SRIMAD BHAGAVATAM

CANTO 8

CHAPTER 6 VERSE 12

yathagnim edhasy amrtam ca gosu bhuvy annam ambudyamane ca vrttim yogair manusya adhiyanti hi tvam- gunesu buadhya kavayo vadanti

yatha--as; agnim--fire; edhasi--in wood; amrtam--milk, which is like nectar; ca--and; gosu--from cows; bhuvi--on the ground; annam--food grains; ambu--water; udyamane--in enterprise; ca--also; vrttim--livelihood; yogaih--by practice of bhakti-yoga; manusyah--human beings; adhiyanti--achieve; hi--indeed; tvam--You; gunesu--in the material modes of nature; buddhya--by intelligence; kavayah--great personalities; vadanti--say.

TRANSLATION

As one can derive fire from wood, milk from the milk bag of the cow, food grains and water from the land, and prosperity in one's livelihood from industrial enterprises, so, by the practice of bhakti-yoga, even within this material world, one can achieve Your favor or intelligently approach You. Those who are pious all affirm this.


PURPORT

...By friction one can get fire from wood, by digging the earth one can get food grains and water, and by agitating the milk bag of the cow one can get nectarean milk. <font color="red"> Milk is compared to nectar, which one can drink to become immortal. Of course, simply drinking milk will not make one immortal, but it can increase the duration of one's life. In modern civilization, men do not think milk to be important, and therefore they do not live very long. Although in this age men can live up to one hundred years, their duration of life is reduced because they do not drink large quantities of milk. This is a sign of Kali-yuga. </font color>

<font color="red"> In Kali-yuga, instead of drinking milk, people prefer to slaughter an animal and eat its flesh. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His instructions of Bhagavad-gita, advises go-raksya, which means cow protection. The cow should be protected, milk should be drawn from the cows, and this milk should be prepared in various ways. </font color>

One should take ample milk, and thus one can prolong one's life, develop his brain, execute devotional service, and ultimately attain the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

As it is essential to get food grains and water by digging the earth, it is also essential to give protection to the cows and take nectarean milk from their milk bags.

The people of this age are inclined toward industrial enterprises for comfortable living, but they refuse to endeavor to execute devotional service, by which they can achieve the ultimate goal of life by returning home, back to Godhead. Unfortunately, as it is said, na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah. People without spiritual education do not know that the ultimate goal of life is to go back home, back to Godhead. Forgetting this aim of life, they are working very hard in disappointment and frustration (moghasa mogha-karmano mogha jnana vicetasah). The so-called vaisyas--the industrialists or businessmen--are involved in big, big industrial enterprises, but they are not interested in food grains and milk.

However, as indicated here, by digging for water, even in the desert, we can produce food grains; when we produce food grains and vegetables, we can give protection to the cows; while giving protection to the cows, we can draw from them abundant quantities of milk; and by getting enough milk and combining it with food grains and vegetables, we can prepare hundreds of nectarean foods. We can happily eat this food and thus avoid industrial enterprises and joblessness.

<font color="red"> Agriculture and cow protection are the way to become sinless and thus be attracted to devotional service. Those who are sinful cannot be attracted by devotional service. </font color>

As stated in Bhagavad-gita (7.28): yesam tv anta-gatam papam jananam punya-kamaanam te dvandva-moha-nirmukta bhajante mam drdha-vratah "Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with determination."

The majority of people in this age of Kali are sinful, short-living, unfortunate and disturbed (mandah sumanda-matayo manda-bhagya hy upadrutah). For them, Caitanya Mahaprabhu has advised: harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha "In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way."

In Vedic culture, the welfare of the cows and the welfare of the brahmanas are essential. Without a proper arrangement for developing brahminical culture and protecting cows, all the affairs of administration will go to hell.

Note the emphasis on protecting the cows.

It can also be noted that people are still drinking large quantities of milk, cows milk is everywhere being consumed. What is not happening is cow protection.

Srila Prabhupada speaks about:

MOTHER COW, MOTHER EARTH

THE SEVEN MOTHERS

The original mother, the wife of the guru or spiritual master,
the wife of a brahmana [one who knows the soul],
the queen-the kings wife,
the cow, the nurse and the earth.
(Srimad-Bhagavatam [SB] 7.12.8)

(We learn from Srila Prabhupada and the Vedic literatures that these seven Mothers must be respected and protected)

COW IS YOUR MOTHER

According to Vedic civilization the cow is to be given special protection. Why it is recommended for the cow? It does not say of other animal. When animal killing is required according to Vedic civilization, those who are meat-eaters, they are allowed to kill some insignificant animal like deer, goat, pigs. It is for the animal eaters, not for all. But if one is bent upon... And there are persons, they want meat-eating. So for them these unimportant animals are recommended. But cow is very important animal. You get from its milk so many nutritious food. So apart from religious sentiment, from economic point of view, cow-killing is not good. And from moral point of view it is not good because you drink cows milk, so cow is your mother. According to Vedic civilization, there are seven mothers. (Garden Conversation, 6/24/75, Los Angeles)

KILLING THE COWS AND SPOILING THE LAND IS NOT CIVILIZATION

Killing the cows and spoiling the land will not solve the problem of food. This is not civilization. Uncivilized men living in the jungle and being unqualified to produce food by agriculture and cow protection may eat animals, but a perfect human society advanced in knowledge must learn how to produce first-class food simply by agriculture and protection of cows. (SB 10.7.13-15)