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Following is a recorded conversation between HG Yamuna Prana Das and HH RP Bhakti Raghava Swami Maharaj. Maharaj during the ride to Airport on the last day of visit to Russia/Ukraine.
“We are discussing how here in Ukraine and also in Russia, wherever we have devotees who either have cows or have interest to care for cows or have interest to do some farming. Who want to be connected with land because so many instructions Srila Prabhupada has given. Already here in Ukraine the devotees are doing. But the problem is that devotees having not so much experience, not knowledgeable and making many mistakes. That is not good for the devotees; it is not good for ISKCON; it is not good for showing good example.
So, what I think should come actually now not only in Ukraine but in all different countries, like we have in India and for Europe in general, some departments, some committee that our ISKCON leadership can establish to give some support, some guidance and to provide some resource. It means some material, some information, some resource of people.
We have a global ministry for cow protection with two co-ministers. One of them is Kalakantha Prabhu and he likes to attend and to support conferences on cow protection. Next month in September he will be going to a conference in New Mayapur in France. And in India we are organizing a conference on cow protection and farming. Devotees should connect with these departments that we established.
Actually this ministry is very much needed. If some devotees are interested to get some training, we have this possibility. We welcome devotees to come to India and spend a few weeks to get nice basic training about cow care, making different cow products as well. This can be very useful for the community of devotees.
Very important to even now begin more dialogue, more communication among the devotees. And here in Ukraine, because so many devotees already connected and involved with cows and land and also because Ukraine is very ideal, it has very good land – fertile. And still you have about 30-40% of the population living in village. In India about 60-65%, but it has come down from 70%. That is happening everywhere; urbanization taking people away from village. That is not good.
Because we are losing our ability and knowledge and experience and tradition regarding self-sufficiency; how to grow organic food and how to care for cows.[/fusion_text][fusion_imageframe lightbox=”yes” lightbox_image=”http://www.srisurabhi.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/IMAG1464.jpg” style_type=”bottomshadow” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”none” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””] 
[/fusion_imageframe][fusion_separator style_type=”none” top_margin=”30″ bottom_margin=”” sep_color=”” border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” class=”” id=””/][fusion_text]Devotees can now begin a dialogue. I was telling the devotees yesterday that at the beginning of the year they had 10 cows and now 60. Why? Because they are buying from the butcher. I told them that actually the butcher is coming and telling them: “This cow I will send to a slaughter house or I will butcher it, so if you want to take it. So devotees out of sentiment, they are taking. In India alone 200,000 cows are killed. So we cannot now take all those cows; we cannot protect all those cows but we should begin on a small scale. We should take only cows that we can protect properly. Otherwise it becomes very very big problem.
The long-term solution of course is that we by preaching convince people not to kill cows. And more long-term, we influence, convince people in government. Like in India, very strong of course, because India is a land of dharma and now they have in different states – chief ministers having laws that prevent slaughtering of cows. That will take some time of course. In some countries it is taking time, even in India – pious.
At least devotees can begin among themselves. If there is an ongoing communication, devotees can learn things from books. There is a lot of information on the internet regarding organic farming. This is for those who are already involved with protection of cows or agriculture. We do not want to take people away from preaching activities like books distribution etc. These activities are very important and they must continue in our cities but not everyone will do that or have the ability to do it for a whole life. So we must have different opportunities for devotees in different situation.
Actually preaching is not only doing book distribution. Prabhupada also said many years ago… I think you have heard. Some devotees they were telling that, “Oh, book distribution is the best.” Prabhupada was telling, “What is the best is the activity that you perform with love and devotion.” So, because at that time devotees were telling: “Oh, if you are sitting in temple and not going out on book distribution – you are in maya.” But that is not the case actually. Whatever activity, any activity that we do for Krishna, including for example farming, looking after cows – that is also very important. Preaching as well. Distribution of ahimsa products etc.
Srila Prabhupada wanted us to protect cows. That means he wanted that we take products from protected cows. In the beginning Prabhupada took ordinary milk, milk from ordinary cows from unprotected cows also. Prabhupada did many things according to circumstances at that time. Just like we are allowed to use tractors. But he told it is better not to use tractors. So he allowed us. He himself drank milk from unprotected cows. But better to drink milk from protected cows, is it not?
So much food we are taking from market which is contaminated, impure food, because most of the food people doing using chemicals. But this food is not wholesome. Not organic food. Therefore there are many diseases, many serious diseases. This commercial oil is very bad for the health. Therefore it is important that we offer to the Lord and to the Lord’s devotees food that is pure. Krishna is pure. He is pavitra. The purest. We should offer what is pure to Krishna and His devotees.
Many of our devotees in cities say, “What can we do?” Those who are preaching, full time devotees, they can inspire the congregation members that if you have a house and a lawn, you can grow food. Like in America, people are changing their lawn from growing grass to growing food. Because food that is grown by devotees – organic food – is very good for the health and we should know that it is important to keep our body healthy to serve Krishna properly, is it not? To make a proper material arrangement is not maya. It is proper utilizing Krishna’s energy. Krishna has given us some instructions how to work with nature in a more wholesome way without exploiting. As we are doing all over the world. Our devotees should be making an effort to inspire congregation members to grow food, to offer it to the Deities and there should be a GBC resolution where it explains that city temples should purchase milk, organic food even that it is more expensive .
[/fusion_text][fusion_imageframe lightbox=”yes” lightbox_image=”http://www.srisurabhi.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/IMAG1437.jpg” style_type=”bottomshadow” bordercolor=”” bordersize=”0px” borderradius=”0″ stylecolor=”” align=”none” link=”” linktarget=”_self” animation_type=”0″ animation_direction=”down” animation_speed=”0.1″ hide_on_mobile=”no” class=”” id=””] 
[/fusion_imageframe][fusion_separator style_type=”none” top_margin=”30″ bottom_margin=”” sep_color=”” border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” class=”” id=””/][fusion_text]These resolutions are available everywhere. This resolution was passed five years ago. There are two resolutions: one is that city temples should make an effort even though it is more expensive – two times, three times – they are getting quality milk and quality food. And this will cut down their “doctor bill”. They will not have to go to doctor so much because they will be more healthy by taking wholesome food. So very important that vedic instructions say that it is important that we must grow our own food. The other resolution says, when we give a bhagavatam class, 10% of the class should be connected with varnasrama, which means the material svadharma, our material responsibilities; how ideally we should live on a material level in keeping with guidelines and instructions given by Krishna. Vedas give us full knowledge about spiritual things and full knowledge about material things. Many material sciences are there. And it is important for devotees to know for example producing food.
Now we have agro business, is it not? Agriculture has become business. We are using tractors and all kinds of machinery and we are spoiling. That is major global problem; that is called creating arid land. It means that you cannot grow anything. Like a desert. It is called desertification. It means more and more land over the world is becoming dry. No fertility. And one of the reasons is because we are using machines. And also chemical fertilizers. There is a video it is explaining how by using large herds of cows, by grazing – it means cows walking the land – they massage the land. And cow dung . Traditionally we should use the bull for plowing. In India one sadhu explained to me that the cows give urine at one time; in the morning you can get a lot of urine. The first urine we should use for making go-ark – distilled urine for medicine. And the bulls they do not pass urine like that. They pass during the day little-little. That is Krishna’s scientific arrangement because the bull must be walking and plowing the land. Like a hose they water the land. And by walking they mix the land with cow urine and the cow dong and this will give a nice massage to mother Bhumi. And when there is cow dung and cow urine falling on the land, those all small animals in the land come up and there is food. And when they make holes the land is breathing. The opposite happens when you use a tractor, the tractor compresses the land. The small animals they cannot come up, they die. That is why the land becomes arid desert.
Everything is very scientific. We have experts in India who explain all these things. Having bulls we can replace these machines. Actually, when we say cow protection, we mean cow and bull. Both are useful. And we should know that it is a big mistake if devotees think like karmis that only cow is very important because of milk. This is the mentality of karmis. My cow is now giving less milk, I send it to the slaughter house. Cow not giving any milk, it becomes useless. This is maya. Wrong thinking. Cow from the beginning till the end of life is extremely useful, especially because of its cow urine and dung. It is more useful than milk. Of course milk is very important also, but milk is not the only utility from cows and bulls.
That is part of training and education that is very essential. That is why Prabhupad many years ago said that we set up colleges to teach about the traditional principles. Varnashrama colleges are meant to teach about the scientific principles and concepts that will give direction for brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisya and also for the sudras. We call it traditional technologies. We are not against technology. Now in modern day society we are using “hard technology” which is different from ”soft technology”. Hard technology means using tractors for example or big machines and exploiting material nature. It is in the category of ugra karma. Chemicals and creating pollution and exploiting the natural resources and in this way creating severe and serious imbalance in nature which is very critical all over the world. Soft technology means without exploiting material nature, without creating this imbalance and using the bulls for plowing.”
OM SRI SURABHYAI NAMAH ![/fusion_text][fusion_text]Reported by: Yamuna Prana Das from Ukraine/Russia[/fusion_text][fusion_separator style_type=”none” top_margin=”20″ bottom_margin=”” sep_color=”” border_size=”” icon=”” icon_circle=”” icon_circle_color=”” width=”” alignment=”center” class=”” id=””/][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_youtube id=”AVbXl-BqW3A” width=”853″ height=”480″ autoplay=”no” api_params=”” class=””/][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]