New Cowherd Girls for New Vrindaban’s Cows
New Cowherd Girls
by Lilasuka dasi
New Vrindaban has two new cowherd girls. This will certainly keep the milking herd happy.
It’s always fun to try out doing something you’ve never done before. Or going back to doing something you haven’t done for a long time. And when that new thing is milking Krsna’s dear cows, then the benefits are very high. Kalindi dasi and Srimati dasi, Radha Vrindaban Chandra’s two new cowherd girls, are reaping the spiritual profits already.
They each have very different experiences with cows. Srimati has had none! When asked, “Why milk cows?” Srimati replied:
“I was attending one of the recent Friday morning Srimad Bhagavatam classes, where we are reading and discussing the letters that Srila Prabhupada wrote about New Vrindaban. He emphasized the importance of living, depending on the land and the cows. And when I found out that they want everyone to come and spend time with Krsna’s cows, Kalindi and I got very excited!”
“We’ve only gone to the goshalla (cow barn) to get trained, and then to milk three times, but each time has been an adventure! The first evening, we went in, not really knowing what to expect. The barn was pitch dark and we could hear cows kind of rustling around, but we couldn’t see a thing! So we groped along the walls like blind people, all around inside the barn, but to our dismay, were not able to find a light switch. Towards the back of the barn, where it was super dark, I almost fell over some calves! Finally, as the cows became more restless, someone came in with a flashlight and just went over and flicked on the lights! Very embarrassing.”
All in all, though, Srimati feels very satisfied and close to the cows and to Krsna a result of this service.
She says, “The cows are very sweet and gentle. It’s easy to get to know them, and to get attached. They look at you with their big eyes and melt your heart.”
Kalindi, on the other hand, is a seasoned expert at milking and pitching hay.
In her own words, “I was one of seven children, and for a while, when I was very young, I was living on my grandmother’s farm. She had us doing everything, from milking cows to shoveling cow dung. Well, those skills are coming in handy now that I’m working at the cow barn once a week with Srimati. I also got very excited, hearing about how Srila Prabhupada wanted us to take good care of the cows. These are Krsna’s protected and loved cows which is so much more significant than the poor cattle on my grandmother’s farm, who would end up being sold to slaughterhouses.”
Lalita Gopi, the current main cowherd girl, gratefully exclaimed that she’s had some people over the years come in and help to milk cows, “But no-one ever helped me shovel cow dung like Kalindi did!”
Kalindi says, “It was one of the first times Srimati and I actually milked. I was done milking my favorite cow, Yamuna, so I went just outside to shovel the cow dung out. Suddenly I heard Srimati inside, yelling, “Oh no! Oh no!”
“Srimati, what’s going on???”
“Well, I was peacefully milking this cow, and I finally had my first almost successfully full bucket of clean, white, frothy milk, when the cow just lifted one rear leg and stepped- splash!- into the bucket. Then she proceeded to lift her other rear leg and stepped into the same bucket!! What do I do???!! What do I do??!!”
Luckily, Lalita Gopi came along to save the day, but it was a tense moment for the new cowherd girls!
Kalindi commented, “You must approach the cow lovingly and carefully, since she is a milking mother. I think it almost takes something like becoming one with the cow. The cows are mothers and are sensitive.”
Good luck to Kalindi and Srimati dasis, our two new adventurous cowherd girls!
Srimati dasi
Kalindi dasi
