In 1981 Sri Haridas Shastri Maharaj ji began a small cowshed at his āśrama in Vrindavan with two cows and a bull. By the time he left this world it was home to 250 cows and bulls.
Throughout those years he never drank a single drop of his cows’ milk. He gave it all away.
Service that asks for nothing
In bhakti, sevā means acting only for the happiness of the one served. Maharaj ji showed this in the simplest way: the cows were not there to give him anything. They were there to be loved.
This is still the rule at Sri Haridas Niwas today. Nothing is taken from the cows in return: their milk, dung and urine are never sold.
Love you could see
His love was personal. He knew each cow. When Pushpa, his dearest cow, passed away, Maharaj ji wept. Old photographs show him feeding laḍḍus to the bulls and laughing as calves licked his beard.
Read his life story on the Maharaj ji page.