Cow protection pastimes
By Vasudeva Das & Brahma-Samhita Das

This is a true story that we want to share with all devotees...

The year 2004 we were on a pilgrimage tour through India... It so happened by Nityananda’s grace, that we got to meet with our Gurudev Srila Bhakty Aloka Paramadvaiti Swami. We first met Him in Mayapur at the inauguration ceremony of Srila Bakti Pramode Puri Goswami Maharaja’s Samadi Mandir. At this time we were still looking for a Guru. We had travelled to India together with Raivata Prabhu (a Swedish disciple of Srila Prabhupada and a very dear friend of our Gurudev, and the first one to inspire us in Krishna-consciousness). The friendship between Raivata Prabhu and Gurudev Paramadvaiti brought us all to Vrinda Kunja in Vrindavan. From Vrinda Kunja we went on many beautiful parikramas.

On one of these inspiring Parikramas, we went to Radha Kunda. We came there chanting and offering incense and flowers to this Divine kunda. After a lot of visits to different temples and holy places we were all invited to Lalita Madhavas place to honour some Prasad, and after spending some time there we all went to the cars with the intention to go back to Vrinda Kunja.

There was a broad, around 60 meters long alley of stone walls outside the house. Then all of a sudden the inspiration came to Gurudeva to visit one more temple. Going down the stonewall alley, crossing a big crowd of cows and bulls and entering a gate, we soon arrived to our last temple visit. It was a big Mahaprabhu deity inside the temple and we had a nice bhajan there for some time.

Afterwards we all went towards the cars again for our travel back to Vrinda Kunja. Entering the gate to the stonewall alley, we paced along the hot dusty road with Gurudeva walking in the middle of the party. And then somehow the big group of cows and bulls got agitated and started to run towards the devotees... The cows moved fast! And not just one or two, but all of them!!! Thirty cows and bulls running towards the devotees and there was no escape because of the high walls. And in order to protect the devotees Gurudeva raised his black sun-umbrella pointing it towards the running bulls attracting their attention.

We were quite near when we saw the impact. We turned around watching as the bull crushed Gurudeva’s umbrella to small pieces. Gurudeva grabbed the horns of the bull who was swinging his head to and fro, but finally the bull threw Him down on the ground off the road... A big dusty cloud came closer and the big horde of cows came running aiming for Gurudev.

There we stood, shaking of fear and watching the scene like frozen. Then, from nowhere Madhusudan Maharaj from South America appeared; he had another umbrella, charging towards the cows and bulls we saw him jumping towards the cows, screaming - Gurudeva!!! He hit the bull on the side with the point of the umbrella, forcing him to back off, and he hurled big stones from the ground with great force at the crowd of cows. Gurudeva got up and together with Madhusudan Maharaj they returned to the car where all the devotees soon assembled.

Gurudeva was very calm, as calm as if nothing had happened. He was Abhayam, fearless...

Immediately He started to check if any of the devotees was injured. Bhakta Fredrik from Sweden had a scratch on his knee. When we had returned to Vrinda Kunja and were taking rest, Gurudeva came up to Fredrik’s room to personally take care of his wound; He washed it with alcohol and put a plaster on. Love and affection in practice...

Srila Gurudeva Patita Pavana Ki Jay!!!
Madhusudan Maharaj Ki Jay!
Gaura Bhakta Vrinda Ki Jay!

Trying to serve,
Vasudeva Das & Brahma-Samhita Das