Rosnika (meaning: dewdrop) is the force which caused a change of heart in Bykov Andrey and kick-started a noble drive which has taken shape as Gopal Gaushala, Village Katerinovka, Szarichanskii raion, Dnepropetrovskaya oblast, Ukraine. Rosnika, the cow is 15 now and still a favourite of the gaushala.
Gopal Gaushala houses 54 animals including calves and bulls, who have either been rescued from slaughterhouses by paying off their price or bought from owners who considered them sick and of little use. These animals are looked after till their last. The members of the gaushala provide for their complete care – medical, emotional and physical and ensure that the mother cows are never separated from their calves. The gaushala is maintained on the meagre sales from dairy and agricultural produce from the farm and donations from animal lovers.
Why cow? “All Gods and Goddesses, all elements, abilities, knowledge and energy find shelter in the body of a cow. Care for the cow and her posterity gives back her blessings in the form of strong and loving family, a healthy body, prosperity, success in all undertakings, generally, everything that is called as terrestrial happiness,” explain the members of Gopal Gaushala.
Gopal means friend of cows, these gopals are versed with Vedas and scriptures like Mahabharata, they know of Lord Krishna and his love for cows. Lord Krishna is called as protector of cows and people at Gopal are full of respect for vedic culture. It is dharma, which is to protect those weaker than you, that motivates these gausevaks to carry on their work as well as the dream of a healthier nation. “Today, cows are kept on farms for economic benefit only. They are ill-kept, ill-treated and milked using machines which bring them pain and injuries. Or ‘non-useful’ cattle are slaughtered and the fear of death is constantly lurking in each animal. As a result, the milk from such farms is loaded with fear and agony. Buying such milk is equivalent to funding cow slaughter,” explain the gopalas and urge the people to take up farm projects where cows and bulls will not be kept basis their economic productivity but as family. They intend to support worldwide mini-farms based on this model where personal guardianship of each animal will be ensured and environmental-friendly milk and food will be produced, which is a product of love, not suffering.
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Author: Elena Fedosenko Gopalin
