‘Kamadugha Yojane’

‘Kamadugha Yojane’

The ‘Kamadugha Yojane’ started to spread the protection and promotion of Indian cow breeds by Shree RamchandraPur Mutt. It aims to have focused the importance of Indian cows not only as sacred animals for the devout Hindus but as a source of traditional therapy if the encouraging response it has aroused is any indication.

Kamadugha Yojane is a unique programme drawn up for the protection of Indian cow breeds in appreciation of the multifarious uses of the ‘Panchagavya’ - the combination of the five ingredients such as cow dung, urine, ghee, curds and milk - which is found to be useful in treating major diseases such as cancer and diabetes, as has been testified by the Council of Scientific Industrial Research (CSIR).

It has been confirmed by many studies that the fact that cow urine costs more than cow milk speaks of its limitless medicinal use. In addition the cow is the most useful animal, not only from the religious point of view but also because of its medical uniqueness, which has been proved scientifically. Furthermore what is significant is that all these useful ingredients are found more in the Indian cow breeds, the fact of which enhanced the need to protect and promote them by all means.

However, it is disturbing to note that out of about 70 Indian cow breeds, hardly 31 are alive and it is feared that the remaining breeds would become extinct unless special efforts are made to protect and promote them. Some of these breeds have acquired the international recognition too in view of their unique qualities. The special features of some of the Indian cow breeds have prompted foreigners to register their own patent on them.

It is estimated that nearly ten thousand cows are being slaughtered every hour which has pushed the cows of the Indian breed on the verge of extinction enhancing the importance of protecting them. The ambitious Kamadugha Yojane envisages among other things the extension of the shelter to the cows of the Indian breeds in the ‘Goshalas’ (cow sheds) in a bid to increase their strength.

The Shree RamchandraPur Mutt has taken up several schemes to protect the cow, and put the dung and urine to different uses through the sustained research at its premises. It includes ‘Gavya Chikitsalaya’ - the laboratory for evolving the uses out of the cow urine, use of the cow dung for gobar gas and the ‘Gavyamruta’ - the series of the medicines made of the cow urine etc.

What is Cow Protection?

What is Cow Protection?

Hearing the term "Cow Protection," people typically have one of two reactions. Some think protection is for endangered species, and since there are lots of cows, it's better to concentrate on whales. Others think it may be some pagan worship of animals - the "sacred cow" image.
THE ACTUAL PHILOSOPHICAL REASON FOR COW PROTECTION IS VERY SIMPLE: First of all, all living entities should be protected from slaughter and other violence at the hands of humans. Not only cows, but animals have SOULS the same as we do. All are children of God, all are dear to Him. With this view in mind, it can be seen that slaughter is a form of MURDER.

The cow, however, is our MOTHER. Vedic philosophy says that cow is equal to our mother. You may wonder why the cow is considered as mother. Well, it is because she gives her milk to nourish us.

All mothers should hold a position of respect, and since one does not kill and eat one's mother, the cow should not be killed and eaten. Likewise, the bull is our father because he can plow the earth to produce food grains. One does not kill and eat one's father and mother - not even when they are old and less economically useful.

5000 years ago, Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appeared on earth to protect His devotees and to demonstrate His pastimes. Among those pastimes was his childhood role as a cowherd boy. The cows were very dear to Him because of their affectionate and gentle nature as well as their contributions to human society, and He was kind to them in return and protected them. We should follow His example.

In practice the first principle of cow protection, surprisingly, is OX EMPLOYMENT.

A mistake is made when only the cow is considered because typically her main usefulness is seen as milk production, and she won't give milk unless she first has a calf. Since half of all calves are bulls, the result will be a lot of excess bovine population. The expense of feeding them will be a deficit to the farmer. Unless employed as oxen, their only economic usefulness will be in their slaughter to produce meat.

The modern system of agriculture sees no other economically viable means of management. And most people, accustomed to this viewpoint and seeing no alternative, will throw up their hands and agree, even if they'd prefer a less violent solution. But that is only because they don't have the facts. They don't know that the overall value of the ox is greater when he is utilized for work than when he's slaughtered for meat.
The present system is full of ironies and very wasteful. Everyone laments the loss of the small family farm. But economic forces today require quantity control - which is dependent on expensive tractors, polluting fossil fuels, chemical fertilizers, and heavy mortgages - and the small farmer is driven out of business.

Yet, beef production is subsidized in countries like USA and India. To produce beef there is a disproportionate expenditure of the Earth's resources. In a world with increasing population and mass starvation, producing one calorie of flesh (beef, pork, or chicken) requires 11-17 calories of feed. 78 calories of fossil fuel are needed to produce 1 calorie of protein from beef. Two-thirds of Central America's rainforest have been destroyed to supply beef. *

A BETTER SYSTEM would be rearranging the components. First, breed cows not to provide milk with calves as the by-product, but to provide a team of oxen for every family farm with milk as the by-product. There will be neither excess milk nor excess calves. The oxen will be out in the pastures eating simply, and naturally fertilizing the soil, saving the farmer the cost of the tractor, fuel, and fertilizer. The oxen will be quite content to use their big muscles in such wholesome work, and the humans can become healthy vegetarians. As for the government, if it wants to subsidize something, why not the small family farm instead of the beef industry? The beef industry may have a powerful lobby, but who wants all that heart disease, diabetes, colon cancer, not to mention all that bad karma from killing innocent animals!

Don't we all hanker for a simpler, cleaner, more wholesome, less violent Earth?

naveen

Courtesy: http://www.iscowp.org/What%20is%20Cow%20Protection.htm