Vegan or Bhakta: Which Way to Go?

Mahanidhi Madan Gopal Das

The perfection of human life is to serve, love and please Bhagavan Sri Krishna with all of one’s thoughts, words and deeds. This is the ultimate Sanatana Dharma, eternal religious practice. Bhagavan Sri Krishna tosana is human perfection.

Today many devotees are taking up the way of Veganism which shuns all products from mother cow, Sri Gaumata. However, for Gaudiya Vaisnavas and all Krishna bhaktas, cows and their wonderful products are essential in the worship of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna. Bhagavan Sri Krishna aka Gopal and Govinda very much loves cows and their milk, butter, yogurt etc. Krishna is eternally famous as “Makhan Chor” and “Damodara-the Mischievous Butter Thief”.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and all His associates regularly offered and ate Sri Jagannatha maha-prasadam prepared from cow’s milk. Mahaprabhu and His followers propagated the Yuga Dharma of Sri Harinama Sankirtana while using karatals, and mrdangas made from clay and cow hides.

It’s a fact that the demon milk industry wallas are mistreating cows and just ripping off their milk for profit. This is the sorry state of Kali-yuga.

Becoming a Vegan is one way to sympathize with and serve these cows and protest against the Godless demons. But another way is to be a Krishna bhakta, and offer their milk in the seva of Bhagavan Sri Krishna. By engaging these poor cows in Krishna’s pleasure, they will receive great spiritual benefit and elevation.

The Puranas predict that in the future of Kali-yuga, there won’t be any cows, goats, buffalo, camels or any kind of milk whatsoever available. Then at that time, Krishna’s bhaktas will have to resort to soya milk and soya cheese to make offerings for Krishna’s pleasure. Until that unfortunate time arrives, however, we should offer Krishna what He loves, and depend on Krishna to protect us and deliver us. In this way, Krishna bhaktas stay pure in mind, acts and reactions because all is done to please Krishna.

Krishna dharma is sanatana, and beyond all modern standards of morality and mundane sentiments. Veganism and other such compassionate movements are very good on one level, especially for those who are not Krishna bhaktas. However, Veganism, in and of itself, is not transcendental and pleasing to Bhagavan Sri Krishna.

CONCLUSION:

The objective of human life is not just morality or sentiments, but the pleasure of Bhagavan Sri Krishna, Hari tosana. So as Krishna bhaktas, we should keep offering Krishna varieties of cow’s milk products, honor Krishna’s sacred remnants, and also help and serve cows in whatever way we can.

In addition, if all the Vegans and Krishna bhaktas unite in the global performance of intensive public Harinama Sankirtana, then the entire polluted atmosphere of Kali-yuga will be purified, the collective consciousness of the world will be cleaned, and a new age of universal peace, harmony and happiness for the cows and all living entities will prevail.

Sri Gaumata seva ki jai! Gopala Makhan Cora ki jai! Jai Jai Sri Radhe!