Parama Pujya Swamiji's Speech at the Datta Gaushala in Memphis, Tennessee
Jaya Guru Datta.
Please relax. Do not feel like strangers. We are all one family. So relax and receive this spiritual message. Swamiji’s communication is heart to heart. The language is not important. You will understand my feelings. Grammar is not important, feeling is important.
I am very happy today about Gau-Samrakshana – protection of cows. The Indian tradition believes Gau Mata is like Kamedhenu – the wish-fulfilling cow. We revere the cow and treat her like mother. In the old days, without milk, there was no Yajna and no life. We call milk amrita – nectar. The cow eats grass and gives us milk. This is God’s creation. As per science, milk is like nectar. It strengthens our bones and nervous system. Not only does it give milk, but many cow products are very useful. Cow dung and other products from cow have great medicinal value. In the Ayurvedic system, we make different medicines with cow’s products. But human waste is acidic and can kill crops. There are such bad vibrations are in our body. That is why cow is like a mother. We look upon the cow with reverence.
In Kannada is an adage where the cow says to humans: O human, who do you help? My dung has good organic minerals. Your waste is so acid that it kills crops. If you put cow dung directly in crops, it is good manure. But if you put human waste directly, not only will the crops be killed but new crops do not grow. That land is finished. New research also points to this. The cow dung becomes good manure. If you do not use it as manure and instead just flatten and dry them out, the cow dung cakes are used as fuel for cooking (in the old days). If you cook rice with cow dung cakes as fuel, the rice has good aroma. But your (human) dung has foul smell and kills plants.
So, if you leave the cow dung as is, it becomes manure, but if you flatten them and dry them out, they are fuel for fire. After they burn in fire, the ash also becomes medicine. That ash even controls cancer. We put a pinch of that ash (vibhuti) in our mouth daily. Kidney stones are also washed away when you consume a little ash with plenty of water. You can experiment for yourself. The vibhuti is a wonderful medicine. What are you useful for, O human? My (cow) urine is so useful. Your urine has organisms that cause diseases. But cow urine is direct medicine. You can drink the warm cow urine as is.
Former Indian Prime Minister Mr. Morarji Desai said during his first speech after taking oath that one must drink his own urine. People were disgusted hearing that. But later they understood what he meant. Nowadays, we cannot drink our own urine as there are chemicals from the medicines we consume for diabetes and other ailments. But cow urine helps alleviate or control forty different diseases.
We have a small research center in Mysuru where young people (who just graduated college) are experimenting and making products with the cow’s by-products. The products are selling very well, we are not able to meet demand. But in order to make good products, the cow must be fed natural food, not unnatural food. If you feed it unnatural food, the gas from the cow will be bad and can kill humans. If you want to feed it natural food, you feed it grass, vegetables peels, fruits etc. Eating meat causes various diseases including those that cause loss of memory later in life.
In the Indian tradition, cow is Mother. Killing the cow is one of the five grave sins (Pancha Maha Paataka). The five grave sins are - killing a cow, killing a woman, killing a fetus (some Indians back in the day would abort the female fetus), killing a sage or killing oneself. Many people talk of wanting to die when they have problems with business or family. Even speaking of killing oneself a sin. You have no right to kill yourself. This life is in His hands. He is the supreme commander. We should not take a decision about our own life span. You will die one day. That is already programmed. We should not keep saying that we want to die. Devatas are always saying "so be it". People keep threatening to kill themselves for trival reasons such as the husband yelling at them. Death is natural, why think about it? Think about God instead. Our death is already computerized. It will happen. But God's grace is not easy to get.
Think about, “Why do we have this human life? I want to learn about God. I want to find out why I am here and what my purpose is here”. Develop friendship with saints and Gurus. Study good books and do good Satsang. You can fight your inner enemies, but do not wish for death. Each day you wake up is a lucky day. You must be grateful that God gave you the gift of one more day. You must think, "I am alive today. Thank you God!" Getting a human birth is great fortune. So many have died just like that. But you are alive because God has given you a purpose, and some good work to do. There is some secret behind this birth. You might feel, "I want to serve humanity". Or, you might feel, "I want to serve in this Gaushala".
The cow says: My body is full of medicinal value, it is full of nectar; your body (human) is full of poison. That is why, while we are still alive, we pledge our organs' donation after death. Therefore, the cow is saying: Take care of me, rear me, it will do you good. Humans are not satisfied despite a lot of possessions. But if you give the cow a little grass, it is very happy.
You all serve the Gaushala. That is why I am happy and here. I want to build a Gopala Krishna temple here. I also wish to establish a research center to show the world what the benefit of cows is.
I bless all the devotees and the devotees of Gau Mata.
Jaya Guru Datta. Sri Guru Datta.
āpadāmapahartāraṃ dātāraṃ sarvasaṃpadām
lokābhirāmaṃ śrīrāmaṃ bhūyo bhūyo namāmyaham
ārtānām ārti hantāraṃ bhīthānām bhītha nāśanaṃ
dviśatām kaladaṅdaṃ tam rāmacandram namāmyahaṃ
namaḥ kodanḍa hastāya sandhīkṛta śarāyaca
khanḍitā khila daityāya ramāyāpannivarine
rāmāya rāmabhadrāya rāmacaṃdrāya vedhase .
raghunāthāya nāthāya sītāyāḥ pataye namaḥ
dhyāyet satyam guṇātītam guṇatrayasamanvitam।
lokanātham trilokeśam kaustubhābharaṇam harim
pītāmbaraṃ nīlavarṇam śrīvatsa padabhūśitam
govindam gokulānandam brahmādhyairapi pūjitam
Govinda! Govinda! Govinda!
Venkataramana Swami ki Jai!
Gau Mata ki Jai!
Gau Mata ki Jai!
Gau Mata ki Jai!