Haridas Shastri Cow Protection FoundationTexas, USA

Haridas Shastri
Cow Protection Foundation

About us

A US 501(c)(3) non-profit devoted to the protection and loving care of the cows of Sri Haridas Niwas, Sri Vrindavan.

Our mission is simple: to give every cow and bull at Sri Haridas Niwas good food, open land, clean shelter, medical care and a life of dignity, exactly as Sri Haridas Shastri Maharaj ji cared for them.

Vision and mission

Vision

A world where the cow is honoured as mother, gomātā, as taught in Sanātana Dharma, and every cow in our care lives in peace until her natural end.

Mission

Out of love for Maharaj ji’s cows, we support their care in the spirit of Sanātana Dharma: good food, open land, a safe home and loving health care for every cow and bull, as the Vedic tradition teaches.

Rooted in Sanātana Dharma

Sanātana Dharma means “the eternal way”: the timeless duties that sustain every living being. In this tradition the cow is not property but family. She gives milk that nourishes body and mind, and she is honoured as one of the mothers of humanity. To protect her is not charity alone; it is dharma itself.

कृषिगोरक्ष्यवाणिज्यं वैश्यकर्म स्वभावजम्

kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam

Farming, protecting cows and trade are the natural duties of the vaiśya.

— Bhagavad Gītā 18.44Read more →
Kṛṣṇa returns with the cowherds to Braj, from a Bhāgavata Purāṇa, about 1830. Cleveland Museum of Art (public domain)
Kṛṣṇa returns with the cowherds to Braj, from a Bhāgavata Purāṇa, about 1830. Cleveland Museum of Art (public domain)

As a boy in Vraja, Śrī Kṛṣṇa spent His days tending the cows and calves, and we lovingly call Him Gopāla, the protector of the cows.

Maharaj ji never set out to run a goshala for profit. His calves always drank their mothers’ milk first; the remaining milk he offered to his deities or made into ghee for their worship. His go-sevā was meant only to serve Kṛṣṇa and His beloved cows.

See how your support is used in Our care.

Our team in the USA

Volunteers who share Maharaj ji’s love for the cows.

Dr. Ajaykumar Jani

President

Dr. Ajaykumar Jani, a dedicated American Board-Certified Pediatrician currently working in Lubbock, Texas, has an impressive academic journey, culminating in an MBA in Healthcare from American Intercontinental University, GA, with a GPA of 4.0 in 2007. Board-certified in Internal Medicine from Gujarat University, India, he earned his Bachelor of Medicine & Surgery in 1986. Dr. Jani’s experience spans various prestigious institutions, including the US Army’s Department of Defense and Covenant Medical Group Urgent Care Clinic. He is a Certified Physician Executive. Dr. Jani’s expertise extends to languages and philanthropy. He took shelter of Shri Haridas Shastri Maharaj ji at Purana Kalidah, Vrindavan, in 1993 and has served under his tutelage, mainly in protecting the ashram’s beautiful cows. He and his wife Bhakti Devi are currently based in Lubbock, Texas.

Petra Muller-Jani

Director

Petra Muller-Jani (Bhakti devi) grew up in Germany. From a young age she was interested in philosophy, Yoga and holistic medicine. While in physical therapy school in Berlin, she visited India for the first time in 1986 and kept returning for longer stays to study Yoga, Ayurveda and the path of devotional service. This led to seven cookbooks published in Germany, introducing readers to a balanced diet and lifestyle based on Ayurvedic principles.

Before she was introduced to Sri Haridas Shastri Maharaj ji, she studied under Satyanarayana Dasa Babaji at Jiva Institute in Vrindavan. Together with Babaji and other students, she began daily go-seva under Maharaj ji’s guidance. She has stayed dedicated to the cows at Sri Haridas Niwas ever since.

Today she is a Licensed Massage Therapist in Texas, where she lives with her husband, Dr. Ajaykumar Jani.

Jyoti Chittur

Vice President

Jyoti Chittur, born into a family deeply rooted in the Vaishnava tradition, received initiation into the Sampradaya at an early age. Under the tutelage of her grandfather, a Vedic scholar, she mastered Sanskrit and chanting. Guided by her father, an educator, she learned Yoga in its holistic essence, incorporating the physical, spiritual and elemental dimensions. Nurtured by her devout mother, Jyoti imbibed the principles of Bhakti and Seva. Following the teachings of Sree Tirumala Krishnamacharya, she now imparts her knowledge of Sanskrit and Yoga, embodying a rich heritage that weaves together tradition, spirituality and the ancient art of Yogic practice.

Sonal Talati

Secretary

Sonal Talati was born in Gujarat, India. After moving to the USA, she and her husband owned and ran several businesses. Today she lives with her family in Texas and works as a licensed insurance agent, guiding her clients on Medicare.

Sonal grew up in a Vaiṣṇava family and learned Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s teachings in the Bhagavad Gītā from a young age. Her love for cows came from her grandmother. Every day Sonal watched her feed a cow the first freshly cooked chapati before serving lunch to the family. This custom, go-grāsa, is an old tradition of Sanātana Dharma, in which people, animals and nature are all respected and cared for. Sonal serves as Secretary of the Haridas Shastri Cow Protection Foundation.

Kiran Tailor

Treasurer

Kiran Tailor brings more than two decades of financial expertise to the Foundation, where he oversees all financial and fiscal responsibilities. As an Associate of Chartered Management Accountants (ACMA), Kiran has built a distinguished career in the UK, specialising in corporate finance and M&A (mergers and acquisitions) advisory. Beyond his professional life, Kiran has been a follower of Bhakti Yoga since childhood. This spiritual foundation led him to become a disciple of Sri Satyanarayana Dasa Babaji at the Jiva Institute of Vedic Studies. Today, Kiran balances his rigorous financial oversight of the Foundation with an ongoing commitment to mastering the deep philosophy and practice of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition.

Rok Zorko

Vice Director

Rok Zorko is an accomplished entrepreneur, investor and product leader, recognised as a co-founder of Outfit7, the global entertainment company behind the “Talking Tom & Friends” franchise. As the company’s original Product Manager, he played a pivotal role in scaling Outfit7 into Slovenia’s first “unicorn”, leading to its landmark $1 billion acquisition in 2017. Today Rok draws on his deep expertise in B2C scaling, gaming and user experience as a General Partner at Silicon Gardens, where he focuses on “Founders for Founders” investing, providing early-stage capital and strategic mentorship to high-growth startups in Central and Eastern Europe. A passionate mentor in the startup ecosystem, Rok has advised several breakout successes, including Bird Buddy (Slovenian Startup of the Year 2021) and the speech-therapy app Blub Blub. His journey — from his early days at the search engine Najdi.si to managing diverse investment portfolios at Ninaz Limited — is defined by a unique blend of product intuition and venture strategy.

Our team in India

Volunteers who share Maharaj ji’s love for the cows.

Dr. Satyanarayana Dasa

President

Dr. Satyanārāyaṇa Dāsa, born on 9 June 1954, is a distinguished Indian Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava scholar and practitioner. He holds a PhD in Sanskrit from Agra University, a degree in Indian law, a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Delhi and an M.Tech in Industrial Engineering. As President of the Haridas Goshala in Vrindavan and founder of the Jiva Institute, he ardently upholds cow protection, a cause dear to his guru, Sri Haridas Shastri Maharaj ji. Following his guru’s mastery of the Vedic disciplines, Dr. Satyanārāyaṇa Dāsa has left an indelible mark on Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism. Honoured in 2012 with an award from the President of India, he is a preeminent living practitioner-scholar of Jīva Gosvāmī’s works.

Sandeep Mittal

Secretary

Sandeep Mittal, an Electrical Engineering graduate, served as an Executive Engineer at the Delhi Vidyut Board for 14 years until his voluntary resignation in 2003. In 1993 he received the blessings and initiation of Shri Haridas Shastri Maharaj ji, which sparked his interest in Go-seva. Inspired by his guru, he founded a senior secondary school in Khurja in 2001. In 2003, driven by devotion, he left his job to dedicate more time and resources to Go-seva. Following Shri Gurudev’s guidance, he established the Shri Haridas Shastri Go Seva Sansthan in Vrindavan, where he serves as Secretary, overseeing the Go-seva, the temple and the Shri Gaur Gadadhar library under Shri Gurudev’s presidency.

Become part of Maharaj ji's go-seva

Adopt a cow, support a whole herd, or give once — every gift feeds, shelters and heals the cows of Vrindavan.

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