We are pleased to announce the grand opening of Sri Krishna Mandir Australia’s Gośālā.
The devotees of ISKM Australia were kindly donated two female cows (Śyāmalā and Bahulā) and two calves (Haṁsī and Tulasī). One of the cows is currently pregnant and expected to give birth in the next month. The devotees upon receiving the cows moved to a larger premises to house and care for the cows. They are being milked daily and are taken on walks down to the river for grazing.
One of the temple calves (Tulasī) has been hand-reared by the devotees since she was 5 days old, she is now a frequent visitor of the temple room, joining us in the morning for kīrtana. Tulasī acts more like a human than a cow in that she follows the devotees around for pats and at every opportunity is trying to steal food from their plates. She has become a dear most friend of the temple’s youngest bhakta, Nārāyaṇa Līlā (16 months) who is constantly trying to hug and kiss the calf.
With more cows in need of protection due to the large number of cattle farms in the area the devotees are currently on the lookout for more suitable land to increase their go-seva.
namo brahmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca
jagad-dhitāya kṛṣṇāya govindāya namo namaḥ
“Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is the worshipable deity for all brahminical men, who is the well-wisher of cows and brāhmaṇas, and who is always benefiting the whole world. I offer my repeated obeisances to the Personality of Godhead, known as Kṛṣṇa and Govinda.”
In this prayer we see that special mention is made of the cows, indicating that special protection must always be given to the cows who are very dear to the Supreme Lord. The Lord is very fond of cows and we are encouraged to give reverence and love to the cow. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in his purport to Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.8.16 that, “For the cowherd men and the cows, Kṛṣṇa is the supreme friend. Therefore He is worshiped by the prayer namo brahmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca. His pastimes in Gokula, His dhāma, are always favorable to the brāhmaṇas and the cows. His first business is to give all comfort to the cows and the brāhmaṇas. In fact, comfort for the brāhmaṇas is secondary, and comfort for the cows is His first concern.”
