Why protect?
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Cow protection means feeding the brahminical culture, which leads towards God consciousness, Progressive human civilization is based on brahminical culture, God consciousness and protection of cows. All economic development of the state by trade, commerce, agriculture and industries must be fully utilized in relation to the above principles, otherwise all so-called economic development becomes a source of degradation. Cow protection means feeding the brahminical culture which leads towards God consciousness, and thus perfection of human civilization is achieved. The age of Kali aims at killing the higher principles of life, and although Maharaja Pariksit strongly resisted the domination of the personality of Kali within the world, the influence of the age of Kali came at an opportune moment, and even a strong king like Maharaja Pariksit was induced to disregard the brahminical culture due to a slight provocation of hunger and thirst. Maharaja Pariksit lamented the accidental incidence, and he desired that all his kingdom, strength and accumulation of wealth would be burnt up for not being engaged in brahminical culture, etc.
(More...) Cows will give you the best food you can have within this material world. That is the real interpretation of go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca. So why this specific stress has been given to the cows and brahmanas? Just see Krsna's picture, how He's loving the cow. You see? He is instructing by His practical life how He is compassionate with the cows. He played as a cowherd boy. Why? Because if in human society these two things are neglected, cows and the brahmana, that is animal society. Animal society. That is not human society. That is the idea.
(More...) Imported quote 20111 According to Indian way of thought, every one is advised to do good to others namely not only to the human society but also to living beings other than human being. The Indians are not cow worshippers as others wrongly interpret it, but the Indians are gratitudeful to the species of cow for supplying milk to the human babies and the sentiment is so fine that simply for supplying milk the cow is accepted as one of the seven mothers. That is called Indian cultural mission. We should learn to look upon every living being as our own brother and treat him in that love. Mahatma Gandhi's philosophy began from this philosophy of universal brotherhood which is not restricted to the humankind but to all the species of life. That is the sign of real intelligence. In the Bhagavad-gita it is stated that a learned man looks upon a well educated Brahmin who is well behaved by education and so also upon a candala who is accustomed to eat the dogs. And what is the purport of this equal vision? The purport is that we should look upon every one as the spark of the Supreme Brahman and we should not look upon the outer dress which every one has to give up one birth after another. I hope you will preach this Indian way of thinking every where in the foreign countries wherever you will have the opportunity. I think that people need this Indian message in this hour of necessity when the atomic bomb is hovering over the head of the human society.
(More...) Wherever there are brāhmaṇas and brahminical culture, there are cows and cow protection. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is worshiped with the prayer namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana-hitaya ca. Thus it is clear that the Supreme Personality of Godhead respects and protects the brahmanas and brahminical culture, as well as the cows; in other words, wherever there are brahmanas and brahminical culture, there are cows and cow protection. In a society or civilization in which there are no brahmanas or brahminical culture, cows are treated as ordinary animals and slaughtered at the sacrifice of human civilization. The specific mention of the word gavam by Prthu Maharaja is significant because the Lord is always associated with cows and His devotees. In pictures Lord Krsna is always seen with cows and His associates such as the cowherd boys and the gopis. Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, cannot be alone. Therefore Prthu Maharaja said, sanucaras ca, indicating that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is always associated with His followers and devotees.
(More...) Why particularly cow is protected? Because milk is very essential food for the human society, therefore cow protection is the duty of the human society. That is the conception of Vedic literature. All living beings are stated to be the parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord, and how they are so is explained in this verse. The four divisions of human society, namely the intelligent class or the brahmanas, the administrative class or the ksatriyas, the mercantile class or the vaisyas, and the sūdra class or the laborers, are all in different parts of the body of the Lord. As such, no one is different from the Lord. The mouth of the body and the legs of the body are nondifferent constitutionally, but the mouth or the head of the body is qualitatively more important than the legs. At the same time, the mouth, the legs, the arms and the thighs are all component parts of the body. These limbs of the body of the Lord are meant to serve the complete whole. The mouth is meant for speaking and eating, the arms are meant for the protection of the body, the legs are meant for carrying the body, and the waist of the body is meant for maintaining the body. The intelligent class in society, therefore, must speak on behalf of the body, as well as accept foodstuff to satisfy the hunger of the body. The hunger of the Lord is to accept the fruits of sacrifice. The brahmanas or the intelligent class must be very expert in performing such sacrifices, and the subordinate class must join in such sacrifices. To speak for the Supreme Lord means to glorify the Lord by means of propagating the. knowledge of the Lord as it is, broadcasting the factual nature of the Lord and the factual position of all other parts of the whole body. The brahmanas, therefore, are required to know the Vedas or the ultimate source of knowledge. Veda means knowledge, and anta means the end of it. According to Bhagavad-gita, the Lord is the source of everything (aham sarvasya prabhavaḥ), and thus the end of all knowledge (Vedanta) is to know the Lord, to know our relationship with Him and to act according to that relationship only. The parts of the body are related to the body; similarly, the living being must know his relationship with the Lord. The human life is especially meant for this purpose, namely to know the factual relationship of every living being with the Supreme Lord. Without knowing this relationship, the human life is spoiled. The intelligent class of men, the brahmanas, are therefore especially responsible for broadcasting this knowledge of our relationship with the Lord and leading the general mass of people to the right path. The administrative class is meant for protecting the living beings so that they can serve this purpose; the mercantile class is meant for producing food grains and distributing them to the complete human society so that the whole population is given a chance to live comfortably and discharge the duties of human life. The mercantile class is also required to give protection to the cows in order to get sufficient milk and milk products, which alone can give the proper health and intelligence to maintain a civilization perfectly meant for knowledge of the ultimate truth. And the laborer class, who are neither intelligent nor powerful, can help by physical services to the other higher classes and thus be benefitted by their cooperation. Therefore the universe is a complete unit in relationship with the Lord, and without this relationship with the Lord the whole human society is disturbed and is without any peace and prosperity. This is confirmed in the Vedas: brahmano 'sya mukham asid, bahū rajanyaḥ krtaḥ.
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