is an urgent need to understand the mechanisms involved and for focused studies to confirm the epidemiological evidence since this topic has major implications for the agri-food industry.”
Srila Prabhupada wrote about impact of milk on human longevity, decades before these findings came out, in his purport to Srimad Bhagavatam (8.6.12), “Milk is compared to nectar, which one can drink to become immortal. Of course, simply drinking milk will not make one immortal, but it can increase the duration of one’s life. In modern civilization, men do not think milk to be important, and therefore they do not live very long. Although in this age men can live up to one hundred years, their duration of life is reduced because they do not drink large quantities of milk. This is a sign of Kali-yuga. In Kali-yuga, instead of drinking milk, people prefer to slaughter an animal and eat its flesh. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His instructions of Bhagavad-Gita, advises go-raksa, which means cow protection. The cow should be protected, milk should be drawn from the cows, and this milk should be prepared in various ways. One should take ample milk, and thus one can prolong one’s life, develop his brain, execute devotional service, and ultimately attain the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As it is essential to get food grains and water by digging the earth, it is also essential to give protection to the cows and take nectarean milk from their milk bags.”
Of course, milk from modern dairy operations is no milk at all. It’s loaded with antibiotics, hormones and other chemicals. It’s pasteurized, homogenized and what not. It’s not given by the cow out of affection for the calf. Its sqeezed out of her after artificially impregnating her. She never gets to nurse the calf in her short, miserable life. It would be more appropriate to call it her blood rather than milk.
The review brought together published evidence from 324 studies of milk consumption as predictors of coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and diabetes. Data on milk consumption and cancer were based on the recent World Cancer Research Fund report. The outcomes were then compared with current death rates from these diseases.
Professor Givens explains: “While growth and bone health are of great importance to health and function, it is the effects of milk and dairy consumption on chronic disease that are of the greatest relevance to reduced morbidity and survival. Our review made it possible to assess overall whether increased milk consumption provides a survival advantage or not. We believe it does.”
Findings clearly showed that when the numbers of deaths from CHD, stroke and colo-rectal cancer were taken into account, there was strong evidence of an overall reduction in the risk of dying from these chronic diseases due to milk consumption. They certainly found no evidence that drinking milk might increase the risk of developing any condition, with the exception of prostate cancer. Put together, there was convincing overall evidence that milk consumption was associated with an increase in survival in Western communities.
The reviewers also believe that increased milk consumption is likely to reduce health care costs substantially due to reduced chronic disease and associated morbidity.
Professor Givens concludes the report thus, “There is an urgent need to understand the mechanisms involved and for focused studies to confirm the epidemiological evidence since this topic has major implications for the agri-food industry.”
Srila Prabhupada wrote about impact of milk on human longevity, decades before these findings came out, in his purport to Srimad Bhagavatam (8.6.12), “Milk is compared to nectar, which one can drink to become immortal. Of course, simply drinking milk will not make one immortal, but it can increase the duration of one’s life. In modern civilization, men do not think milk to be important, and therefore they do not live very long. Although in this age men can live up to one hundred years, their duration of life is reduced because they do not drink large quantities of milk. This is a sign of Kali-yuga. In Kali-yuga, instead of drinking milk, people prefer to slaughter an animal and eat its flesh. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His instructions of Bhagavad-Gita, advises go-raksa, which means cow protection. The cow should be protected, milk should be drawn from the cows, and this milk should be prepared in various ways. One should take ample milk, and thus one can prolong one’s life, develop his brain, execute devotional service, and ultimately attain the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As it is essential to get food grains and water by digging the earth, it is also essential to give protection to the cows and take nectarean milk from their milk bags.”
Of course, milk from modern dairy operations is no milk at all. It’s loaded with antibiotics, hormones and other chemicals. It’s pasteurized, homogenized and what not. It’s not given by the cow out of affection for the calf. Its sqeezed out of her after artificially impregnating her. She never gets to nurse the calf in her short, miserable life. It would be more appropriate to call it her blood rather than milk.
Mother And Father Killing Civilization
Cow is the mother that nourishes us with her milk. Bull is the father who produces grains in the fields. Bull is father also because without his uniting with cow, there is no milk. So modern civilization is a mother and father killing civilization. So how is that we are eating our father and mother? It is a great challenge. Those who are beef-eaters, they are killing their father and mother and becoming implicated in sinful life.
Cow has been a ‘life-giver’ or ‘sustainer of life’. Oxen have pulled the plows on world’s farms for centuries. Humanity can never repay the debts of these gentle creatures. Killing them in brutal ways is hardly a way to express our gratitude.
Milk - The Essential Brain Food
As far as eating, sleeping, mating and defence are concerned, there is no difference between human beings and animals. Human beings perform these functions in a more polished way and therefore they can be termed as ‘polished animals.’ But there is a distinction. Human beings have higher faculties to reflect on philosophy and purpose of life which animals can not. This is where cow milk comes into picture. The body can be maintained by any kind of foods, but cow's milk is particularly essential for developing the finer tissues of the human brain. This enables one to understand the higher philosophical matters.
Therefore a civilized human being is expected to live on foods comprising fruits, vegetables, grains, sugar and milk. In human society, sufficient milk products should be available. With these products, thousands of wholesome and nourishing preparations can be made. A dull brain cannot comprehend the finer and higher aspects of life. Therefore George Bernard Shaw wrote, ‘You are what you eat.’ If you eat pigs, you acquire a piggish mentality, if you eat dogs, you acquire doggish traits.
For meat-eaters, that is what the Vedic culture recommends: "Eat dogs." As in Korea they are eating dogs, so you also can eat dogs. But don't eat cows until after they have died a natural death. We don't say, "Don't eat." You are so very fond of eating cows. All right, you can eat them, because after their death we have to give them to somebody, some living entity. Generally, cow carcasses are given to the vultures. But then, why only to the vultures? Why not to the modern "civilized" people, who are as good as vultures? [Laughter.] |
Ungrateful Humanity Hoping Against Hope For Peace
We kill cows and other animals but they never come to us requesting for food. By nature’s arrangement, by God’s arrangement, cows and other animals live on grass of which there is profuse supply. They do not eat our foods, rather we make nice preparations from the milk they deliver. Cows convert grass, a worthless thing into milk, a very valuable food. But instead of utilizing her milk, we are utilize her blood. Milk is nothing but transformation of blood and the civilized way to utilize blood is through milk.
By nature’s arrangement, by God’s will, a cow delivers several pounds of milk but she does not drink an ounce of it although it is her milk! She gives it all to us with only one request, “Take my milk but don’t kill me. Let me live, after all I am eating only grass which is of no use to you and delivering in return the most valuable commodity.” And the so called civilized beings are inventing sophisticated technologies to kill them in gigantic slaughterhouses and making plans how to kill more and more of them. And they want peace!
Now a days many mothers are unable to breast-feed their newborns due to various reasons. And some mothers are able to do so only for a short time due to job and other constraints. It is the cow which takes up this function. All baby feed formulas are based on cow milk. So from the time we are born we take cow’s service and later we kill her. Where is our gratitude? And we think we are civilized. According to vedic injunctions, cow killers fall in the category of naradhamas, lowest of the mankind.
Not Enough Fodder - A Lame Excuse For Killing
When India became independent, the national planning commission proposed that 40% of the cows should be killed because there was not enough fodder to maintain them. Better to kill them rather than let them live a malnourished life. But so many human beings are also malnourished. In fact India has the highest number of malnourished children in the world, even more than Sub-Sahara region. Does it mean they all should be killed? Moreover cow lives on what we discard - chaff, skin, oil cakes, grass and hay - which are of no use to us.
Srila Prabhupada explains, “Krsna has given her the grass to eat. She's not interfering with your food. Why? What right you have got to kill? You have got your own food. The cow has got the grass for her food. You have got food grains. Cow is giving you milk, just to give her protection, that "You take my blood, turn into milk. Please do not kill me." So why these things are happening? Because there is rascal government. Kalina upasrstan. Rascal government. (Lecture, Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.22 -- Hawaii, January 18, 1974)
Nutrition Without Meat
Many times the mention of vegetarianism elicits the predictable reaction, “What about protein?”
The ideas that meat has a monopoly on protein and that large amounts of protein are required for energy and strength are both myths.
Of the twenty-two amino acids, all but eight can be synthesized by the body itself, and these eight “essential amino acids” exist in abundance in nonflesh foods. Dairy products, grains, beans and nuts are all concentrated sources of protein. Cheese, peanuts and lentils, for instance, contain more protein per gram than hamburger, pork or steak.
The primary energy source for the body is carbohydrates. Only as a last resort is the body’s protein utilized for energy production. Too much protein intake actually reduces the body’s energy capacity. In a series of comparative endurance tests conducted by Dr. Irving Flsher of Yale, vegetarians performed twice as well as meat-eaters. Numerous other studies have shown that a proper vegetarian diet provides more nutritional energy than meat. A study by Dr. I. Iotekyo and V. Kilpani at Brussles University showed that vegetarians were able to perform physical tasks two to three times longer than meat-eaters before exhaustion and were recovered from fatigue in one fifth the time needed by the meat-eaters.
By the way, natures biggest and most powerful animals, elephants, rhinoceros etc. are plant eaters. Where do they derive their nutrition from?
Krishna’s laws or nature’s law is so nice that a cow is eating grass and producing milk. Now, if you think that grass is the cause of milk, then you are mistaken. It is the laws of Krishna that transforms grass into milk. If you eat..., you eat grass, then you’ll die. But the cow, she is eating grass... That also not supplied by your factory. The grass is produced by nature’s way. And she is eating that grass and supplying the most nutritious food—milk—and in exchange you are cutting throat. How you can be happy? Such an innocent animal. She is eating grass supplied by God, and instead of grass, if you think that “She is eating grass from the land, American land or my land. She must give me something,” she’s supplying milk. What reason there is? |
A Solution For Compulsive Cow Eaters
Srila Prabhupada presents a solution for those who any how would like to eat meat, “These asuras, they are killing thousands and thousands of cows for getting the skin, only for the skin. So if you are interested in the skin, if you are interested in the flesh, so at least wait for the time the animal will die. There is no doubt about it. So at least let her die natural death. Why you should kill? You can take at that time the skin, the bone, the hoof. Whatever you like, you can take, the flesh. So in India there is a class. They are called chamara. They are called muchi. ... As soon as your animal is dead you give them information. They will come. They’ll take the animal. They will get the skin for nothing. So they’ll tan it and make shoes for selling. So they will get the raw materials free of charge, so they can make shoes. Tanning with oil and keeping it in the sunshine, the skin becomes soft and durable, and then you can prepare shoes. So there was no problem. And the bones you gather together and keep in a place. In due course of time it will become very good fertilization. And they can eat the flesh also. Only the cobbler class, the muchi class, they eat this cow’s flesh after taking the dead animal. So after killing, everyone eats, so why not wait for the natural death and eat it?
These so-called civilized people -- what is the difference between these rascals and vultures? The vultures also enjoy killing and then eating the dead body. "Make it dead and then enjoy" -- people have become vultures. And their civilization is a vulture civilization. Animal-eaters -- they're like jackals, vultures, dogs. Flesh is not proper food for human beings. Here in the Vedic culture is civilized food, human food: milk, fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains. Let them learn it. Uncivilized rogues, vultures, raksasas [demons] -- and they're leaders. |
But because they are asuras, raksasas, they do not wait for that. They want it fresh. What is that “fresh”? Unless you kill the animal, you cannot eat. So where is freshness? You have to kill her. You have to make it dead, so why not make it naturally dead?” (Lecture, Bhagavadgita 16.7, Hyderabad, December 15, 1976)
Epitome of Motherly Love
Cow In Witness Stand
On July 6, 1953, a California man named Mike Perkins was formally accused of stealing a calf from a neighbor's ranch, and then branding it with his own ranch's insignia, to conceal the theft. Mike stood before the judge and vehemently denied the charges, saying his neighbor had made the whole thing up out of jealousy.
Epitome of Motherly Love
Cow In Witness Stand
On July 6, 1953, a California man named Mike Perkins was formally accused of stealing a calf from a neighbor's ranch, and then branding it with his own ranch's insignia, to conceal the theft. Mike stood before the judge and vehemently denied the charges, saying his neighbor had made the whole thing up out of jealousy.
In our New Vrindaban we are maintaining cows and having so many nice preparations, rabri and lagdu and this peda and baraphi and sandesa and rasagulla and yogurt -- varieties enough. The other farmers they come, they are surprised, that "Such nice preparation can be made from milk?" Yes, you do not know. You do not know how to utilize the animal. Ignorance. The milk is also produced out of the blood. |
The judge was going to find Perkins innocent, because the only evidence against him was the others farmer's word. But then he had an idea; he sent the sheriff out to Perkin's ranch, and had him bring to a yard adjacent to the courthouse all of Perkin's calves who were about the age the allegedly stolen calf was reputed to be. Then he sent the sheriff out to the accusing neighbors's ranch, and had him bring to the yard the alleged mother of the stolen calf.
When the mother arrived, she began calling loudly, and seemed to be trying to move towards the roped-in calves. The judge decreed that she be allowed freedom of movement. When she was let go, the mother gave her testimony to the court in no uncertain terms. She went directly over to the calves, nudged her way to one in particular, and began to lick it over and over, right on the hip, where Perkin's brand "P" was located.
There is no need to mention here that Mike Perkins was found guilty.
When the mother arrived, she began calling loudly, and seemed to be trying to move towards the roped-in calves. The judge decreed that she be allowed freedom of movement. When she was let go, the mother gave her testimony to the court in no uncertain terms. She went directly over to the calves, nudged her way to one in particular, and began to lick it over and over, right on the hip, where Perkin's brand "P" was located.
There is no need to mention here that Mike Perkins was found guilty.
My friends live across the road from a dairy farm. I will never forget the sounds from the mothers and babies - the heifers and the calfs - when they were separated. I believe this happens when the calves are just days old so the farmers can get all the milk to market. The sound was an utterly overwhelming wall of despair, that's what it was.
It is estimated that for maximum milk production here in Australia, one million calves are taken from their mothers every year, and killed.
-Shannon
Cows Lament A Dead Companion
By Venerable Wuling, March, 2009
My good friend and his wife were visiting their son and daughter-in-law who lived out of town on some acreage that was next to a farm. One morning during the visit, they all awoke to sounds of cows in great distress. Not knowing what was happening, but concerned, the four of them drove over to the farm and found the farmer. When they asked what was happening, he explained.
One of the older cows had died during the night. When he heard the lowing, he went to the field and saw that the cows were all standing around the dead one and lowing in great distress. He quickly got his tractor, dug a deep hole, and maneuvered the dead cow into the hole.
To his amazement the cows positioned themselves around the hole and one or two even tried to climb down into it. The others were around the rim and the older ones pushed their way to the edge of the hole as the younger ones were pushed away to stand behind the older ones. It was as if senior mourners had taken their place before younger ones. The farmer had had the older cows since they were calves and hadn't wanted to kill animals just because they were not productive so the herd had been together for several years.
My friend had shaken his head when he told me of this, saying he had never seen anything like it before.
So do cows cry? Yes, they do, they can feel loss and great sadness and distress. Something we would do well to understand.
A numb mind as they’re standing
Is a trait of the bovine ilk.
Naught to do but stand and chew
Munching cud and making their milk.
~Anon
Is a trait of the bovine ilk.
Naught to do but stand and chew
Munching cud and making their milk.
~Anon