Life With the Cows and Land

College Students Visit ISCOWP

2008-07-13T15:47:00.007+01:00

A dinner fresh from the ISCOWP organic garden

Meeting Jaya in the barn

Columbia and Rutgers University was represented at ISCOWP with a visit of students from 26th Second Avenue temple headed by Gadadhara Pandit and Doyal Gauranga. Again it was raining and plans to visit the cows on pasture were curtailed. However, discussions on what is cow protection and a farm fresh meal were enjoyed. Some comments from the guests:

Premananda das & Gauri Priya dd: “Most amazing, enlightening, and uplifitng experience coming to spend time with your family. Thank you!”

Gretchen Turner: “Could not be any more beautiful! Thank you a 1,000,000 times. “

Talitha Wachtelborn: “Thanks for having us! It was wonderful!”

ISKCON Youth Ministry Visits ISCOWP

2008-07-06T16:41:00.014+01:00

Balabhadra giving a class to the youth in the barn

The new ISCOWP barn restaurant

Madhava is very charismatic

Kalki enjoys the affection

The ISKCON Youth Bus Tour came for June 30th for a visit. There were torrents of rain the whole day which changed our plans of service in the garden and and a bonfire. Instead we utilized the ISCOWP barns for classes and partaking of lunch. The youth asked many questions which led to in depth discussions not only about cow protection but growing and preserving food, how current events are affecting all of us, alternative oxpower. Some comments:

Radhanatha and Anapayini Jakupo: “Very inspiring and educating tour. Thank you so much for keeping this project alive and for your time to share with all of us. We feel very honored to have been able to visit your home and barn! Thanks!”

Jahnavi Harrison: “I was really so inspired by my visit to your farm. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to see that projects like this are sustainable and can really work! I hope to visit again and learn much more about taking care of cows and organic gardening – maybe that I can put into practice at home temple (Bhaktivedanta Manor). Haribol!

Sarah Silberman: “ I really enjoyed visiting your farm and learning about living off the land the way Prabhupada wanted. Thank you so much for everything. “

Kamala Kumar Mayshark:
“I was so inspired to see your barn and home and to see the amount of self efficiency in your family. Your cows are beautiful!”

Meet the Cowherds

2008-06-01T18:42:00.005+01:00

Meet the Cowherds
At the first ISKCON EU Farm Conference
By Chayadevi

Devotees came from nine countries to attend the first annual ISKCON farm Conference at New Vraja-dhama in Hungary. America, England, Belgium, Germany, Czech, Slovakia, Poland, Sweden, and Hungary were represented. Many of these devotee cowherds and farmers serve their farms in a rural setting distant from a bustling city temple. They perform their service with little recognition and applause, but their reward is in the service itself to the cows and land. Not only is there spiritual reward but there is also the joy that comes from a peaceful and healthy life close to the land and cows.

In the last approximately ten years, there has been a decline in the development of ISKCON farms and in the ISKCON consciousness of the importance of such farms to the spiritual development of ISKCON as a whole. This conference, organized by the ISKCON European Minister for Cow Protection and Agriculture, Syamasundara das, was the beginning step to reverse this trend within Europe. In that attempt, it was a success, with the devotees leaving inspired and hopeful for the future.

Clockwise: Smita Krishna Swami, Balabhadra das, Syamasundara das, Gaura Sakti das

Balabhadra das, ISKCON Global Minister for Cow Protection and Agriculture gave the opening address. He spoke how within our movement, there is a need for a social structure that will provide a haven from the outside world where devotees can live and raise their children peacefully so they too can be Krishna Conscious. Srila Prabhupada envisioned such a social structure within farm life, village life, with the cows and land providing the necessities of life. Our farm communities are therefore very important, as they are the starting point of developing self-sufficient life. “The whole idea is that we are ISKCON, a community to be independent from outside help.” S.P. letter to Satyabhama March 30, 1969 As the world changes with higher gas prices creating higher cost of food and living in general, such farms will be seen more valuable to more people as providing the answers to a more and more difficult life.

Nandi the bull meeting Govardhanlal on tour of Vraja-dhama

The conference was graciously hosted by Gaura Sakti das, president of the New Vraja-dhama farm community in Hungary. At present, New Vraja-dhama is the most advanced European ISKCON farm in the development of self-sufficiency. A part of the conference was touring the New Vraja-dhama operation. From June through October, the community of 120 consumes only fresh produce from the farm, and during the winter months, they are self-sufficient in grains, and potatoes. A storage unit with 3 seperate chambers, each 150 feet long by 20 feet wide was just built at New Vraja-dhama for this purpose. Five trained teams of oxen are active and perform most of the farm work. 2000 fruit trees produce a variety of fruits, and eight devotees care for the five acres of vegetables.

The guided tours, given by Gaura Sakti das, were an inspiration because they showed the possibilities for every ISKCON farm. Other farms also gave presentations. Varnasrama das talked about the successful flourmill business that helps support the Czech farm. At the Czech farm, they produce all their own flour from the grains they grow. They also sell the flour and produce cookie prasadam, which they sell and distribute on sankirtan. Haladhara das, from the Cornwell farm project in England, gave a presentation of the Govardhan Whole Food business that helps support their project. Salad boxes, which cost little to produce, are getting a maximum return.

Issues, such as providing for the cowherd and farmer so he can stay on the farm and support his family, were discussed with solutions suggested. Smita Krishna Swami from the Sweden farm described how they provide housing for such devotees. Gaura Sakti das joined in with a description of their housing development and arrangements.

Aside from the practical discussions and information on how to support and operate a self-sufficient Krishna Conscious farm, Sivarama Swami, ISKCON Guru, GBC, and spiritual leader of New Vrajadhama, and Balabhadra das, spoke about the spiritual importance and need for such farm projects. Sivarama Swami stated that to have cow protection one must have cow protectors and the cow protectors must be protected so they can protect the cows. To provide this protection and for cow protection to thrive there is need for the social system of Varnasrama in which cow protection is an integral part. He also stated that to be a cowherd is as important as standing on a corner distributing books.

As explained by Balabhadra das, the entire cycle of preparing the land with the oxen, planting the seed, nuturing the plant that comes, harvesting the fruits of the plant, and then offering it to Radhe Shyam, the residing deities at new Vraja-dhama, is the perfection of devotional life.

Some of the presentations have been recorded at Sivarama Swami’s blog, check the archives for May 20 and 21:

Appeared on Dandavats May 30.

Oh No! Oh Yes!

2008-04-12T16:29:00.003+01:00

Nanda has had nerve problems in his back legs for most of his life. When he was down at the NV big barn he was always being jumped and pushed by the more aggressive oxen. Nanda is a passive, gentle fellow, although huge in size, he is about 7 feet from his toes to the tip of his horns and weighs about 2000 pounds.

Balabhadra found Nanda down on top of the hill this morning. Who knows how long he was down since last evening when I checked the cows and saw him walking about. He was on his side with his face looking downhill, not in a good position. While the sky was thundering and dark clouds let out torrents of rain, we tried to flip him with the truck and ropes. We wrapped ropes around his front legs and back legs, tied those ropes together, and then tied that to the hook on the back of the truck. Then Chaitanya drove the truck very slowly. But it did not work. Nanda kicked Balabhadra in the legs and Balabhadra fell twice trying to help Nanda flip. At this point Nanda got into a worse position. Then Balabhadra got the idea of pulling his back legs so he would lay sideways to the hill with his feet downhill and his head higher that the rest of him. We tied the ropes to his back legs and pulled with the truck. Nanda ended up in the position we wanted. Balabhadra was thinking that in this position Nanda would have more leverage to get himself up.

We could do no more with what we had on hand. Balabhadra then went to the temple barn to get the hip huggers and the tractor. The idea was to get Nanda standing up and then we maybe could walk him to the geriatric barn. We also had the fear that this was going to be a nightmare in trying to move him at all if he couldn't move his back legs. We tried massaging his back legs and they were so stiff we could not get him to bend his knees.

I went home to take a hot shower and Balabhadra and Chaitanya went to get the tractor. When they came back they also brought some additional hands. Bhakta Mathew came and Krsna das, Soma, and another boy were coming in case we needed the help. Moses also showed up. As Balabhadra drove the tractor up the hill and we all followed, there was dread in our hearts as to what we would find. Balabhadra led the way and as he arrived at the crest of the hill, Nanda was gone! He feared that Nanda rolled down the hill, but Nanda was not at the bottom of the hill either.

We came to realize that Nanda walked away from the hill.

Then we realized that he could again be in a difficult position somewhere. We started looking for him and found him in the overgrown area between the cow burial grounds and the lower pasture. He was eating grass standing up. Of course, we were very happy but then we knew that we should get him in the geriatric barn where the ground is flat and thickly bedded. We walked him to the barn easily and there he is right now.

Submitted by Chayadevi

Remembering Gita

2008-02-27T13:30:00.002Z

Balabhadra teaching with Gita (on the left) and Vraja, and Gita and Vraja hard at work

For the last 18 years we have been blessed by the association of Vraja and Gita, our team of Brown Swiss Oxen. From the time we saved them from the slaughterhouse when they were 2 1/2 months of age until last fall when Vraja passed away at the age of 17, and this winter when Gita passed away at the age of 18, our time together has been full of lessons.

Vraja and Gita were twins and they each had completely different personalities. Vraja was the boss and head of the herd and Gita was the gentle soul and gentleman. From the age of 4 months, they traveled across the USA to many festivals and fairs to show the American public the beauty of full-grown oxen and to spread the glories of “OX POWER.”

I was their teamster, hauling wood together and plowing the fields besides traveling with them to many Rathayatras and festivals. They were both honest workers. Sometimes someone else would try to be Vraja and Gita’s teamster. Vraja would often test them by acting up but Gita would just watch the charade and wait for the teamster to get Vraja under control, which often involved my help. Those were Gita’s main characteristics, patience and tolerance.

When we saw a pair of horns above the corn, we knew it was you Gita. Even though we had chased you out of the corn field you would find your way back, eating and trampling all the corn under your feet. Your one fault was loving sweet corn too much!

What remains most memorable about you Gita was your uncanny ability to sense the suffering of both cows and people. You gave comfort by staying close often until the end of a life, listening patiently to any outpouring of anguish, and showing your understanding by licking and nudging the sufferer. Who were you in that bovine body that you possessed such empathy?

You have touched the hearts of many people worldwide over the years. Great souls VRAJA and GITA..................thank you for sharing your lives with us. You will always be in our hearts.

Submitted by Balabhadra

Memories of Gita

2008-02-25T14:40:00.002Z

Shelda made cookies for Gita and he loved to eat them

I was so sorry to hear of the passing of Gita. He will be missed by everyone that had the honor to have met him. He was the kindest, gentlest soul that I have ever known. It seemed that all he ever asked of anyone was some love and affection. I so treasure the time that I got to spend with him and am glad that I found a treat that he enjoyed so much, it gave me great pleasure to do that for him. I know that he is much better now and will no longer suffer with the pain of his arthritis.

Submitted by Shelda Bloomingdale

Memories of Gita

2008-02-24T14:48:00.003Z

Gita with Chaitanya Bhagavat and Shelda

I first met Gita when I came to New Vrindavan in June 2006. Balabhadra prabhu was showing the ISCOWP barn to me when I felt a nudge on my right shoulder. I turned around and there he stood, 7 feet high at the horns, 2000 pounds of pure friendship and loyalty. To describe him as majestic would be an understatement.

I turned to stroke his face and he began licking my hand with his sandpaper tongue. I took a few steps away from him to continue the tour with Balabhadra and Gita followed me closely wherever I walked. We became fast friends.

By Krishna’s mercy, I was able to spend many a day serving and caring for him over the past couple of years. The experiences and lessons from his association are so meaningful to me I could write a book and probably should.

The last few days of his life, I spent with him morning and evening. I would go to the barn and rock his head in my arms. He would just collapse into me as we both sat in the hay listening to Srila Prabhupada chant “Manasa Deha Geha.”

When I found his body that morning as I walked into the barn, Srila Prabhupada was speaking the purport to that song. His exact words as I approached Gita were; “My life, my body, my home, I surrender everything unto you.”

Submitted by Chaitanya Bhagavat das

Memories of Gita

2008-02-23T14:27:00.005Z

I saw Gita only a few times before recently helping with the cows at ISCOWP. I saw him here at New Vrindavan and LA Rathayatra. His size and beauty amazed me. He was seven feet from his toes to the tip of his horns and weighed 2000 pounds; a most beautiful servant of Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krsna.

At LA Rathayatra, I witnessed how people were in awe of him. I cannot help but think he influenced the minds of the people who saw and met him. Some realizing they were eating such a wonderful animal in their daily diet and perhaps becoming vegetarian or at least swearing off eating cows.

Srila Prabhupada often commented how if the people would do this one thing (stop cow killing) the consciousness of the world would change for the better. All glories to Gita, a sweet servant of the Lord!

Submitted by Tranakarta das (ACBSP)

In Memory of Gita

2008-02-22T15:39:00.005Z

Gita socializing with Lakshmi and guest jck Baldwin last May 2007

I was finally able to check my e-mail late on February 18 in India and wrote a letter to my parents asking how everything and the cows were at home. Mom wrote back (it was the 17th in America) that Gita was in very bad shape and most likely would not last that long. As I was reading the email, I started to cry. He was one of my babies, he was raised as if he was my brother not someone or something that you owned.

By this time, it was late in the evening and the middle of the night in the USA so I would not hear anything from parents until the next day. All day I was thinking about Gita and praying for him. On one hand, I was praying that he would pass fast and on the other hand, I did not want him to pass at all. You never want a family member to pass on who is dear to your heart, soul, and mind. Here in India it was Lord Nityananda's appearance day, a very holy day and a good day to pray.

I was finally able to check my e-mail in the late afternoon and there was an e-mail waiting from Mom. I did not want to open it. I knew it was about Gita. I was right, he had passed, but he had a very good passing. He was blessed that he went quickly and his passing was not prolonged. I started crying again. Just writing this right now, I want to cry and I am starting to tear up just remembering reading the e-mail.

It was a blessing to have known Gita because he was such a sweet, kindhearted, and gentle soul. I know he has moved on to another good place in his journey. I just wished he had not moved on so soon. Whenever I would go into the barn, he was always so thrilled to see me. He loved to be petted, rubbed, and sometimes just hugged. He had the most beautiful soulful eyes. I felt I could fall into them and be comforted and healed. Gita always knew when you were sad and would try to comfort you in his own sweet way by trying to lick the sorrow out of you with his big sandy tongue.

Gita and Vraja did so much outstanding preaching. They touched so many hearts and minds and changed them for the better. I remember traveling all over the country with them and the affect they had on the public. Gita was always the sweet and gentle one of the twins. We always had to watch out for Vraja, he really liked to use his horns. We never had to worry about Gita misbehaving or scaring people with his size or horns. He was the perfect gentleman.

Gita's full name was Bhagavad-Gita. Everyone who knew him will sorely miss him.

Submitted by Lakshmi devi

Thank You New Vrindavan Devotees

2008-02-21T15:27:00.003Z

Gita With The Herd last Summer

Within the story about how “Gita Moved On” we mentioned the selfless devotees who dropped everything and came immediately when asked to help Gita. We would like to mention their names: Bhakta Chris, Gopal das, Krsna das, Madhavananda das, Yamuna-Jivana das, Ragupati das, Lalita Gopi dasi, Vishaka dasi, Vrnda dasi. Special thanks to Chaitanya Bhagavat das who spent many hours with Gita in his aging days and in the last moments of his life, and Tranakarta das who recently has come back to New Vrindavan and helped with caring for Gita in his final days.

“On February 16, we moved him again and he again surprised everyone and walked around. This time we made certain he was in the larger part of the geriatric barn and he eventually sat down in a good place. However, the next day, after Chaitanya fed him his grains, Gita collapsed. From that point, he struggled to get upright. When he couldn’t, Chaitanya came to get me and we both went to the barn to access what could be done. We realized that we needed to flip him to get him into a better position but the two of us would not be enough to do it. Then, Chaitanya went to the temple to see what help he could get. About forty-five minutes later, Chaitanya came back with six devotees to help flip Gita. We had four devotees on Gita’s legs and three at his head to make sure his head moved with his body. We expertly flipped Gita and he landed sitting up. We braced him with square bales and then he tried to eat the bales. Enthusiastically, all the devotees ran to him with hay to eat. The cows ran to the gate to see. Everyone was very happy at what appeared to be a miraculous recovery. Joy permeated the atmosphere. I was inspired and moved to see the selfless service of the devotees and their joy at Gita’s recovery.”

Gita Moves On

2008-02-19T13:39:00.003Z

Gita left early today on Lord Nityananda's Appearance day, February 18, 2008. Last night strong winds were carrying warm air while they moved billowy clouds swiftly across the sky. As I walked to and from the barns, it felt like someone was turning on and off a floodlight until I realized it was the clouds passing over the white bright moon. The stars were very bright in the sky, often covered by the clouds. There was a presence in the night: the wind personified to bring Gita away as he thrust his head into the air and opened his mouth.

At first I said, "Don't do that Gita! Don't stress yourself!" And I would put his head down. After several hours of Chaitanya Bhagavat and I trying to make him comfortable, we came to realize he was trying to leave his body. He was opening his mouth so his soul could leave upward. We had given him Ganga water, placed the tape deck of Srila Prabhupada chanting next to him, as the winds were so fierce we could not hear it from the top of the barn, and placed Govardhan Sila on his head. Govardhan Sila then sat on his altar on the wall facing Gita.

He had arthritis for several years and each year it became more difficult for him to walk. This winter we put him in the geriatric barn so it would be easier for him to access his food and move around. Gita was one of our oldest cows. He turned 18 years old recently. His twin brother, Vraja, died last summer. He also had arthritis. Together, they led many Rathayatra parades in the United States and appeared at many events. They greeted guests with their handsome appearance and endearing personalities. In this way, they presented cow protection to the public.

Around February 9, Gita was not able to get up. He did not have the power in his back legs to push up his large body. Since he was an old cow, we expected that he would leave his body in the near future. We kept him as comfortable as possible and fed him as much as he wanted to eat and drink. In preparation for parting, He daily listened to Srila Prabhupada’s sacred chanting and received holy Ganga water.

On February 13, we attempted to move Gita into a better place with an apparatus called hip huggers. He was near the gate of the barn and a lot of wind was blowing on him. As he was lifted and placed down, he surprised everyone and started walking around. However, he was weak for he was down for a few days. After a few hours of walking, he sat down again in the same place.

On February 16, we moved him again and he again surprised everyone and walked around. This time we made certain he was in the larger part of the geriatric barn and he eventually sat down in a good place. However, the next day, after Chaitanya fed him his grains, Gita collapsed. From that point, he struggled to get upright. When he couldn’t, Chaitanya came to get me and we both went to the barn to access what could be done. We realized that we needed to flip him to get him into a better position but the two of us would not be enough to do it. Then, Chaitanya went to the temple to see what help he could get. About forty-five minutes later, Chaitanya came back with six devotees to help flip Gita. We had four devotees on Gita’s legs and three at his head to make sure his head moved with his body. We expertly flipped Gita and he landed sitting up. We braced him with square bales and then he tried to eat the bales. Enthusiastically, all the devotees ran to him with hay to eat. The cows ran to the gate to see. Everyone was very happy at what appeared to be a miraculous recovery. Joy permeated the atmosphere. I was inspired and moved to see the selfless service of the devotees and their joy at Gita’s recovery.

When I checked on Gita later in the day, he was lying down obviously struggling again to get upright. However, this time he was near one of the barn poles and flipping him would not be possible. It was six o’clock and it would be dark at 6:30. As he struggled to get up I tried to brace his back with square bales but he was too heavy and moved them away when he would fall back. He was fighting and trying to eat the bales that I tried to use to brace him. I knew Chaitanya was coming to check on Gita and I tried to comfort Gita until Chaitanya came.

When Chaitanya came, we spent a couple of hours trying to make Gita comfortable. The winds were so strong and loud and then there was a change in Gita. He started putting his head in the air and opening his mouth. He no longer reacted to our words. We felt he was in the process of leaving this material world. By then it was late evening. A few hours away and it would be lord Nityananda’s Appearance day. Just like Gita. We had always called him the Brahman of the twins. He was always the gentleman, sensitive to the feelings of others. Listening to Srila Prabhupda chanting, tasting Ganga water, with Govardhan Sila in his sight, on Lord Nityananda’s Appearance day, he left his body.

Submitted by Chayadevi

Gita and Vraja baby photo

2008-02-04T19:19:00.000Z

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GITA!!!!!!!

2008-02-04T19:06:00.000Z

It just seems like yesterday that Dad was calling around to local farmers looking for two baby bulls. At this time we were living in North Carolina and they had a different calving time compared to Pennsylvania. PA was the state we were living in previously for 9 years and they normally calve in late March thru May. Now NC is down south and the climate is a lot hotter so they calve in the beginning of the year.

Dad was calling around and no one had any calves, they had already been sent to the slaughterhouse. Then Dad called a place that was 2 hours away and the farmer said he had 2 twin bulls that were two months old. If Dad was interested in purchasing them, then he would have to do so fast because the farmer was planning on putting them in the next auction which was in a couple days. So Parents got into the car and went to go see the babies. When they saw them they just fell in love. They were so cute! The farmer was only holding on to them because he planed on fattening them up and selling them when they were 2 years old. But it was turning out to be too expensive.

Parents told him they would like to purchase them and the price was agreed on. It was the price of meat per pound at that time times how much they weighed. The next day Dad, I, my older brother and a couple of the neighborhood kids piled into our large red van. The back of the van was filled with bedding for the babies. I think the farmer was shocked when we all piled out of the van and were all so excited to meet the babies. .We told him we were all vegetarians and paid him with a International Society for Cow Protection check. Another shock! We put the halters on the two baby bull calves and Dad and Valadev (my brother) picked them up and put them into the back of the van. The rest of us climbed in with them to keep them company and to keep them calm.

That trip was a lot of fun. This is how it came to be that Bhagavad Gita and Vrajabhadu came to join our family. Even though it feels like it was just yesterday it was a long time ago. Vraja passed away in the winter of 2006 but we still have our beautiful Gita. For his birthday, February 2, he got many handfuls of cookies which he just inhaled. Gita is a special ox, apples, carrots and other items will just not do, he has to have cookies in some form or another.

Submitted by Lakshmi Devi

Bhumi's operation part 4

2008-01-26T20:19:00.000Z

I am so pleased to say that Bhumi’s eye area is looking great after having her eye removed due to a cancerous growth around it. It has healed extremely well. The hair that was shaved around the eye is growing back nicely and the eye socket is nicely formed.

We have made up with each other. For a while she was not happy at all with me. We gave her antibiotic shots to prevent infection after the operation, and I was the one who tied her up so she could get her shots. Now, when I go into the barn she comes over to me on her own accord.

I took down the fence separating Bhumi from Gita, Asha, Dwadasi and Shyama. So Bhumi is really enjoying herself bossing the other girls around. She dare not try to boss Gita around. Gita gets this look that says, “Don’t even think of doing that.” He has his expression perfected. When I give the medicine in the morning to Bhumi, Gita, and Jaya, Bhumi very patiently waits till I have given Gita his grain and meds before begging for her apple and meds. Bhumi is back to liking lots of attention and rub downs.

Submitted by Lakshmi Devi

Cold weather

2008-01-21T17:41:00.000Z

Submitted by Lakshmi Devi

We have been having some really cold days and nights. Although we humans find this weather difficult, the cows do not. They are enjoying the new cemented area of the barn where new construction took place last year. The barn is setup so the winter sun comes into the barn by about 10 feet. After a cold night, or during a cold day, the cows like to sit there and soak up the sun. You will usually find the barn kitty also soaking up the sun by sleeping next to one of the cows. The silo area which is not under roof is also a favorite of the cows especially after a feed out when we have put one of the big hay bales out. The cows like to tear up the hay bales and play with them and then sit on them and sleep outside. It is a favorite hang out for Yamuna, Ganga, Kalki, and Big Shyam.

Bhumi's operation part 3

2008-01-14T16:54:00.000Z

About a week into the healing process of Bhumi’s operation to remove a cancerous tumor behind her eye, I called the vet since I did not like how Bhumi’s eye was healing and it smelled bad. Dr. Moore called me back within 20 minutes and told me to give her penicillin twice a day for five days. At first he said to give 20 cc but then he said give her 30 cc since she is a big girl. It was a total circus giving her the shots. I am a total wuss when it comes to needles and blood. So, Caitanya Bhagavat volunteered to give her the shot while I tied her up and stayed at her head. It worked really well. After Bhumi got her shot we would then give her apples. She loves apples. This way she knows there will be pain but also something sweet and nice at the end.

One really sweet and interesting thing is that every morning Jaya goes and checks on Bhumi. The other cows stop and see her but no one is as consistent as Jaya. Jaya is the one who has also had the same operation as Bhumi, just on the opposite eye.

Bhumi responded very well to the penicillin. During this whole recovery period we also have been giving her homeopathy. So that also really helped her heal. After just a day and a half the smell left her. I was so thrilled about that. Smell is always a sure sign something is wrong, so for that to leave her was a good sign we were heading in the right direction.

After the 5 days I gave the vet another call. Dr. Moore said that he would come out Saturday to see how Bhumi was doing. It may be time to take out the stitches and see how the healing was progressing.

Saturday was a very nice day. Bhumi managed to take her halter off so she and I had a battle of wills to put it back on. She would not let me put it back on. When Dr. Moore showed up she was very happy to see him. I had a rope hanging around her neck so I tried her to the post with that. We wanted to see if she would let Dr. Moore remove the stitches without the halter on but Bhumi kept moving her head. It was a lot easier putting her halter on since she was already tied up. This way it was a lot easier for Dr. Moore to remove the stitches. Bhumi was still giving him a hard time by shaking her head but she just couldn’t move as much.

Dr. Moore said it looked like it was healed 75% but it was best for her case to remove the stitches. He sprayed some yellow stuff on her eye, I don’t remember the medical name of it. Also he ordered a special salve that will help the healing process. I am supposed to pick it up tomorrow and put a little on her eye.

We had an audience the whole time Dr. Moore was treating Bhumi. On one side you had Asha, Shyama and Dwadasi watching and on the other side you had Krishna, Balaram, Kalki, Bhima, Visaka and Jaya. They were all lending their support to Bhumi. In about a week or two I will take down the fence inside the geriatric barn and let Bhumi in with Gita, Asha, Shyama and Dwadasi so that she can start to learn to move around the other cows. Right now she moves really well by herself. Bhumi is getting close to the point were she wants to be in with the other cows.

Submitted by Lakshmi Devi

Gourangi fall 2007

2008-01-11T18:49:00.000Z

Gourangi enjoying the pasture, fall 2007.

Bhumi Part 2

2007-12-27T18:29:00.000Z

Bhumi’s excursion yesterday went very smoothly. A lot more smoothly then I was even praying for. It was very easy to sneak Bhumi out of the herd before they noticed. When Valerie arrived I had Bhumi tied up at the end of the lane by the barn happy eating a bale of second cutting hay. Valerie is the very nice lady who hauled us and Jaya to Columbus, Ohio for his surgery. This time Valerie brought her youngest son, who is a very nice boy.

All we had to do was hook up the trailer to her one ton pick-up truck and then load Bhumi. Luckly, I remembered how to do the hook up correctly. At first Bhumi did not want to get into the trailer, but she did want to finish that bale of second cutting. So, she finally got in and we were off to see the vet out in St. Clairsville at Mr. Young’s farm. Once we started driving she settled down and watched the countryside go by. It only took us about an hour to reach St. Clairsville which is a lot better then 3 ½ to 4 hours to Columbus where we had to take Jaya for his operation.

Dr. Moore was waiting for us at the turn off to the farm and he led the way to the barn. By this point, Bhumi wanted out and she came out very easily. Now the tricky part was getting her into the stockade. The opening for the chute was very narrow and at a weird angle so Dr. Moore opened up the side of the chute for her. I walked in first and Bhumi followed me right in. At the end I had to walk out, angle her head and horns, and not let her body out. Dr. Moore then closed the hydraulics of the chute so that only part of her neck with her head and horns were though and the rest of her body was in the chute. This would make it harder for her to move and easier to operate on her eye. The first thing the Vet did was to give her a general pain killer. He then took off her halter and lead rope and put his on Bhumi, and then he tied that to the side of the stockade so it will be somewhat easier to keep her head steady. She felt the general anesthesia very fast; you could tell she was going into la la land. He then shaved around her eye. The cancer she had was very fast growing and had grown a lot since he saw her 2 ½ weeks before. It was growing on her eyelid, in the eyelid, in the corner of her eye and behind the eye.

Bhumi was sedated nicely so Dr. Moore started doing the shots in a circle around her eye and all of us were feeling woozy. I was standing on one side of her out of the vet’s path and Valerie was standing on the other side of her. We were both talking to her and trying to keep her calm and steady. Chaitanya Bhagavat was standing by the control panel for the hydraulics. He job was to throw the switch and release the hydraulics in case she went down on her knees. If she went down with the hydraulics closed, she could badly injure herself. We were really lucky she did not go down and the operation only took 45 minutes from beginning to end.

After he was finished sewing up her eye, Dr. Moore told me I could untie her and take his halter off. I put ours back on and we walked her out of the stockade and back to the trailer for the ride home. Bhumi was moving very slowly as if she had a hangover. It was easier to load her into the trailer this time. She immediately had a couple of mouthfuls of hay. I settled up with the vet, it cost a little more then the original quote due to the advancement of the cancer. He had to take more of the eye area out then planned. Then we headed home.
Bhumi was moving around most of the way home. You could feel it in the truck when she was moving. Valerie and I would look at each other and say there she goes again. Once we got home she was fighting to get out of the trailer. I had to calm her down somewhat so that I could untie her. No way was I just going to unhook her halter and let her out in that mood after her having surgery. Once that was done she literally jumped out of the trailer and started walking really fast up the lane and past the big barn. All of the cows were really excited and happy to see her. They started mooing and walking parallel to us. We put her in half of the geriatric barn that was reserved for her. This way, she is separate but still with the herd. We did not want any of the cows to accidentally bump her eye area.

Bhumi immediately went to the gate that looks out into the silo pad area and into the big barn. She was not happy at all and very upset. Then a really sweet thing happened. Jaya came over and touched her nose. It was like they were communicating and she immediately calmed and settled down. They stayed like that for about 5 minutes. Now what really makes this sweet is that they normally have nothing to do with one another. They don’t hang out with each other at all, she has a higher standing in the herd then he does. Throughout the day either Jaya would be standing right next to her at the gate or other cows would be standing next to her or touch noses with her. It really touch’s your heart to see how much they care and are concerned about one another’s well being and state of mind and health.

Today Bhumi is doing well, eating hay, drinking water, and resting. I tried to give her pain killers but so far she does not want any. I will try again later today when I check on her again.

Submitted by Lakshmi Devi

Bhumi part 1

2007-12-25T18:34:00.001Z

Bhumi, Christmas Day 2007

Since the vet came up to see Radharani, I have been trying to coordinate getting the operation done for Bhumi. I finally got it worked out with the vet and Valerie, the lady who hauled us for Jaya’s surgery. The operation is set for December 26, 2007. For the last week I have been trying to anticipate any possible problems and their solutions that may arise. Also, I have to make sure I have everything ready when Valerie gets here tomorrow morning to pick us up. Dr. Moore has arranged that we are going to use another farm’s barn and stockade in St. Clairsville, Ohio which is about 45 minutes to an hour away. He decided on that place because he felt that the stockade is going to be big enough for Bhumi and her horns. She is very proud of her horns and does not like for them to be messed with or touched.

Before tomorrow morning I need to finish getting the inside of our cow trailer ready for Bhumi and divide up the inside of the geriatric barn so she can have one half of it. Right now Gita is in there with Asha, Shyama, and Dwadasi. Once the surgery is done we do not want Bhuni’s eye area to get accidentally knocked by any of the other cows. So Bhumi will be getting the smaller side of the geriatric barn all to her self for a couple of months. We are lucky it is winter time as there are no flies.

I am praying I will remember how to hitch up the trailer. In the past, I have helped Dad do it. This excursion is going to be hard since Dad is working in the mall this Christmas season out in California. But it has to be done and it has to be done now. The cancer growth is really growing fast in poor Bhumi’s eye so I am just going to have to suck it up and deal with it. I get sick at the sight of blood and for half of Jaya’s surgery I had my head between my knees. I am not going to have the luxury of being able to do that this time. Most likely I will have to be the one to keep Bhumi’s head under control so I am going to be right up there in the middle of the whole surgery. So everyone out there in cyber-world, please pray for Bhumi and I that we both come out of this in good condition.

Submitted by Lakshmi Devi

Radharani has passed on

2007-12-16T17:42:00.000Z

Radharani with her head on pillow. Gita, Shyama and Asha watching over her. Thursday evening.

I am sorry to announce the passing of Radharani. She passed away Friday evening between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Radharani was between the ages of 23-25 years. When she was passing and ill she was listing to Srila Prabhupada singing 24/7. I am truly going to miss her. Whenever I would enter the barn or pastures she was in, Radharani would try to pick my pockets or nibble on my clothing. She loved any and all treats she could get from anyone. Radharani was a really sweet, gentle loving cow.

One thing that really touched me in her passing was how Gita interacted with her. When ever Gita would sit down he would sit down right in front of her in her line of sight. He was a calming influence on her. He was like a meditating sage/old man giving comfort to an old friend during their illness. Asha and Shyama were also very good to Radharani. They would sit next to her or very close by. When I went to check her for the last time I knew that she had passed just by how Gita was acting. He had this look on his face saying “Radharani is no longer with us; she has gone on to a higher place”. She was not moving at all, usually when I would go to check on her I would be talking to her so her ears and eyes would move to hear and see me. I went over to her just to make sure that she had passed. I petted and stroked her like I usually do and there was no response at all. She was not as warm as she usually was. I knew for sure she was no longer with us. So I went over to Gita who was sitting right in front of her and petted him and thanked him for taking such good care of her. After I went out and closed the gates I called Mom and told her that Radharani had passed and if she could please let her adopter know of her passing.

Radharani was with the group that walked up from Gosh’s and decided to come live with us instead of returning to the big barn.

Submitted by Lakshmi Devi

Radharani is passing

2007-12-11T19:04:00.000Z

I have been very emotionally upset and drained for the last week so I have been unable to write anything. I would get ready to write and start losing control of my emotions. As it is I am tearing up right now. Radharani is passing and Bhumi needs an operation. Radhrani is one of my favorites, whenever she would see me she would come over and see what kind of treats or goodies I had for her. Bhumi has the same cancer in her eye as Jaya did. But that is another whole blog. Radharani is very inspiring to me on how she is preparing to pass. People could say, “Oh she is just a dumb animal,” but she is very aware of what is happening. She is very calm and meditative right now. Others would say you are doing too much, you are prolonging her pain and suffering, you should just put her down. (I have heard this from devotees when other cows have been passing. I have never heard it from my vet; he always tries to find ways to help me manage their pain. I always think that the devotee is not that realized at all and is missing the whole point. I always want to ask the devotees who say that to me, “How would you like to be treated when you are dying?” The time it takes for a soul to pass, no matter what body they are in, gives that soul a chance to burn off their bad karma and prepare for passing into another world. It is painful for us to watch them but how are we to understand the communication between them and God?

Gita, Shyama and Asha are holding a vigil for her right now and every night Gita sleeps right next to her. I have done everything I could to minimize her pain and make her as comfortable as possible.

Here is the correspondences Mom and I have been having with Radharani’s adopter, Vaninatha dasa.

December 5th:

Dear Vaninatha,

Hare Krishna!

I believe Lalshmi wrote you a note that Radharani's lump on her leg had gotten larger and her shoulder and leg seemed somewhat swollen. She was also having difficulty keeping up with the herd. At that point, we put her in the geriatric barn so she could easily get her food and water. We called the vet, but he only today answered our call and will come tomorrow afternoon. Since she was put in the geriatric barn, the swelling went down and she was getting around well, but just yesterday Lakshmi found her on her side unable to get up. She was lying on the side which has the leg with the lump. We thought that she could not use the leg well enough to push up. We managed to get her to sit up and she was doing fine. Then this morning Lakshmi again found Radharani down on her side unable to get up. She was shivering (it has been very cold here in the 20s and 30s). Lakshmi managed with help of two other devotees to get Radharani up and they covered her with blankets. Later in the day she was found down again. She was then braced by putting hay bales by her side to support her. A few hours ago, Lakshmi found Radharani with her head down and weak. She was still sitting up because she was braced by the hay bales.

We feel there must be something else going on in her body besides the lump on her leg which the vet had previously said was most likely a calcium deposit.. Lakshmi is feeling it is a possibility that she may leave her body in the night as she seemed very weak. We gave her Jamuna water and we have Prabhupada chanting on continuous play in the geriatric barn. Gita, Shyama, and Asha are in the barn with her.

We wanted you to know this latest development as we know you are a loving and concerned adopter. We will let you know how her health progresses.

Your servant,
Chayadevi

December 8, 2007 :

Dear Vaninatha Prabhu,

Hare Krishna!

The vet came and said Radharani had a stroke. He feels that at her age this may be just too much for her. A year ago the vet analyzed that she was anywhere from 23-25 years old in cow years. That would be 115+ in human years. Either she will have another stroke or she will get better and get up. He gave us some medicine to give her, but although we are giving it to her it does not seem like she is getter stronger. Gita has been watching over her along with Shyama and Asha. They are all sitting around her and a tape of Prabhupada singing is playing.

We will keep you updated.

Your servant,
Chayadevi

From: Richard M. Boyden \(Vaninatha dasa brahmachary\)
To: Lakshmi devi Dove
Cc: boydgood@hotmail.net
Sent: 12/8/2007 5:50:34 PM
Subject: Radharani............

Dear Lakshmi, All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Please accept my respects. It sounds like Radharani, the cow, is getting old and will have a hard time making it through the winter. That is not a problem. She has given her life for helping Krishna's devotees spread the word about Srila Prabhupada's mission, so she knows fully well that she is on the way to Goloka Vrindavana. She is happy and we should all be happy also. The most we can do at this point is to keep her comfortable and content. That is what CFC does, apparently. Even if they feel there is no hope, they keep trying something so the cow feels loved and comfortable. I think that is important--that the cows always feel content.
My best wishes to all.
Yours sincerely,
Vaninatha dasa (Richard Boyden)

December 10:

At this point she is very weak and we don't really know how she manages to breath. She is completely lying down with her head on a pillow and for the last few days she is not eating or drinking. Srila Prabhupada is continuously singing on the CD which we can hear from our houses which are on both sides of the barn.

Submitted by Lakshmi Devi

Number 16

2007-11-26T18:37:00.001Z

Offering obeisances before lunch. Number 10

Rudra has now officially gotten 16 groundhogs so far this year. He is a little behind on his groundhog kills for the year. Last year he got 20 and the year before he also got 20.

Every morning Rudra goes with me to the barn to help with the cows. He likes to hunt for mice, or any other animal that dares to come into the cows’ home without an invitation. Also he likes to make a nest in the hay and take a nap. Sometimes though he gets bored and goes back to parents’ house to nap on the sunny yard. Yesterday he hung out with me the whole time playing in the hay and dozing.

After Rudra and I finish taking care of the cows’ yesterday morning, we started walking back to parents’ house. When we got as far as the hay barn Rudra all of a sudden took off running towards the old woodpile and the black walnut trees. As I rounded the corner I saw him with a good size groundhog in his mouth which he was shaking very hard. He then ran to the house with the groundhog in his mouth. It was still alive. Sometimes the groundhogs die from fright by the time he gets home. That may have been the case, because by the time I got to the house it was dead and there was no blood.

Now we have this funny little thing we do after Rudra has gotten a pest (groundhogs will destroy your entire garden). He really loves it when we do it. We stand there and clap our hands and tell him he is such a good boy. He really likes it when everyone does it. You are supposed to do it at least three times on the day of the catch. If you don’t do it he makes sure to bring the dead groundhog to your attention when you come out of the house.

The next stage can go a couple of ways. Number one is that he immediately starts to eat the groundhog. Two is he lets it sit there for a couple of days and then he eats stewed ground hog. This is not bad in the winter time when it is cold since it does not smell much, but it is terrible in the summertime. The third way is interesting; he buries it, and lets it ferment for a week or two. Then he digs it up and has pickled groundhog. Rudra eats almost the whole groundhog every single time. That is unless we have to get rid of it because it smells so bad before he eats it.

He is a good dog, he eats everything he catches. No waste.

Submitted by Lakshmi Devi

Putting the garden to bed. Part 2

2007-11-23T17:40:00.001Z

The second part of putting the garden to bed has been accomplished. It took us several mornings and several helpers to accomplish this job. All the Yukon Gold potatoes have been dug up. Their skins have cured and now they are sitting in bushels in the root cellar.

It was a little nerve racking due to the weather. We had almost a week of cold and rainy days. The weather forecast was then calling for warm temperatures but with rain showers. What we needed was the weather to be warm and dry in order to be able to dig up the potatoes. Luckily the weather did cooperate and provide us with some really nice days for digging. The weather started to change the afternoon we finished digging up the potatoes. That evening we had a rain storm and the next day the temperature had dropped 20 degrees.

All we have to do now to finish putting the garden to bed is to put cow dung on a few more areas of the garden. We also need to take care of the asparagus patch.

Submitted by Lakshmi Devi

It is that time of Year

2007-11-19T18:38:00.000Z

It is that time of year again to put the old cows or ones with special needs into the geriatric barn and not let them out till spring time. So far I only have Gita and Radharani inside the geriatric barn. Radharani is the oldest cow in our herd at 23 years of age. She developed a growth on her right front leg earlier in the year. Dr. Moore our vet came and looked at it. He said as long as it is not causing her pain, or stopping her movement, he did not want to do anything to it because of her age.

I had noticed a couple of days ago that Radharani was not staying with the herd on pasture nor was she coming into the barn with them everyday. So Rudra (the dog) and I went to check on her several times a day making sure she was getting water and enough to eat. She is a real friendly lady and she also likes picking pockets for treats. She will eat anything; you really have to watch her. We were not too worried but then it started to get cold not only at night but also during the day. So Mom and I decided that if she did not come into the barn before 4 pm then we were going to put her in the geriatric barn.

So 4 pm rolls around and Radharani has not moved from the general area she was in that morning. Mom and I suited up in our cold weather gear. Mom went for the grain and I went and put gates up at the geriatric barn so that once we put her in she could not get out. Now Radharani is not only a real friendly lady she is also a real stubborn one. When she does not want to do something she does not do it no mater what you do. That is why Mom went for the grain. The trick is to have a grain bowl or bucket and that is how you get them to move without hopefully too much drama or frustration on our part. What you have to do is let them have a taste and then keep the grain right in front of them until you get them where you want them to go. Radharani was on top of the hill behind the barn, so that was going to be a little tricky and the cows were starting to come around the corner. So we had to get her though the gate at the bottom of the hill before the rest of the cows got that far.

It was close but we did it. Radharani was happy to go into the barn, in past years she was not happy in the beginning. Right after we put her into the geriatric barn Mom noticed that Gita was coming up the ramp slowly. Gita is one of the ones that Mom and I had talked about putting into the geriatric barn due to his arthritis. So we went and got another bucket of grain. Gita is always very happy to see a grain bucket and so it went very smoothly putting him in with Radharani. They have been in the geriatric barn two days together and they are very happy. We may put one or two others in with them but I am not sure yet who gets that privilege. It will depend on how the weather progresses and the cows’ health. Right now I am waiting to hear back from the vet on when he can come see Radharani to check out the lump on her leg. We will check also on what homeopathy treatment we can put her on.

Submitted by Lakshmi Devi

Putting the garden to bed. Part 1

2007-11-13T19:04:00.000Z

Now that fall is here it is time to put the garden to bed for the winter. This is the one time of year that we are willing to pick green tomatoes. Usually with the tomatoes we dry them as premiums for our members. If we have any extra after we have filled the dehydrators for the day, I can them as tomatoes puree, chutney or salsa.

When you do the last picking before the frost, you take every single tomato that is on the plant and any that may of fallen off since the last picking. We were lucky enough to get 5 buckets of tomatoes. One and half buckets were ripe and the rest were green. Mom has a really good trick to get them to ripen. What you do is get out a table put it in a room that is cool but well ventilated. You then put a vinyl tablecloth on it and then pour out the tomatoes. Also make sure that there are none piled on top of each other. Now the key is to have patience. Check them every couple of days, throw out the rotting ones and offer the ripe ones to Krishna and enjoy.

Now if you want fried green tomatoes you don’t have to do any waiting. My whole family loves fried green tomatoes and this is the only time of year we allow ourselves the luxury of them. The trick is to use a coating that does not overpower the delicate favor of the tomato. The mix I use is just cornmeal and a little salt. You put this mix in a container with a tight fitting lid. When you are ready to fry I put the tomatoes in with the cornmeal and salt and shake till they are well covered. Put them into a frying pan and just a little bit of your favorite oil (do not deep fry) and cook till golden brown on both sides. Repeat as needed. Offer to Krishna and Srila Prabhupada, then enjoy.