DHYAN FOUNDATION

Despite controversies around gau rakhsaks and vigilantism, there are groups of cow lovers working silently and doggedly towards the well-being of the bovine species in the state. Cow care centres located at Avedem in Paroda, Zambaulim and Shirvoi in Quepem, and Valpoi in Sattari, are a blessing for injured bovines and abandoned cattle. While the first three are run by Dhyan Foundation, a New Delhi-based spiritual and charitable organisation, the one in North Goa is run by Jai Sree Ram Gau Sanvardhan Kendra, a registered animal welfare trust. Representative image The fact that thousands of stray cattle have been treated and nursed back to life at these cow shelters points to the fact that an increasing number of people are abandoning their cows and buffaloes once they turn 'unproductive', thereby adding to the stray cattle menace. "The number of cattle in our gaushalas is increasing rapidly. Unfortunately, this is a sign of the degeneration of our soc...

CHENNAI:  Yoga does not mean mere personality development or improving one’s health. But it should radiate concern for all living beings leading to effective measures to contain negativism. This is what yoga guru Ashwini appears to demonstrate. His disciples or volunteers, drawn from various walks of life, helped him establish 30 goshalas across the country to take care of sick cattle and those rescued from the abattoirs. “We are being intimidated by those running slaughter houses and are facing 2,000 cases in various courts. But still our mission to protect cows and camels, abandoned dogs and monkeys, continues,” says Yogi Ashwini who was in the city on Sunday. Within four years, his DhyanFoundation has established 30 goshalas, 50 dog points (feed a dog) and 4 shelters under ‘help a monkey’ scheme. Each goshala accommodates 500 to 1,000 cows and the maximum number of 1,200 cows is being taken care of at the goshala in Hyderabad. In Krishnaganj (in West Bengal) the Dhyan ...

A band of Muslim 'gau rakshaks' have come forward and submitted a counter petition asking the Supreme Court not to ban 'gau rakshaks' in response to a petition filed by Tehseen Poonawalla in the Supreme Court asking for a complete ban on 'gau rakshaks' across the country. The petitioners in the intervention petition are Faiz Khan from Raipur, Israr Ullah from Allahabad & Dr S N Pathan from Pune who have requested the Supreme Court that gau rakshaks should not be banned. Through this petition advocate Shiraz Quraishi and his team have requested the apex court that there are abundant people across religions who are working within the framework of the law for the protection of cows and progeny. "We condemn violence but we also condemn misrepresentation of facts. Anti-social elements are trying to defame the genuine cow protectors so that the protection of cows & progeny done lawfully can be disrupted. I represent Muslim gau rakshaks and a...

  यह लेख समाचार जगत में प्रकाशित हुआ था  

Even as we hear about cow vigilantes taking the law unto themselves now and then, here is a group of ‘cow lovers’ who are making a difference to the lives of cattle, silently. Leading the pack of Social workers is Aparna Pal, a commercial artiste. At the risk of making neighbours ‘unfriendly’ due to her cow compassion, Aparna feeds green fodder to around 20 stray cows in Gomti Nagar’s Vivek Khand area, around 8 pm, almost daily. These cows assemble outside her house without fail to have their daily share of green vegetables. Aparna leaves her house around 7pm each day with empty sacks to collect green vegetables from nearby vegetable sellers. “They keep aside cabbage, spinach, peas and other similar vegetables for me and I collect them for the cows,” said Aparna. There is adequate arrangement for clean water as well. While neighbours object to Aparna’s gesture, nothing deters her. “I take the responsibility to clean the place after the cows are gone. I even lift the...

यह लेख सहारा समाचारपत्र  में प्रकाशित हुआ था ।

The article was published in Vijay Karnataka, Mysore edition

Dhenu sadanam rayeenaam  (Atharvaved 11.1.34) Cow is fountainhead of all bounties The above sloka reflects the deep understanding of the creation as possessed by the Vedic seer. A special animal, it's every aspect is a boon to mankind. The Vedic seers called it the mother, the source of nourishment of creation.               This gentle bovine has garnered a considerable amount of interest and reference that go beyond ancient Vedic texts spanning other civilizations like Greece, Mesopotamia and Rome.                                                                                 The Egyptians worshipped her as Hathor, the Goddess of Fertility, while those from this side of the Indus called her the Kamdhenu (cow...

हमारे पूर्वजों को सृष्टि के नियमों का सम्पूर्ण ज्ञान था। वह गाय के महत्त्व और उसके प्रति दुर्व्यवहार और शोषण के परिणामों से भी भली-भांति परिचित थे। वेदों में भी गाय के महत्व का उल्लेख है। अथर्ववेद में कहा गया है : धेनु सदनाम् रईनाम ( 11.1.34) अर्थात गाय सभी प्रकार की समृद्धियों व उपलब्धियों का स्रोत है।’ गाय ही है जो मनुष्य को दूध और उससे बने उत्पाद प्रदान करती है। उसका गोबर ईंधन और खाद तथा उसका मूत्र औषधि और ऊर्वरक प्रदान करता है। जब बैल भूमि की जुताई करते हैं तो भूमि दीमक मुक्त हो जाती है। जब हम यज्ञ द्वारा दैविक शक्तियों से संपर्क करते हैं तो गाय का घी और उपला ही उपयोग में लाया जाता है। कहा जाता है कि जब गाय ने संत कबीर के ललाट को अपनी जिव्हा से स्पर्श किया था तो उनके भीतर असाधारण काव्य क्षमताएं जागृत हो गई थी। गाय, समृद्धि और बहुतायत का प्रतीक है, वह सारी सृष्टि के लिए पोषण का स्रोत है, वह जननी है, मां है। गाय का दूध एक पूर्ण आहार है। जिसका अर्थ है उसके दूध में सम्पूर्ण पोषण है। उसके दूध में केवल उत्तम कोलेस्ट्रॉल है और इस बात से भी कोई अनजान नहीं कि गाय अपने प्रश्वास में ऑक्स...

राजा शिबि की कथा महाभारत में दी गई है, अरण्य पर्व, अध्यायास 130-131 एक बार इंद्रदेव को राजा शिबि के उच्च चरित्र की परीक्षा करने की इच्छा हुई। ऐसा करने के लिए इंद्रदेव ने एक बाज का रूप धारण किया और एक सफेद कबूतर को हत्या करने के उद्देश्य से परेशान करने लगा। इस संकट से त्रस्त होकर वह सफेद कबूतर राजा शिबि के पास सहायता मांगने गया। अत्यंत दयालु राजा शिबि ने उस कबूतर को उसकी सुरक्षा करने का वचन दिया। जो बाज उस सफेद कबूतर के पीछे पड़ा था, वह भी राजा शिबि के पास आया और बोला कि कबूतर तो उसका प्राकृतिक आहार है और वह भूखा था। इसी कारण से उस बाज ने राजा को उस सफेद कबूतर को उसे सौंप देने का निवेदन किया परंतु चूंकि राजा उस कबूतर को पहले ही संरक्षण का वचन दें चुका था। उसने उस बाज को इस संदर्भ में मदद न कर पाने की अपनी मजबूरी दर्शाई।  राजा के इस भाष्य को सुनकर उस बाज ने (जो कि बाज के भेष में इंद्रदेव थे) राजा शिबि को उस कबूतर के वजन जितना उनके खुद के शरीर का मांस काटकर उसे उसकी क्षुधा क़ो मिटाने हेतु देने के लिए कहा। बाज की इस इच्छा को सुनते ही राजा शिबि ने अविलंब ही उसकी इच्छा पूर्ति क...

The article was published in Goanvarta

Counted as one of the world’s most exotic locations attracting tourists from all over the country as well as the world, Goa is a haven of “good times” for most people around the world. Apart from the tourists, locals and fun-seekers, there is another population residing in Goa, for whom the city-state is anything but exotic. On the occasion of Eid, 9 calves, cows and bulls were brutally slaughtered in broad daylight in Goa. Open slaughter of animals is strictly prohibited in India. Slaughtering cows is not allowed. The slaughter of calves is illegal and the butchering of bulls below the age of 14 without a ‘fit to to slaughter’ certificate from a recognized vet and outside of an authorised slaughterhouse is completely against the law. Yet the animals were slaughtered, the meat of the animals was stuffed in polythene bags and their bodies left in the open. The tails, intestines and skinned remains of the animals were found littered behind Nagesh Garden Magaon, South Goa. A ca...

Ghazipur slaughterhouse in Delhi is one of the biggest and modernized house of death, which is authorized to kill a thousand animals every day, but the daily count easily exceeds 5000. The animals, mostly buffaloes (some pregnant too), are first electrocuted and then callously slaughtered. The misery of these poor animals begins right from the journey to the slaughterhouses. They are not fed for days. They are kept in crowded places. They are tortured with sticks. Even pregnant animals are not spared and are beaten up mercilessly. The buffaloes are electrocuted with live wire instead of being stunned. The sight is too barbaric to be described in words. The meat of the slaughtered animals doesn’t undergo ante-mortem or post mortem examinations. Quality analysis is also done by the export companies in factories with no CCTV coverage. They claim that all the cameras are dysfunctional. Suspicious, isn’t it? Volunteers of Dhyan Foundation are campaigning for ethical treatment of a...

Cow shelters are grappling with problems like lack of fodder, garbage and use of plastics, Yogi Ashwini of Dhyan Foundation said. "The basic problem in all cow shelters is lack of fodder and caring staff. Garbage and plastic, which cows consume cause diseases and high mortality. Because of graft, cattle are sold off to butchers illegally from certain shelters," he told reporters here. "Although government has provided enough gau-shalas, certain corrupt officials do not take proper care and at times, sell off fodder illegally," he said. According to him, Dhyan Foundation has organised for water, glucose, medicines and jaggery to nurse cattle at Hingoni in Jaipur. Green fodder was arranged to feed sick cows as well. The article was published in India Today and Business Standard.

हमारे पूर्वजों को सृष्टि के नियमों का सम्पूर्ण ज्ञान था। वह गाय के महत्व और उसके प्रति दुर्व्यवहार और शोषण के परिणामों से भी भली – भांति परिचित थे। वेदों में भी गाय के महत्व का उल्लेख है।  अथर्ववेद में कहा गया है: धेनु सदनाम् रईनाम ( ११  . १  . ३४ ) अर्थात गाय सभी प्रकार की समृद्धियों व् उपलब्धियों का स्रोत है।’ यह गाय ही है जो मनुष्य को दूध और उससे बने उत्पाद प्रदान करती है।  उसका गोबर ईंधन और खाद तथा उसका मूत्र, औषधि और ऊर्वरक प्रदान करता है। जब बैल भूमि की जुताई करते हैं तो भूमि दीमक मुक्त हो जाती है, जब हम यज्ञ द्वारा दैविक शक्तियों से संपर्क करते हैं तो गाय का घी और उपला ही उपयोग में लाया जाता है। कहा जाता है कि जब गाय ने संत कबीर के ललाट को अपनी जिव्हा से स्पर्श किया था, तो उनके भीतर असाधारण काव्य क्षमताएँ जागृत हो गईं थीं। गाय, समृद्धि और बहुतायत का प्रतीक है, वह सारी सृष्टि के लिए पोषण का स्रोत है, वह जननी है, माँ है। गाय का दूध एक पूर्ण आहार है, जिसका अर्थ है उसके दूध में सम्पूर्ण पोषण है। उसके दूध में  केवल उत्तम कोलेस्ट्रॉल है और इस बात से भी कोई अ...