• Table of Contents
  • Kalyana Mitra Lecture #1 by Swami Veda Bharati
  • Svadhyaya by Swami Rama
  • Cultural Activities by SRSG Children by Chandramani
  • Yoga and Science Retreat by Rajah Indran
  • TTP Students' Sangha by Beatrix Dekkers and Jim Fraser
  • The Hazel Diaries V by Roxanne Currie
  • A Labour of Love by Michael Smith
  • Musing by Jyoti Gerlitz
  • The Gifts of Silence by Aditi M Gaur
  • Gayatri Marx, a Dear Friend Moves On by Randall Krause
  • Go-Shala at SRSG Campus by Swami Veda Bharati
  • 2014 Events and Beyond
  • Full Moon Meditation Dates
  • Location of our SRSG ashram
• AHYMSIN Newsletter Archive

Go-Shala at SRSG Campus

by Swami Veda Bharati

Swami Veda Bharati, Spiritual Guide of AHYMSIN, addressed concerns raised about the Go-Shala: 

In working with cultures, a person and a group needs to understand the sentiments in the culture (which international monetary fund, world bank etc. fail to do). Practical decisions then:-

1. Need to be fitted within that sentiment and
2. Communicated in that sentiment

For five thousand years, it has been a deep rooted sentiment in the Vedic-Hindu civilization, in which we are operating in India, that the presence of Mother (Ganga, Go-mata and other manifestations) is a presence of grace and blessing.

The cows here are sent out to wander in the morning, unescorted; and come back home in the evening. (Oh, but their swallowing plastic is a horror story.)

People here have a personal relationship with these children of God.

One day I was walking on the bund outside our (Swami Rama) Ashram. A lady was also returning from her walk or an errand. The milch-buffalo in the ashram next to us was truly anxiously waiting for her. She said from the top, “ yes, yes, go to your place; I am coming”. The buffalo was so excited to see her back that she jumped around like a dog. It was an incredibly fulfilling sight, to see this relationship between two creatures of God.

The go-mata is not kept for milk, but first for the Presence and then the milk.  For example, I do not find the smell of go-shala in the meditation hall offensive; it generates all kinds of sentiments in me.

It is in the context of that sentiment that we need to communicate our decisions

Swami Veda further added:

No one is asking my opinion about the go-shala. All sorts of emotions are generated.

I have now, on my own initiative, conveyed that there will not be more than 15-16 cows.

Selling the ever-milk-giving mother, a sentient being, is against my conscience. When more cows are born, we will donate them to other ashrams.

I do not see how go-shala could be running at a loss. Milk for the price of straw that we feed? One Ashram Sahayak giving 24-hour service (in his view, worship).