Reconnecting with mother…
About a week ago I asked Jaya Prabhupada, New Vrindaban’s own cowheard man, what service I could do for the cows. I was thinking it would be milking them or cleaning up after them, something that would require a lot of surrender for me. He said, “Just come and show the cows your love in the morning while I milk them. The cows are happy when they know they are being looked after.” I was relieved. That seemed pretty easy. So for 4 days now I’ve been going to the goshalla to give them loving affection for the last 45 minutes of the japa period.
Actually it is not so easy as I had thought. It gets cold in the morning sometimes and I don’t feel like going… or I remember how dirty my japa bag became the day before and how I’m going to have to wash it again… furthermore I used to utilize this time for a quick nap when I needed it before the deity greeting. But these are small sacrifices compared to the many realizations I’m having and the ecstatic relationships I’m feeling with my rediscovered mothers.
Hugging the cows, I’m feeling lusty desires to enjoy Krsna’s energy in the form of a woman melt away. They are so gentle and giving, what a tremendous regret I feel when I contemplate having eaten cow meat or utilizing cow products in my youth. Even in my earlier days as a servant to the devotees there were times that I bought a belt or pair of shoes that had some sort of leather because it seemed there were no better options. Never again.
Now I’m seeing the broader picture of the concept of Mother. Mothers are always giving unconditionally and they tolerate so much from us. They look after our health and well being and try to protect us from going down the wrong path. And so much more…
I recently had a discussion with Tapahpunja Prabhu about how the Bhagavatam says the oil in the earth is Mother Earth’s very blood. He explained the problem with styrofoam plates and utensils and how were actually killing our mother by such things. He also described how we’ve poisoned mother earth to the point that the mothers in the human form have impure milk which is killing their children and making their young bodies conducive to disease. The next time I was at the store I had to buy metal plates to hand out to the temple devotees at least. After I handed them out two mothers asked me why I handed out metal plates. I explained what Tapahpunja Prabhu had told me and realized we’ve got a lot of work to do. It’s time to start getting serious about doing the right thing.
Your Servant,
Arya Siddhanta dasa
