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namobrahmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca jagad-dhitāyakṛṣṇāya govindāyanamonamaḥ

“My Lord, You are the well-wisher of the Cows and the brahmanas, and You are the well-wisher of the entire human society and world.” (Visnu Purana 1.19.65) We talk so much about cow protection, but what does cow protection actually mean? What does Go Raksha actually mean? “Cow protection means just like Bhagavan, Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is tending the cows. He is going, taking the cows personally from His royal palace going to the forest whole day, working there. Is it not, cowherd boy? And taken some little fruit, mother, whatever mother has given. They are playing that.So this is cow protection, not that ‘Somebody will give money and we shall keep some third class cows and feed there and become cow protector.’ That is not cow protection.” “We must tend the cows very nicely so that they give us sufficient milk. And with that milk we shall live.” Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Class 1.16.19

So, what does it mean to “tend the cows very nicely?” First of all, we must learn what does a cow need to live a healthy life. This is not very difficult to know. Cows need good feed, like organic fresh green grass, according to season and some preventive medical care. Cows need shelter from all harsh weather conditions — hot, cold or stormy. Cows also need to be groomed and kept clean and given facility to graze and socialize with other cows. Cows and bulls that are lovingly kept like this in a clean environment will stay healthy and will give us back their love a hundred folds, in the form of all the 5 products of a cow, like milk, butter, yoghurt, go ark, etc., transportation on a bullock cart, and bull power in the agricultural sector.

“Protection of Cows is the single most important principle towards saving the whole world from both moral and spiritual degradation. Simply by protection of cows all the wonderful benefits of religiosity and piety will be automatically achieved without any separate endeavour. The scriptures describe Go Seva and Go Raksha as a highly reverential duty that can be done by a man to please Lord Krishna and bring auspiciousness and harmony in the society! “Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the prime protector of brahminical culture and the Cows. Without knowing and respecting these pleasing personalities, one cannot realise the science of God, and without this knowledge, any welfare activities or humanitarian propaganda cannot be successful.” SB 4.21.38 purport.