Sanskrit training in China

http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/article2023696.ece?homepage=true

The Sanskrit programme at Peking University has a long history, set up in the
1960s and subsequently expanded by renowned Indologist Ji Xianlin, who
translated dozens of works

Almost two millennia after the language first came to China through Buddhist
scriptures, renewed interest in Buddhist studies  and recent discoveries of
long-forgotten manuscripts in Tibet have sparked a revival of the study of the
ancient language among Chinese scholars.

Beijing’s Peking University has now launched an ambitious programme to train
more than 60 Chinese students in Sanskrit, with the hope of creating a team of
researchers to help translate hundreds of manuscripts containing scriptures
that have been found in Tibet and other centres of Buddhism, such as Hangzhou
in China’s east.

“There is a rich manuscript collection in Tibet, particularly. Many of the originals have not been recovered, and are only available in Chinese and Tibetan, so it is important for us to find a way to render them back into Sanskrit,” said Satyavrat Shastri, a renowned New Delhi-based Sanskrit scholar and poet, who is in Beijing this week as a visiting lecturer to meet and advise students and teachers here.

“What they are trying to do here is invaluable, and they are making great progress,” Mr. Shastri said, adding that he was pleasantly surprised by the students’ technical level.

“I was struck by the interest, of both teachers and scholars, in little details, such as getting the pronunciation perfect. They recited the Bhagavad Gita with me, and it was a unique experience. The pronunciation, the metre [of reciting the verses], was remarkable.”

The Sanskrit programme at Peking University has a long history, set up in the 1960s and subsequently expanded by renowned Indologist Ji Xianlin, who translated dozens of works and is seen by many here as single-handedly introducing classical Indian culture to a whole generation of Chinese.

Today, the programme hopes to carry forward the legacy of Ji, who died in 2009.

The university’s efforts received a boost in 2005, when it was given support by the Ministry of Education to expand admissions, part of an effort to boost manuscript research.

Now, for the first time, the programme has a regular annual intake of students at both undergraduate and post-graduate levels, currently training between 50 and 60 students.

“We want to continue what Ji Xianlin started,” said Duan Qing, a professor in Sanskrit and Pali who once trained under Ji. “Our programme is quite mature now, and is the only complete Sanskrit programme in China.”

She attributed the recent boost in funding to increasing government support for the humanities, ignored during the People’s Republic’s first three decades when the country’s focus was on development alone.

“Sanskrit research is being viewed with importance now,” she said. “India and China were culturally connected. I don’t think there’s another country in the world where so many Sanskrit works were translated into another language, and this has been going on for more 1,000 years.”

Ms. Duan heads the Research Institute of Sanskrit Manuscripts and Buddhist Literature at Peking University, which is working with regional governments and hoping to create an archive for lost manuscripts and palm-leaves. Graduate students will work with the institute to help translate scriptures.

Yu Huaijin, a PhD student who is studying Kalidasa’s Kumarasambhava, said she joined the programme because she believed it was playing the role of “a bridge between two cultures.”

“India and China are neighbours, but they know little about each other, especially the younger generation. It is a big objective for me to introduce Indian culture and literature to a Chinese audience,” she said.

Few Chinese students are interested in Indian culture, with much greater interest in Western literature. Ms. Yu, too, was first a student of Western literature — until she happened to read a translation of the Mahabharata by Ji Xianlin. “It was a different world,” she said. “And one that few Chinese are aware of.”

Peking University has also begun working with Sanskrit programmes in universities in the West, particularly in Germany, to improve both teaching methods and archiving practices.

Indian universities, have however, appeared to show little interest in taking forward cooperation. Mr. Shastri, who is an honorary professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, admitted there was “precious little” cooperation between the two countries. There was room for much more, he said, encouraged by the positive response to his teaching methods this past week.

“We want to learn Sanskrit through traditional methods,” one teacher told him. “Not from the West.”

In their homes, Sanskrit is not lost in translation     http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_in-their-homes-sanskrit-is-not-lost-in-translation_1718648
In the Gajjar household, the day begins with a suprahbatam and ends with a shubhratri. To the uninitiated, the two italicised words may sound like Hindi but are in fact Sanskrit version of good morning and good night. The Gajjar’s are just a handful of families (48) in the city and state trying to keep alive Sanskrit through regular use in everyday conversation. In fact, Satish Gajjar and his family converse only in Sanskrit. The 38-year-old resident of Surendranagar said he took to the practice eight years ago. “When I married, my wife Gayatri did not know the language. But as I insisted on only speaking in it she too learned it. The first year was difficult but then she took picked it up,” said Gajjar. Incidentally, he speaks to his parents in Gujarati. His 8-year-old daughter Devki and 3-year-old son Vidit also converse with their parents in Sanskrit. “Vidit is too young to converse but whatever words he has learned so far all are in Sanskrit and hence follows it brilliantly,” said Gajjar. When asked if he doesn’t worry about his children being affected by the use of a language that majority don’t use, he said, “They study in Gujarati medium and are fluent in it as well. Sanskrit is like any other language, the only difference being it is not much in vogue but I don’t think speaking it puts my children at any disadvantage whatsoever,” said Gajjar. Mihir Upadhyay, a Sanskrit teacher, is another man who uses the language to converse at home. “At times, we do take to speaking in Gujarati but Sanskrit remains the dominant language at home. My wife is a Sanskrit teacher as well and hence it is easy for us,” said Upadhyay. He said, in all, there are around 48 families in the state trying to keep alive the language through regular use. “My mother learned the language from me and now we often converse in it,” said Upadhyay.

Gandhi on cow protection

Thanks to Harish for this post.
_____________________________________________________________________
http://www.internationalpeaceandconflict.org/profiles/blogs/cows-protection-
and-mahatma-gandhi

Dr. Yogendra Yadav
Gandhian Scholar
Gandhi Research Foundation, Jalgaon, M.S.
Gandhi Teerth, Jain Hills PO Box 118,
Jalgaon - 425 001 (Maharashtra), India

Cows Protection and Mahatma Gandhi

Cows are a common domestic animal. She is referred to as the foster mother
of human being because it produces most of the milk that people drink. Every
produce of cows are used in India. The people of India worship her as
mother. So they loved her very much. But the people of other community do
not worship. So they killed her and use her flesh and skin. So they fight
each other. Mahatma Gandhi gave permanent solution for this struggle.

Mahatma Gandhi asked, "I am thankful to the Gaurakshini Sabha and to you all
for inviting me to lay the foundation-stone of the gaushala in this town.
For the Hindus, this is sacred work. Protection of the cow is a primary duty
for every Indian. It has been my experience, however, that the way we set
about this important work leaves much to be desired. I have given some
thought to this serious problem and wish to place before you the conclusions
I have formed.

We do not go the right way to work for protecting the cows against our
Muslim brethren. The result has been that these two great communities of
India are always at odds with each other and cherish mutual distrust.
Occasionally, they even fight.

As long as we do not get this terrible slaughter stopped, I think it is
impossible that we can produce any effect on the hearts of Muslims or
protect the cows against them. Our second task, therefore, is to carry on
agitation among our British friends. We are in no position to use brute
strength against them. They also should be won over by tapascharya and
gentleness. For them eating of beef is no religious act. It should be easier
to that extent to persuade them. It is only after we have rid ourselves of
the taint of violence which I mentioned earlier and have succeeded in
persuading our British friends not to eat beef and kill cows and bullocks;
it is only then that we shall be entitled to say something to our Muslim
friends. I can assure you that, when we have won over the British, our
Muslim brethren will also have more sympathy for us and perform their
religious rites with some other kind of offering. Once we admit that we are
also guilty of violence, the working of our gaushalas will change. We shall
not reserve them merely for decrepit cows but maintain their well-nourished
cows and bullocks as well. We shall endeavour to improve the breed of cattle
and will also be able to produce pure milk, ghee, etc. This is not merely a
religious issue. It is an issue on which hinges the economic progress of
India. Economists have furnished irrefutable figures to prove that the
quality of cattle in India is so poor that the income from their milk is
much less than the cost of their maintenance. We can turn our gaushalas into
centres for the study of economics and for the solution of this big problem.
Gaushalas cost a great deal and at present we have to provide the expenses.
The gaushalas of my conception will become self-supporting in future. They
will not be located in the midst of cities. We may buy land in the
neighborhood of a city to the tune of hundreds of acres and locate these
gaushalas there. We can raise on this land crops to serve as fodder for the
cows and every variety of grass."1

"Cow protection is an article of faith in Hinduism. Apart from its religious
sanctity, it is an ennobling creed. But we, Hindus, have today little regard
for the cow and her progeny. In no country in the world are cattle so
ill-fed and ill-kept as in India. In beef-eating England it would be
difficult to find cattle with bones sticking out of their flesh. Most of our
pinjrapoles1 are ill-managed and ill-kept. Instead of being a real blessing
to the animal world, they are perhaps simply receiving-depots for dying
animals. We say nothing to the English in India for whose sake hundreds of
cows are slaughtered daily. Our rajas do not hesitate to provide beef for
their English guests. Our protection of the cow, therefore, extends to
rescuing her from Mussulman hands. This reverse method of cow protection has
led to endless feuds and bad blood between Hindus and Mussulmans. It has
probably caused greater slaughter of cows than otherwise would have been the
case if we had begun the propaganda in the right order. We should have
commenced, as we ought now to commence, with ourselves and cover the land
with useful propaganda leading to kindness in the treatment of cattle and
scientific knowledge in the management of cattle farms, dairies and
pinjrapoles. We should devote our attention to propaganda among Englishmen
in the shape of inducing them voluntarily to abandon beef, or, if they will
not do so, at least be satisfied with imported beef. We should secure
prohibition of export of cattle from India and we should adopt means of
increasing and purifying our milk supply. I have not a shadow of doubt that
if we proceed along these sane lines, we would secure voluntary Mussulman
support, and when we have ceased to compel them to stop killing cows on
their festival days, we would find that they have no occasion for insisting
on killing them. Any show of force on our part must lead to retaliation and
exacerbation of feeling."2

Mahatma Gandhi told, "Cow-protection is the outward form of Hinduism. I
refuse to call anyone a Hindu if he is not willing to lay down his life in
this cause. It is dearer to me than my very life. If cow-slaughter were for
the Muslims a religious duty, like saying namaz, I would have had to tell
them that I must fight against them. But it is not a religious duty for
them. We have made it one by our attitude to them.

What is really needed for protecting the cow is that the Hindus themselves
should care for her, since they, too, kill her. The barbaric practice of
blowing for extracting milk to the last drop, of tormenting oxen, which are
the progeny of the cow, by using the goad, and of making them draw loads
beyond their strength —these things amount to killing the cow. If we are
serious about cow-protection, we must put our own house in order.

Mahatma Gandhi described that "Goshalas of this kind cannot protect the cow.
Real goshalas should supply fresh milk to the towns. This will be possible
only when they have thousands of milch cows and thousands of bighas of land.
Only when we look after cows with the utmost care, shall we raise kamadhenus
from among them. Then alone will the misery, the hunger, the nakedness and
the spiritual abjectness of the country disappear. What I have said has come
of itself. Never before have I spoken so earnestly about cow-protection.
Protect mother cow, and mother cow will protect you."3

Gandhi advised, "The issue of cow-protection is intimately connected with
the problem of Hindu-Muslim unity. But we will not consider it today from
this point of view. There is much that I want to write about Hindu-Muslim
unity and its bearing on the issue of cow-protection. But that can wait. Nor
will we consider the question from the religious point of view. We shall
discuss it exclusively from the economic standpoint. I wish only to place
before my readers some of my experiences during my stay here in the quiet of
Juhu and the old ideas of mine that they revived. I have invited some
persons who live with me or have been brought up by me or have been close to
me, persons who have been ill for some time, to share with me the benefits
of change of air. Their diet is mainly cow's milk. We found it rather
difficult to obtain it here. There are in the vicinity three suburbs of
Bombay, viz., Vile Parle, Andheri and Santa Cruz. Cow's milk was very
difficult to obtain from any of these places. Buffalo's milk was plentiful.
But even that could be had without adulteration only because of friends in
the neighborhood who are solicitous about my needs. Otherwise, pure milk of
even buffaloes would be hard to come by. Ultimately, through God's grace and
the kindness of friends, I could even get cow's milk.

There are goshalas in every part of the country and they are all in a
pitiable state. Here, too, the cause is simple inefficiency. Enormous sums
are spent on these goshalas or pinjrapoles. Some people say that this stream
is also drying up. Be it so. I am convinced nonetheless that, if these
institutions are established on a sound footing, devoted Hindus will pour
out money to help them. I am sure that the task is not impossible.
Pinjrapoles should be located on extensive grounds outside the city. They
should house not only aged animals but milch cattle as well, so that pure
milk needed by the city could be supplied from them." 4

The father of nation described, "For, it is this special feature that has
given to Hinduism it's inclusive and assimilative character and made its
gradual, silent evolution possible. Go to any Hindu child and he would tell
you that cow-protection is the supreme duty of every Hindu and that anyone
who does not believe in it deserves the name of a Hindu. But while I am a
firm believer in the necessity and importance of cow-protection, I do not at
all endorse the current methods adopted for that purpose. Some of the
practices followed in the name of cow-protection cause me extreme anguish.
My heart aches within me. Several year ago I wrote in Hind Swaraj that our
cow-protection societies were in fact so many cow-killing societies.

Once, while in Champaran, I was asked to expound my views regarding
cow-protection. I told my Champaran friends then that if anybody was really
anxious to save the cow, he ought to once for all to disabuse his mind of
the notion that he has to make the Christians and Mussalmans to desist from
cow-killing. Unfortunately today we seem to believe that the problem of
cow-protection consists merely in preventing non-Hindus, especially
Mussalmans from beef-eating and cow-killing. That seems to me to be absurd.
Let no one, however, conclude from this that I am indifferent when a
non-Hindu kills a cow or that I can bear the practice of cow-killing. On the
contrary, no one probably experiences a greater agony of the soul when a cow
is killed. But what am I to do? Am I to fulfil my dharma myself or am I to
get it fulfilled by proxy? Of what avail would be my preaching brahmacharya
to others if I am at the same time steeped in vice myself? How can I ask
Mussalmans to desist from eating beef when I eat it myself? But supposing
even that I myself do not kill the cow, is it any part of my duty to make
the Mussalman, against his will, to do likewise? Mussalmans claim that Islam
permits them to kill the cow. To make a Mussalman, therefore, to abstain
from cow-killing under compulsion would amount in my opinion to converting
him to Hinduism by force. Even in India under swaraj, in my opinion, it
would be for a Hindu majority unwise and improper to coerce by legislation a
Mussalman minority into submission to statutory prohibition of
cow-slaughter. When I pledge myself to save the cow, I do not mean merely
the Indian cow, but the cow all the world over. My religion teaches me that
I should by my personal conduct instill into the minds of those who might
hold different views, the conviction that cow-killing is a sin and that
therefore it ought to be abandoned. My ambition is no less than to see the
principle of cow-protection established throughout the world. But that
requires that I should set my own house thoroughly in order first."5

"It will be remembered that at the Cow-Protection Conference held at Belgaum
a committee was appointed to frame a constitution for the founding of a
permanent All-India Cow-Protection Organization. In consequence of the
resolution, the Committee met in January at Delhi and framed a draft
constitution in Hindi which will be submitted to a general meeting to be
held in due course."6

Mahatma Gandhi wrote, "The work of cow-protection has been going on at a
snail's pace. I can assure the gosevaks that the movement does not come to a
standstill even for a single moment. I keep all the time thinking of it and
also discuss it. And, as there are many people in Kutch who wish to serve
this cause and also because it does not seem likely that I shall be able to
come to Kutch again, I have explained my scheme and collected some funds."7

Bapu advised to Goraksha Mandal, "The All-India Goraksha Mandal has been
established just for this purpose. But as I get more experience I realize
the difficulties in the way of bringing all such societies together under
one body and a common set of rules. I have asked for full details from as
many societies as have sent their names and addresses. But very few of them
have supplied the information asked for. It is not that they do not wish to
send particulars, but probably lethargy or indifference or a feeling of
shame prevents them from replying. The shame is on the score of lack of
proper management, for I have seen institutions which were not properly
managed and did not maintain proper accounts.

Various bodies in the country for the protection of weak and infirm cattle
should unite to form an all-India body and formulate a plan whereby they
would maintain healthy cattle, supply pure milk to the people and from the
income so derived look after weak and infirm cattle. there are some 1,500
goshalas is India. If they are all properly managed and turned into dairies,
there is no doubt at all that the problem of protecting the cows will be
then very easy to solve. But what is the way to bring this about? Who will
bell the cat? I will only say this, that it is necessary to infuse life into
all these institutions. It is difficult to frame rules for them unless they
work as model dairies and leather work-shops. The All-India Goraksha Mandal
has not been indifferent to this task."8

"The motive that actuates cow-protection is not 'purely selfish', though
selfish consideration undoubtedly enters into it. If it was purely selfish,
the cow would be killed as in other countries after it had ceased to give
full use. The Hindus will not kill the cow even though she may be a heavy
burden. The numberless goshalas that have been established by
charitably-minded people for tending disabled and useless cows is in a way
an eloquent testimony of the effort that is being made in the direction.
Though they are today very poor institutions for the object to be achieved,
the fact does not detract from the value of the motive behind the act. The
philosophy of cow-protection therefore is, in my opinion, sublime. It
immediately puts the animal creation on the same level with man so far as
the right to live is concerned. But it is no part of

Hinduism to prevent by force cow-slaughter by those who do not believe in
cow-protection. Hindus will bring the Mussalmans and the rest of the world
to their way of thinking only by living the religion of ahimsa as fully as
it is humanly possible. They must rely upon the working of the great
principle in their own lives and making its effective appeal to the outer
world."9

Mahatma Gandhi told, "In matters of religion I am against any State
interference, and the cow question is in India a mixed matter of religion
and economy. So far as economy is concerned, I have no doubt that it is the
concern of every State, whether Hindu or Mussalman, to conserve the cattle
supply. But, if I have understood your questionnaire rightly, the underlying
note is whether the State would be justified in interposing itself between
Hindus and Mussalmans and regulating cow slaughter even for purposes which
Mussalmans consider to be religious. In India which I consider to be as much
the land of Hindus born in it as of Mussalmans, Christians and others born
in it, even a Hindu State may not prohibit cow slaughter for purposes
considered to be religious by any of its subjects without the consent of the
intelligent majority of such subjects so long as such slaughter is conducted
in private and without any intention of provoking or giving offence to
Hindus. That the very knowledge of any such slaughter would give offence to
Hindus is inevitable. But unfortunately we know that in India cow slaughter
is often resorted to defy and wound Hindu sentiment."10

Mahatma Gandhi suggested, "The suggestion in regard to bones needs some
modification. Burying bones as they are does not produce manure; they have
to be ground into powder. The flesh and intestines need not be buried.
Intestines are used even now for making leather strips, strings for musical
instruments and catguts, and the fat obtained from flesh is used in great
quantities for lubricating machinery. So there remains very little to be
buried in its natural form. But this concerns the future.

If we accept in principle that by making in goshalas and pinjrapoles all
those things against the use of which we have no religious objection, we can
save the maximum number of cattle, other discoveries will follow.

The reproach to cow-protection workers implied in the last suggestion
deserves attention. Every such worker should bear in mind that there is a
greater need for workers who will devote themselves to active work of
service and make themselves proficient in their field of work than for
preachers who go round exhorting others.

The suggestion obviously seems to be that the methods of cow-protection
advocated by me are not consistent with my profession of Hinduism. For in
his introductory remarks to his questions the writer has tried to make light
of the basic principle of cow-protection that I have formulated, viz., that
what is economically wrong cannot be religiously right. In other words, if a
religion cuts at the very fundamentals of economics it is not a true
religion but only a delusion. My critic on the other hand believes that this
view is opposed to the teachings of our ancient scriptures. I, at least, am
not aware of a single text in opposition to this view nor do I know of any
religious institution that is being maintained in any part of the world
today in antagonism to the elementary principles of economics. As for
Nature, anyone who has eyes can see, that it always observes the principle
that I have stated. For instance, if it has implanted in its creation the
instinct for food it also produces enough food to satisfy that instinct from
day to day. But it does not produce a jot more. That is Nature's way. But
man, blinded by his selfish greed, grabs and consumes more than his
requirements in defiance of Nature's principle, in defiance of the
elementary and immutable moralities of non-stealing and non-possession of
other's property and thus brings down no end of misery upon himself and his
fellow-creatures. To turn to another illustration, our Shastras have
enjoined that the Brahmin should give knowledge as charity without expecting
any material reward for it for him. But they have at the same time conferred
upon him the privilege of asking for and receiving alms and have laid upon
the other sections of the community the duty of giving alms, thus uniting
religion and economics in a common bond of harmony. I need hardly say that
the humanitarian tanneries that I have suggested would also be utilizing the
bones and other useful parts of the dead cattle. In fact it is more
necessary than ever."11

Mahatma Gandhi described, "We find that many of the things we do are
contrary to our beliefs or our religion. We believe that we should speak the
truth, yet we practice untruth; we believe that we should not indulge in
immoral activities but we do indulge in them; we believe that we should
refrain from violence, yet we practice it at every moment; we believe that
we should win swaraj, yet do much which is contrary to this belief. We do
not even do khadi work which will promote swaraj. The human race would
perish if it always acted against its beliefs in all matters. Innumerable
persons thoughtlessly do what should not be done. The foregoing describes
the plight of those who have formed the habit of thinking.

Mahatma Gandhi told about its failure, "Failure to serve the cow is an
instance of conduct contrary to religion. Every Hindu believes that it is
his special dharma to serve the cow. But only a handful of Hindus will be
found to observe the basic rules of goseva. Many persons believe that they
have done their duty once they have put a couple of pice into the
cow-protection fund."12

Mahatma Gandhi told, "The pity is that most of our cow-protection
associations will keep cows and buffaloes both and try to run them and make
them paying concerns by selling buffalo's milk. The cow, they think, is
uneconomic, not knowing that if the cow was exclusively taken care of, and
all attention concentrated on increasing her yield of milk, in making her a
good breeder, and on making use of every bit of her carcass after she is
dead, she would be more than an economic proposition. If someone could
convince me that both the cow and the buffalo could be protected, without
our having to feed on them or slaughtering them, I should be only too
willing to include both in my scheme. The fact, however, is that the
buffalo, apart from her milk, is an uneconomic animal. Except in a few wet
regions of India the buffalo is useless for agricultural purposes, and so we
either starve or kill the male progeny. Some of the best known dairies
priding themselves on the wonderful milk-yield of their cows have been found
to be doing away with the male calves. We have to make them good milkers and
good mothers of fine plough-bullocks. It is no use saying that there is no
demand for cow's milk. If we refused to supply any other milk, and if we
ensured a supply of the richest and purest and safest milk, everyone would
enlist himself as our regular customer.

But the first thing is to eliminate the buffalo. It is like the exclusive
emphasis on khadi. You cannot promote khadi by dividing your attention
between khadi and mill-cloth. But we have not given the necessary attention
to her feed and her upkeep. Show the best results and I tell you you will
not have to complain of lack of patronage. Why is there such a mad run on a
certain company's shares? Because people know that it is going to be a
highly paying concern. If you could make people believe that yours also
would be a paying concern, they would rush to offer their patronage to you.
Concentrate on one. Take a city like Bombay, take a census of the children,
enlist the names of people who will buy only cow's milk for their children,
and make your dairy an exclusive cow's milk supplier for children. Don't you
know how they popularize an article like tea? They distribute free packets
of tea; they run free tea-houses. You can do likewise and popularize cow's
milk. Your ambition should be to cater to the needs of the whole of Bombay.
There is a demand for cow's milk in a city like Calcutta. The best Haryana
breeds are imported to Calcutta, but as soon as the cows go dry they go to
the butcher. The result is that the Haryana cow is getting scarce in the
Punjab. No, the cow need not go to the butcher at all. She will have more
than paid for her upkeep for her dry years by her rich yield of milk and
progeny, and after death, she would fetch the same value as she did when
alive. The cow can either be protected by the State or by those who are
really religiously inclined. The State we may leave aside for the moment, it
is the religiously inclined who should rise to the occasion and bring to
bear knowledge and industry to the task. Humanitarianism without knowledge
is futile and may even be harmful."13 I have called cow-protection goseva,
i. e., service of the cow. Legislation hardly serves the cow, much less
protects it. If we follow the given solution by Mahatma Gandhi, struggle
will stop.





1. SPEECH ON COW PROTECTION, BETTIAH; About October 9, 1917

2. COW PROTECTION

3. SPEECH AT BETTIAH GOSHALA; December 8, 1920

4. COW-PROTECTION

5. Young India, 29-1-1925

6. Young India, 9-4-1925

7. Navajivan, 1-11-1925

8. Navajivan, 23-5-1926

9. Young India, 11-11-1926

10. LETTER TO COW-PROTECTION COMMITTEE, January 11, 1927

11. Navajivan, 29-5-1927

12. Harijanbandhu, 17-1-1937

13. Harijan, 19-6-1937

14. LETTER TO SWAMI KARAPATRI;July 24, 1947

Beat any recession with Cow urine!

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-07-12/news/32648877_1_cow-
urine-organic-farming-panchagavya


Cow urine aids treatment of cancer, asthma?
ET Bureau Jul 12, 2012, 03.47AM IST

KOCHI: It is a coup of sorts as far as innovation and product branding is
concerned! A veterinary science college in Wayand has opened up a world of
opportunities for business by packaging and branding cow urine.

The College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Pookot in Wayand district, has
launched two products in the market - 'Cow Urine' and 'Panchagavya' -
targeted at the organic farming sector.

"Cow's urine is meant to improve the plant resistance while Panchagavya will
help the growth of favourable soil bacteria and thereby improve soil
fertility," said Dr Joseph Mathew, who is in charge of the instructional
farm in Pookot. According to him, the two products can help reduce the use
of pesticides and chemical fertilisers to a great extent.

The college, which has found a direct use for cow urine in organic farming,
markets the neatly packed product for 5 per litre. Panchagavya, which is a
cocktail of milk, ghee, curd, cow urine and cow dung, is sold for 50 per
litre.

Interestingly, the product quality is ensured by collecting the first urine
of the cow everyday. "The production is as per requirement," said Dr Mathew,
adding that only local varieties of cows are used in the production of the
two organic farming aids.

Apart from its application in organic farming, cow pee is an important
ingredient in many ayurvedic medicines. "It is used in the treatment of
several major ailments like peptic ulcer, certain type of cancer, liver
ailments, asthma etc," said Dr Satish Namboodiri, director, Dhanwanthari
Vaidyasala, Thodupuzha.

However, the cow urine produced by College of Veterinary & Animal Sciences
cannot be used for pharmaceutical applications, said Dr Mathew. "For
pharmaceutical use it has to be produced under the supervision of an
ayurvedic doctor, he pointed out.

The initiative by the Wayand veterinary college has major significance in a
country like India, which has a large bovine population. If cow pee actually
emerges as a natural resource with farm and pharma application, its
harnessing and marketing would end up as an economic activity that can beat
any recession!

Timeless Stories of Gomata

Have you ever wondered why and how Laxmidevi resides in cow dung? Why cows
are considered most significant of all animals? How come cows have varied
horns? How were cows created? How cows got their position in Goloka?...

Yes, all these are narrated in our scriptures and each story makes a
wonderful read! Would you like to read them all in one place? Then read this
article further...

"To make the mind austere is to detach it from sense gratification. It
should be so trained that it can be always thinking of doing good for
others. The best training for the mind is gravity in thought. One should not
deviate from Krsna consciousness and must always avoid sense gratification.
To purify one's nature is to become Krsna conscious. Satisfaction of the
mind can be obtained only by taking the mind away from thoughts of sense
enjoyment. The more we think of sense enjoyment, the more the mind becomes
dissatisfied. In the present age we unnecessarily engage the mind in so many
different ways for sense gratification, and so there is no possibility of
the mind's becoming satisfied. The best course is to divert the mind to the
Vedic literature, which is full of satisfying stories, as in the Puranas and
the Mahabharata. One can take advantage of this knowledge and thus become
purified."
[Srila Prabhupada, Purport, SB17.16]

The latest books released from ISKCON Daiva Varnasrama Ministry in an
attractive paperback book is bound to engage readers of all sections, young
and old equally!

"Timeless Stories of Gomata" is a compilation of 35 stories from various
scriptures such as Mahabharata, Vishnu Dharmottara Purana, Skanda Purana and
other classics. One can derive principles of cow protection in these
chapters and relish the inherent teaching in the stories.

Do you know the story why little Krsna in Goloka never wore footwear? Do you
know the story of sage Chyavana who was caught by fishermen and gave a hard
time to King Nahusha but settles down for a right price? Do you know about
how Lord Shiva made the Bull as his vehicle? Find all this and more in this
publication.

This publication was made possible with the help of an ardent lover of
Gomata,Shri Mahesh Advani.
"Being a businessman I can vouch that generally we are selfish. We
calculate profit in everything we do. However, it must be understood that
serving cows is a deal with 100% profit! Beyond such a material calculation
is a fact that serving cows is very dear to Lord Krsna. It is a devotional
service. This compilation, "Timeless stories of Gomata" woven through
wonderful stories convinces us of this truth!"
Shri Mahesh Advani, Govindas Restaurant, LLC Dubai (UAE)

His Holiness R.P.Bhakti Raghava Swami released the book on May 10th.
"Cow care and cow protection, especially in today's misdirected and
ill-governed society, remains crucial to the survival of humanity. It is but
sheer madness and gross ignorance to think otherwise. It was in Bali where
we conducted the Second Annual Varnasrama Seminar that Bharat Chandra Das
narrated the story of how Lakshmi devi came to reside in the body of the
cow. Seeing all the demigods having been awarded a particular dwelling place
in the body of mother cow, Lakshmi devi also desired to reside in her.
Although initially refused, after repeated insistences from Lakshmi devi,
mother cow explained that the only place left where she could reside was in
her dung. Since Lakshmi devi Herself resides in cow dung, cow dung is
considered the greatest of wealth, a goldmine. The Timeless Stories of
Gomata is yet another important addition to recent books glorifying mother
cow! May we all benefit from this compilation and may mother cow bestow her
mercy upon us all."
His Holiness R.P.Bhakti Raghava Swami


For details, write to: globalvarnasramamission@gmail.com

3rd Vedic Ecology Convention 2012

http://www.dandavats.com/?p=10509#more-10509

By Divesh Maharaj
ISKCON Vaishnava Research Forum
Durban
South Africa
The 3rd Vedic Ecology Convention organized by the ISKCON Vaishnava Research Forum (I-VRF) was held at the Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple of Understanding, in Chatsworth, south of Durban, on Sunday 22nd April 2012. Many educators from the surrounding schools as well as various academics from the institutions of higher learning were in attendance. Members of the public, devotees and well-wishers of ISKCON also attended.
The convention was officially opened by Mrs S. Rajbansi, an influential public figure in the political landscape of KwaZulu-Natal and a prominent and longstanding well-wisher of ISKCON in South Africa. She highlighted the importance of understanding environmental challenges and indicated that the Convention provided an important platform for dialogue in which to brainstorm possible solutions to such challenges. In her address, Mrs Rajbansi invited the organizing committee to engage further with her in order to take the concepts of Vedic Ecology forward in a practical manner within the local region.
The programme director, Haridev Das, introduced the keynote speaker, His Grace Govardhan Das giving details of his deep interest in the harnessing of environmentally-friendly energy resources. Govardhan Das was instrumental in the development of the Darling Wind farm, the first experimental wind farm in Africa. He also highlighted Govardhan Das’s various high profile positions in the petroleum industry and his participation on the task team investigating the bio-fuels strategy, and his chairing of the government Committee for the removal of lead from petrol and his managing the “Clean Fuels One” program in South Africa.
Govardhan Das started his talk by highlighting the “perils of the planet” such as deforestation, climate change, urban development, rising sea levels and adverse weather patterns. He then spoke about the great paradox of modern times, “we don’t want industrial pollution, but we wants jobs, economic growth, wealth, energy security, etc.” Govardhan Das explained that all of these things come at the risk of great environmental damage as we are currently witnessing. He then proceeded to highlight various important points relating to Ecology and the Vedic literature.
In a lecture in London, in July 1976, Srila Prabhupada, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness said, “This is not a good civilization. It will not stay. There will be catastrophe, waiting. Many times it has happened, and it will happen because transgressing the laws of nature, or the laws of God, is most sinful.”
The next speaker was Her Grace Prasuti Devi Dasi, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada. Prasuti Dasi spoke about ancient Vedic village life and she made a comparison between the tranquil and peaceful Vedic village lifestyle and the congested, materialistic and consumer-driven modern day city life.
In his book, Vedic Ecology, Ranchor Prime quotes Srila Prabhupada, “Human prosperity flourishes by natural gifts and not by gigantic industrial enterprises, which are the products of a godless civilization and cause the destruction of the noble aims of life. The more we go on increasing such troublesome industries to squeeze out the vital energy of the human being, the more there will be unrest and dissatisfaction of the people in general.”
Mayapur Chandra Das spoke next, on the Global Eco-village movement – a future beyond the fear based economy. He shared many practical aspects supported by an open invitation to the audience that he is willing to participate in knowledge-sharing programs at schools and other institutions. His presentation was followed by Akhanda Kirtan Das, who is currently managing the Krishna Conscious Center in Umlazi, south of Durban. He spoke about the implementation of food gardens in Umlazi, and the need to assist the local people to overcome the challenges of everyday life and to bestow upon them the gift of Krishna Consciousness.
The last two presentations were made by Smita Krishna Das and Acarya Das. Smita Krishna Das spoke about Epistemology and Ecology – what you see is what you do. He discussed the various processes in which knowledge is disseminated and explained that if one acquires knowledge from persons who are materialistic and exploitive, then this will have the adverse effect of cultivating an exploitive society.
Acarya Das presented various slides showing the decay of the Yamuna River in India. He explained that parts of the surface of the river close to the city of Delhi is heavily contaminated with a white toxic foam from industrial wastes that makes it resemble an Antarctic environment. A dam has been erected in the Haryana area which greatly impedes the natural flow of the river, leaving very little water to flow towards Delhi. After the city of Delhi, the sacred river can be equated to a mere drain. Acarya Prabhu mentioned that Mother Yamuna is sacred to the followers of the Vedic culture and impeding her natural flow is similar to Ravana capturing Mother Sita in the Ramayana epic. He invited the audience to help save the Yamuna by signing the online petition via the website www.saveyamuna.org
Two intense and engaging question & answer sessions allowed the speakers to further share their knowledge and vision with the audience. The conference concluded with a summary of the key points of both the keynote address and the five presentations by Her Grace Krishni Devi Dasi. For further information, please e-mail: vaishnava.research@gmail.com

A Place from Which to Grow

A Place from Which to Grow
By Dhanesvara Das

Human life is meant for growth. Although physical growth stops before
several decades, emotional, psychological, intellectual and spiritual growth
can and should continue throughout every person's life.  In order to grow
properly however, we need a proper place. Place means not only a physical
place such as household, but proper relationships with others and proper
activity. All three of these are essential aspects for optimal growth. This
paper addresses the question of people's place in modern society and
contrasts it with place in the varnashrama culture and the different results
in society and people's lives.

A potted plant offers a very good example of having a proper place. The pot
is the physical place where the plant lives, but beyond the pot alone the
plant also requires a proper environment in terms of soil conditions,
atmosphere, temperature, water, and sunlight. When these conditions are
minimally met the plant can live, but when they are optimal the plant can
thrive.

Likewise we are meant to thrive, not just live. We need a properly clean
house and environment where we can care for and give rest to our body, along
with nourishing food. This alone will allow us to survive, but not thrive
for as it is said, man does not live by bread alone. More than mere survival
we all desire to have interesting and meaningful activity appropriate to our
nature. In the modern world we generally call this "work." Ideally that work
will be a bit challenging so that we may make use of our faculties of
understanding, ability, and reasoning. The challenge helps us to grow. If
the work is too easy we will be bored and unengaged, and if the work is
beyond our capacity or ability we will be overworked and stressed.

And we also need a place in relationship to others. These relationships must
be appropriate to our respective stages of life and theirs. Thus we will
have different relationships with those senior to us than we have with our
peers or with our juniors. Having a proper place according these criteria
will help us to be happy and balanced individuals. Like the potted plant
without water, or sunshine, if any of these aspects of life are meager or
missing, then life can run the gamut from drudgery to torture, conditions
under which growth of any kind is difficult or impossible.

Place is so important in society that the war at Kurukshetra was fought to
give the Pandavas a proper place. The war could have been avoided if
Duryodhana would have allowed the Pandavas one village each, but he denied
the Pandavas any land whatsoever, not enough for a single needle! The proper
dharma of a ksatriya requires them to provide a place to others in his
village or kingdom, and this is such a necessary and essential requirement
that a ksatriya is forbidden any other engagement, even in times of
emergency. The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna came to establish the principles of
religion (paritranaya sadhunam) and to this end He admonished Arjuna to
fight the battle to properly establish the .

Place in Ancient Cultures

Historically one's place in society was both fixed and rigid. In both
Western (Feudal society) and Eastern culture place was generally assigned
according to one's birth. Males generally did what their fathers did and
females naturally became mothers and caretakers. You would become an
aristocrat if your parents were aristocrats, and if they were peasants you
would remain a peasant. The world was fairly well fixed at those times and
there was no upward or even lateral mobility for the vast majority of
people. In one sense this was bad and in another it was good. Bad in that if
you had a different nature than your father you were unable to be fulfilled,
but it was good in that a strong social contract existed. Every person had a
definite place in society with well understood rules of behavior, knowing
what they could expect of others and the expectations of themselves. In this
sense nobody was alone in the world. Whatever their fate might have been,
they were joined together with others of their kind with whom they would
share their miseries and joys. For further insights into these types of
culture and the differences before and after the introduction of Western
influences read for example, Bhakti Vikasa Swami's "Glimpses of Traditional
Indian Life," or Helena Norberg-Hodge's "Ancient Futures: Learning from
Ladakh."

Finding Our Place in Today's World

Modern society is just the opposite-we are not given a place in society-we
have to find it, beginning even in childhood. Parents, pressed for time,
find it much easier to do everything themselves rather than taking time to
teach their children and guide them in building their skills, so that many
have never washed a floor or even a dish by the time they leave home.
Children lack a place even within their family. They are told to "go play,"
or they entertain themselves with television and electronic games. Although
they do not have an active role in life they are somehow suddenly expected
to fit right into the adult world upon graduation from school. However they
often cannot and it is taking increasing years for them to find their place
in the adult world. Today most people do not marry until they are almost
thirty years of age, indicating that this is when they are able to find
their place in society; whereas just two generations back they would marry
and begin their family lives just after high school.

Going back to the years when society was more formally structured and there
was a subsistence economy children had a part in adult society and could
take responsibility at much younger ages. For example, David Farragut (later
Admiral Farragut) was a mere 12 years old during the War of 1812 when he was
given his first command. Those who have visited India have undoubtedly
witnessed children of very young ages taking responsibility to manage the
shop of their father, the care of their siblings and even carry on
entrepreneurial activities without any adult supervision. When I see such
things I try to imagine any American boy or girl of the same age doing
similar things. I cannot. Anthropologist Joseph Campbell also observed that
many young men have great difficulty finding their place in modern society,
to which he attributed the attraction of gang membership, and later
involvement in the mafia, whose "codes of honor" do provide a place along
with attendant duties and relationships. He suggested that until adult
society finds some way to provide a place for young men they will naturally
continue their involvement in gangs.

For most people their work provides their place and their orientation to the
world-a way to think of themselves and their relationships with others. It
provides the income with which they pay for their home, another aspect of
place. Work is therefore an essential element of finding one's place.
Although we now have the freedom to choose our work, to be and achieve
anything to the limit of our ability, this is a challenge that many people
struggle with. Despite the many books to help people find the right job or
occupation, despite the many career counselors and job placement companies,
some 80 percent of workers are still unsatisfied with the work they do. This
indicates that their work is not according to their nature, their guna and
karma. Being improperly situated they can make a mess of things, especially
in positions of leadership or management, and it is almost certain that in
such situations they cannot grow.

The Consequences of Loss of Place

The sense of place, the psychological support that comes from it, and the
result of losing it was studied by the pioneer sociologist, Emile Durkheim.
Observing the rapid changes in the social and economic conditions of society
during the industrialization of the late 19th century, he found that in
rapidly changing environments people became unsure of what was expected of
them, and what they could or should expect from others. These expectations,
known as social norms, are the basic rules of the culture. Durkheim observed
that without having a place where they know the norms to guide them, people
become dissatisfied, purposeless and alienated which leads to conflicts,
crime, suicide and other social deviancies. He called this condition anomie,
and wrote about it in his books "The Division of Labor in Society" and
"Suicide."

One of the great tragedies of the modern era is the lack of place for the
hundreds of millions, even billions, of "unnecessary" and "unwanted"
people-the unemployed, the homeless, street urchins, and slum-dwellers.
Modern society affords them little if any place to give them even the simple
honor of living. Who gets a place in modern society? Increasingly only those
who can earn a profit for others, or provide money for others, that is,
those who have employable skills for which there is a market. However, the
need for employable people is diminishing with a diminishing economy. In
the1930s some 60 percent of Americans lived on farms and could provide for
themselves. Over the next 50 years 2,000 farms every week went under or were
sold, their occupants moving to the cities. Today those remaining on farms
number less than 5 percent of the population, and the other 95 percent
require jobs that produce money in order to get their food. Because of the
loss of manufacturing jobs to southeast Asia and service jobs to India and
elsewhere there are simply not enough jobs available. The official
unemployment figures are in double digits, but the real figure counting all
people who would like to work if they could is more than 20% in America.
That figure is similar throughout the world.

Worldwide more than 50 percent of the people now live in cities and the
prediction is that by the year 2020, 90 percent of the people in large
metropolitan areas will be slum-dwellers. This is almost half of the entire
global population! By definition slum dwellers do not have sufficient
earnings with which to properly maintain themselves. Either they are wage
slaves that are forced to work long hours at wages insufficient to live on,
or they have no regular job. In either case they have no place that allows
them to grow. Wage slaves generally have no money and no time for anything
else that might contribute to their growth. And no job means no place, no
place means anomie, which means increased theft, crime, drug use,
prostitution and suicide. This is what is meant by nirvishesha and
sunnyavadi, the voidism and impersonalism of the Kali-yuga. What can we
expect when half of humanity has no place? It is a house of horror. This is
seen as such a problem that there is serious discussion at high levels of
"culling" the human race to what is "needed," and eliminating the "useless
eaters." (This is actually not new. The ideas of Thomas Malthus and eugenics
have been around for several hundred years). These problems could and should
be fixed by society's leader but the policies of government only seem to
make them worse.

Finding One's Place in ISKCON

In the early days of Srila Prabhupada's movement it was easy to find one's
place in the society. Indeed, this was one of the features that made ISKCON
so attractive. Expansion was rapid and young people, or anybody actually,
could easily find a place to make their contribution, whatever that was.
Having a place and the opportunity to contribute to the effort gave the
devotees great joy that happiness was expressed on their faces in kirtan, on
harinam and in their service.

However, in ensuing years the social structure of the movement changed. As
the devotees married and began families there was no longer suitable
facility within the temples, and they were forced to live outside. To pay
for that, most, but not all, had to find their work outside the movement as
well. This generally resulted in not having close proximity to the temples,
which meant less association and less service. The result was
predictable-unable to maintain their active involvement in the movement
these devotees no longer had a place. They became the congregation:
attending the Sunday program, kirtan and taking prasadam, but that is not
enough to have a place and a feeling of contributing to the mission, and a
feeling of belonging. This trend continued through the 80s and ISKCON became
like any other church, with majority of devotees participating as the
congregation. In the process ISKCON ceased to be a counter-culture and had
gone mainstream where life was compartmentalized-work in this arena, social
life here, family life there, and spiritual life over there...

Today the vast majority of devotees have never lived in a temple, and never
had the opportunity to engage cent per cent in temple service, harinam and
book distribution. This means that many of them have never had the privilege
to experience what it means to find their place exclusively in Krishna
consciousness. It is my experience, having been both part of the
congregation and on the inside, that spiritual progress is much easier and
life is much happier on the inside. We also observe that the devotees who
are the steadiest and strongest in their devotional service are those who
have full-time devotional service that provides for their maintenance,
giving them a place in all respects: the sannyasis, the leaders, the temple
presidents, pujaris, cooks, those working with translation and book
production and distribution, brahmacaris, etc. And even among these only a
few are fortunate enough to have a place inside the movement their entire
lives. Unfortunately there is limited engagement in the temple activities
and many are forced to find a place in the dominant culture. For them
Krishna consciousness becomes another of several other aspects of their life
and may not be the most influential.

Place in Varnashrama Culture

The Vedic culture is created and arranged by what may be called "higher
authority." That is, the Supreme Lord has not only given us this world for
our activities, but has also given instruction how we can live here happily,
having meaningful work, and growing throughout our lives. Through the
hierarchy of this world He has given these principles of living in the Codes
of Dharma, or dharma shastra. The codes of dharma divide society into four
working classes called varnas, and four stages of life for spiritual
purposes called ashrama. Each of these has their specific obligations as
well as defined relationships with the other sections. This scientifically
arranged society is designed to provide everyone a place that will
facilitate lifelong growth in all spheres of life.

In the varnashrama culture occupation is not simply a means of obtaining as
much money as possible, nor is it merely a haphazard job taken simply for
survival. The entire concept of varna is that work must be appropriate to
one's nature, or guna and karma. Lord Krishna emphatically states in the
Bhagavad-gita that one must work according to their own nature and that it
is dangerous to do the work of others. (3.35, 18.47) Why dangerous? Because
by doing inappropriate work and being improperly situated we cannot fulfill
the purpose of human life, which is to grow.

There are four varnas-brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra, or the priests
and intellectuals, the political leaders, the organizers and producers and
the workers. All occupations in every human culture can be broadly
classified into one of these four. In the modern culture the relationship
between these four is determined by money almost exclusively, with
corresponding neglect of dharma, but in the varnashrama culture those
relationships are prescribed by the codes of dharma.

In regard to place the ksatriya has a very important role-he is tasked with
giving everyone a proper place in society-both in terms of housing and work.
For his exercise in caring for the citizens as if they were his own children
the ksatriya is considered the representative of the Lord. Not only is it
his duty to see that there is no unemployment in the varnashrama culture,
but everyone must also have work according to their nature. Hence besides no
unemployment there is not even any underemployment. In such a system job
dissatisfaction would approach zero percent.

Neither is there any homelessness in the varnashrama culture. Everyone has a
place to live, a place to work, and proper relationships with others. This
not only includes all human beings, but all species of life, especially
including the bulls and cows, domesticated animals who provide for the needs
of sustainable power and good nutrition.

Creating a Place for Everyone

We often repeat what one astrologer said of Srila Prabhupada, that he
created a house in which the whole world can live. This is another way of
saying that Srila Prabhupada arranged for everyone to have a place from
which they can grow. Everyone means not only the devotees of his Movement,
but all people of the world.

In his last days Srila Prabhupada spoke to Kuladri about this:

Kuladri das:  "I was the temple president at New Vrindavan for so many
years, and Prabhupada had a vision for a pilgrimage site in North America
and a farm community. So he never emphasized book distribution to us. He
explained to me, especially at the end when I was with him in Bombay and in
Vrindavan just before he left, that the second half of his movement would be
dramatically different than the first half. The emergency tactics that he
used to distribute books and give young people sannyasa and open as many
temples as possible would end. He wanted places like New Vrindavan to
establish the culture of Krishna consciousness with colleges, grihastha
lifestyle, all of the things to demonstrate the philosophy that he was so
careful to present in his books. So he right up to the end he was telling me
that the farm communities were so important for the second half and the
vision would be very different than when his movement got started in the
Western world."

In my way of understanding this statement, Srila Prabhupada was preparing us
to lead a great social movement based on his teachings to give a place to
the millions of people that modern society discards like so much rubbish.
This is where I see the varnashrama culture playing a significant role. If
the world's unfortunate people are to be saved it cannot be that we simply
help them find a place again in the same culture that spit them out. There
must be something different that will give them hope to have a meaningful
life, and a place from which to grow. That something different is the
sustainable village life where every person has a proper place to live,
proper engagement, and proper relationships.

On various occasions Srila Prabhupada instructed that the householders
should all live on the farms. Why? Because the village can provide a proper
place for everyone to live in the context of Krishna consciousness. This is
due to the fact that agriculture can provide an economic alternative to the
city job in an environment that supports Krishna consciousness, frees the
devotee from having to associate with non-devotees, and helps them to become
free from rajas and tamo-guna and established in goodness-an important step
to rising to suddha-sattva, the transcendental plane of existence. Moreover,
the village offers many different types of engagement and it is much easier
to find work that is according to one's guna and karma. Although this
instruction of Srila Prabhupada has been neglected, the advantages of the
village life remain. Devotees who are struggling in the cities both with
earning sufficient money and in their spiritual lives may find it helpful to
find a place in the village.

The Result of Giving the Bulls a Place

Not only does the village provide the devotee with the necessities of life,
but also provides the bull with much needed engagement. The bull also is
given a place in the spiritual culture, but he has also been rejected from
the atheistic, materialistic, dominant culture, and replaced by
oil-consuming machines that wreak havoc on the environment and our sanity.
At our Gitagrad community in Lithuania, New Gaudadesha, Bhakta Petras has
taken up the care and engagement of the bulls. I asked him what he had
learned while he was training them. His reply was profound, indicating that
all of human society will benefit greatly by again giving the bull a place
in society. Bhakta Petras replied that from the bull he has learned:

1.They do not learn quickly; one must go slow as they learn slowly
day-by-day
2. Therefore great patience is required. A local man told Petras early on
that he would have to be patient, but that man himself did not even know how
patient one must be. Researching Srila Prabhupada's book Petras found that
that patience is the most important quality and the mother of all other
virtues.
3. As you are training them, they are also teaching you.
4. Because they are very regulated in their actions, they force you to be
regulated in yours.
5. The bull teaches you sattva; he is an animal of a sattva nature, and he
will not go to rajas-you cannot make him get passionate. Instead, you
yourself must come to sattva if you want to work with him-he will thus force
you to come to sattva.
6. Working with the bull may be compared to working with children or women,
in that, if you get angry with them they will refuse to cooperate with you.
If you are calm and reasonable they will work with you.
7. Rajo-guna (increasing speed) and tamo-guna (negative
reinforcement-hitting them) does not work with these animals.
8. Petras recently read from very old records how if a person had been
drinking and the bulls smell that they will refuse to work with the man.
Indeed, they will even try to gore him. They don't want to associate with
such people in the lower modes of nature.
9. The bulls and man are a team; they work together. Unlike driving a car or
tractor, where the driver simply controls the machine. With the bulls one
must learn to cooperate and work as a team.
10. There is mutual dependency between the bulls and the teamster; the bulls
depend on the man to feed and care for them, and the man depends on the
bulls to provide necessary power for accomplishing things.

Petras' comments gave me many realizations. The first is that Petras himself
is not just training the bulls, but they are also training him. By his
effort he is receiving valuable personal training in sattvic qualities,
conditioning him to sattva-guna. Such training is difficult to come by in a
world that is driven by passion and ignorance. Srila Prabhupada has taught
us that we must come to the platform of sattva before we can progress to
suddha-sattva, or the transcendental plane. How valuable are the cow and the
bull to help us stay fixed in sattva-guna.

I also realized how our dependence on the cow and the bull teaches the
entire human society sattva, and keeps them in sattva. Having abandoned the
bull we have lost our tether to sattva and are the entire human race is
drifting inexorably to rajas and tamo-guna, with the attendant terrible
consequences that we are now beginning to reap, economically, socially,
politically, etc.

Next I realized that the reason that Petras has had so many wonderful
realizations because he made room for, and a commitment to Dharma (the
bulls) in his life. He gave the bulls a place in his world. Giving them a
place means giving them a duty, and that is the birth of yajna (yajna is
born of prescribed duties). Only interested in what they can take from
others, modern man does not realize what the cow and bull have to give to
us. Neither does modern man understand sattva-guna or the tremendous
benefits that accrue to society as a whole by giving these animals their
place in human society. Indeed, that is the case with all living beings in
this world since, Om purnam ada purnam idam, this world is perfectly
equipped as a complete whole and every thing and every living thing has its
place.

Modern man instead thinks he can do better by killing the bull and
exploiting the cow for milk and the earth for oil. There is a very old bull
at New Gaudadesh, Nandi. The neighbors ask why we bother to keep an old
bull. They tell us we should kill him. Such an impoverished mentality of
selfishness denying this living entity his place does not allow them to
recognize the value of the bull, dharma, or reap the benefits of associating
with these wonderful animals.

We Are Missing Parts of the Social Machine

All devotees, but the brahmanas and ksatriyas in particular are meant to be
the leaders of society meaning that they are concerned with the welfare of
others, particularly those who are suffering:

sivaya lokasya bhavaya bhutaye ya uttama-sloka-parayana janah
jivanti natmartham asau parasrayam mumoca nirvidya kutah kalevaram

Those who are devoted to the cause of the Personality of Godhead live only
for the welfare, development and happiness of others. They do not live for
any selfish interest. (S.B. 1.4.12)

To this end Srila Prabhupada had wanted his followers, engaging what he
taught them, to correct the defects of modern civilization by establishing
daiva-varnashrama, or the divine culture of Krishna consciousness. This
daiva-varnashrama culture can give everyone a place to grow and so doing
cure all of the ills of today's society.

What is greatly needed now are men of ksatriya and vaisya natures to take
their proper place in the spiritual society, for they are essential to make
the whole scheme work. The ksatriyas and vaisyas must perform their dharma
as given by Sri Krishna in the Gita and dharma shastra. For the ksatriya
this means they must establish and take care of a village and provide a
place for the praja and insure that they have work according to their
nature. And the vaisyas are needed to organize the practical activity of
day-to-day life to see that people have food to eat, clothes to wear and the
other necessities of life. This is their dharma. Where are they? Why are
they not doing their duty? Unless and until these qualified men take up
their dharma this Krishna consciousness movement will not be able to show
the way out of the darkness of the modern materialistic way of living.
People today are becoming increasingly confused by the economic and
political changes and are looking for leadership. The needed concepts are
given in Srila Prabhupada's teachings, but unless we put them to practice
they remain nothing more than the study of an earlier grand culture that has
seen its day and remains lost in a bygone era, and this Krishna
Consciousness movement will have missed its calling of showing the way out
of the darkness of nescience in this time of great adversity.

I hope that this has helped you appreciate what place means in the life of
any person and the necessity of establishing the divine varnashrama culture
to once again provide a place for everyone. I encourage all devotees to
cooperate together to create healing communities for the benefit of all the
devotees, as well as all the people of this world.

2 May 2012
Kaunas, Lithuania