essential for spiritual advancement

cows giving sufficient milk and butter are essential for developing the finer tissues of the human body.

We find herein the mention of pious trees which produce seasonal flowers and fruits. The impious trees are useless jungles only, and they can only be used to supply fuels. In the modern civilization such impious trees are planted on the sides of roads. Human energy should be properly utilized in developing the finer senses for spiritual understanding, in which lies the solution of life. Fruits, flowers, beautiful gardens, parks and reservoirs of waters with ducks and swans playing in the midst of lotus flowers and cows giving sufficient milk and butter are essential for developing the finer tissues of the human body. As against this, the dungeons of mines, factories and workshops develop demoniac propensities in the working class. The vested interests flourish at the cost of the working class, and consequently there are severe clashes between them in so many ways. The description of Dvaraka-dhama is the ideal of human civilization. (More...)

If you drink more milk and milk products, then your brain will be very sharp. You will understand things very nicely, corectly. Therefore milk is very important.

Brahmana-ksatriya-vaisya. Vaisya means the productive class of men. Their business is how to produce food for all the society and give protection to the cows. Krsi-goraksya-vanijyam vaisya-karma svabhava-jam [Bg 18.44]. There must be sufficient milk in the human society. If you drink more milk and milk products, then your brain will be very sharp. You will understand things very nicely, correctly. Therefore milk is very important. In the Vedic sastra cow protection is recommended. Why? Because milk is very, very important thing. Milk is... What about the meat-eaters? If there are meat-eaters, they can eat other animals, but especially they should not eat the cow. They should give them protection. So because the vaisyas, the first class, second class, third class, they are meant for producing food for the society... So milk is very important. Therefore it is recommended, krsi-goraksya-vanijyam. And if there is excess, they can trade. And this is the first class, second class, third class. And those who cannot act as first-class men or as second-class men or third-class men-that means fourth-class men-they are called laborer, or worker class of men. (More...)

Milk alone can give the proper health and intelligence to maintain a civilization perfectly meant for knowledge of the ultimate truth.

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 sudra 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 prabhavah), 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 : brahmano 'sya mukham asid, bahu rajanyah krtah. (More...)

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.

In this verse, the cultivation of bhakti-yoga is compared to many material activities. 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. 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. 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. 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. (More...)

The cow is the most important animal for developing the human body to perfection

The cow is the most important animal for developing the human body to perfection. The body can be maintained by any kind of foodstuff, but cow's milk is particularly essential for developing the finer tissues of the human brain so that one can understand the intricacies of transcendental knowledge. A civilized man is expected to live on foodstuffs comprising fruits, vegetables, grains, sugar and milk. The bull helps in the agricultural process of producing grain, etc., and thus in one sense the bull is the father of humankind, whereas the cow is the mother, for she supplies milk to human society. A civilized man is therefore expected to give all protection to the bulls and cows. (More...)

There is a miracle in milk, for it contains all the necessary vitamins to sustain human physiological conditions for higher achievements.

Once, when Maharaja Pariksit was on his way to conquer the world, he saw the master of Kali-yuga, who was lower than a sudra, disguised as a king and hurting the legs of a cow and bull. The King at once caught hold of him to deal sufficient punishment. (More...)

The purpose of a king's going out to conquer the world is not for self-aggrandizement. Maharaja Pariksit went out to conquer the world after his ascendance on the throne, but this was not for the purpose of aggression on other states. He was the Emperor of the world, and all small states were already under his regime. His purpose in going out was to see how things were going on in terms of the godly state. The king, being the representative of the Lord, has to execute the will of the Lord duly. There is no question of self-aggrandizement. Thus as soon as Maharaja Pariksit saw that a lower class man in the dress of a king was hurting the legs of a cow and a bull, at once he arrested and punished him. The king cannot tolerate insults to the most important animal, the cow, nor can he tolerate disrespect for the most important man, the brahmana. Human civilization means to advance the cause of brahminical culture, and to maintain it, cow protection is essential. There is a miracle in milk, for it contains all the necessary vitamins to sustain human physiological conditions for higher achievements. Brahminical culture can only be advanced when man is educated to develop the quality of goodness, and for this there is prime necessity of food prepared with milk, fruits and grains. Maharaja Pariksit was astonished to see that a black sudra, dressed like a ruler, was mistreating a cow, the most important animal in human society. (More...)

Without cows' milk there is no civilization. You will not have nice brain to understand things, simply speculate

So these are the duties of the brahmana. To give proper education, he himself should be properly educated. That is called brahminical culture. And we offer our respect to Krsna because He gives the brahminical culture. Namo brahmanya-devaya. [Sri Visnu Purana ] Because He is giving the brahminical culture. Without brahminical culture, useless. That is not civilization. Therefore Krsna is offered obeisance, namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana-hitaya ca. He is first concerned for the cows and the brahmana. Go-brahmana-hitaya ca. Then jagad-hitaya. Then He's concerned for the whole..., other things. The first concern means cows and brahmana. Many times He has repeated, go-raksya. [Bg 18.44] Why He did not say "pig-raksya"? No. He said go-raksya, because without cows' milk there is no civilization. You will not have nice brain to understand things; simply speculate. We are discussing the philosophy of so many speculators, simply talking nonsense. Simply... Why? This speculator to another, he says, "I think, I..." What you are, you can think? First of all you become brahmana; then you can think properly. Where is your education as brahmana? Where is that brain? Eating all nasty things, and you become a brahmana? Therefore Krsna is go-brahmana-hitaya ca. (More...)

You drink the blood of the cow by natural process, which turns into white milk. You'll get better brain, better strength. Therefore cow protection is very essential in Vedic civilization

Prabhupada: That is not very good intelligence. You drink the blood of the cow by natural process, which turns into white milk. You'll get better brain, better strength. Therefore cow protection is very essential in Vedic civilization. Therefore we offer respect Krsna: "Krsna is the benefactor of cows and the brahmanas." Namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana-hitaya ca. Go-brahmana-hitaya ca. Krsna is well-wisher first, go, cows. You'll find Krsna always with cows. Here is Krsna's picture, you see how He's loving the cow and the calf. He's personally teaching from His childhood, from His boyhood. So we should follow. If we want to become Krsna conscious, we must give... The calf is also seeing to the face of Krsna for protection, and Krsna is giving protection, "Yes, I'll give you protection." (More...)