नमो ब्रह्मण्यदेवाय गोब्राह्मणहिताय च ।
जगद्धिताय कृष्णाय गोविन्दाय नमो नमः ॥
namo brahmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca
jagad-dhitāya kṛṣṇāya govindāya namo namaḥ
I bow again and again to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Govinda, the well-wisher of the cows and the brāhmaṇas, and of the whole world.
Devotees of Kṛṣṇa serve the cows because it pleases their beloved Kṛṣṇa. In bhakti, sevā, selfless service meant only for the happiness of the one served, is the very definition of love. Kṛṣṇa spent His childhood tending the cows and calves of Vṛndāvana, and so cows are dear to Him and to His devotees.
But the question “why go-sevā?” also deserves an answer from the point of view of everyday human society. What is it about the cow that serves humanity?
Two qualities that make a good society
Humans are able to work selflessly for the welfare of others and of the world. This spirit of service is called dharma. If people served one another dutifully, society would be peaceful and content. In the Bhagavad Gītā Kṛṣṇa urges Arjuna to follow dharma for the good of all creation.
Such service becomes possible when we cultivate two qualities:
Nirāparādhī
Causing no distress to anyone.
Para-upakārī
Working for the welfare of others.
The cow is the complete embodiment of nirāparādhī and para-upakārī.
Sri Haridas Shastri Maharaj ji
She offends no one; when unthreatened, cows are the gentlest and most loving of creatures. And she serves with her whole being: in exchange for grass and straw that is of no use to us, she gives milk, and her dung and urine give fuel and medicine. For centuries the bull carried Indian agriculture on his shoulders. The sages saw in the cow the ideal of these two qualities for humanity to follow, the key to every prosperous and harmonious civilisation.
Pure go-sevā at Sri Haridas Niwas
Pure service to the cow means working only for her well-being, wanting nothing in return. At Sri Haridas Niwas the cows are served in this spirit. Nothing is taken from them in return; their milk, dung and urine are never sold. In all his years caring for the goshala, Maharaj ji never drank a drop of his cows’ milk; he gave it all away. His life was an example of pure, selfless sevā.
Kṛṣṇa Himself showed the importance of cow service. His most loved names, Go-vinda, Go-pāla and Gopī-nātha, speak of it. Those who please the cows please the Lord, and Maharaj ji would say that every good quality appears in the heart of one who serves the cow selflessly.
Why the cows need us now
Sadly, many cows in India today live in terrible conditions. They are usually not slaughtered, but they are no longer cared for as they once were. Bulls, replaced by tractors, and cows that no longer give milk are left to wander the streets and eat from rubbish heaps.
There are few programmes for them. Just as we work to overcome injustice among people, this is a good time to stand up for the animals who share our world. The sages of ancient India saw a close link between the way cows were treated and the moral and spiritual health of society.