On the Ground for Gau Mata: Birsa Vahini's Gau Seva Across Jharkhand and Odisha

यत्र गावः प्रसन्नाः स्युः प्रसन्नास्तत्र सम्पदः। यत्र गावो विषण्णाः स्युर्विषण्णास्तत्र सम्पदः॥

"Where cows live in happiness and joy, that place witnesses growth and prosperity. Where cows are in sorrow, wealth disappears and people suffer."

Why Gau Seva Cannot Wait

Sanatan Dharma's scriptures are filled with the glories of the cow and the benefits of serving her. The place where a cow sits becomes pious, and even the dust of her feet is considered sacred. According to the scriptures, Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha are attained from the cow, and no auspicious ritual of Sanatan Dharma is complete without one or more cow substances, such as cow milk, cow dung, cow urine and ghee made from cow milk.

Yet today, Gau Mata and Gau Vansh are in grave danger in Bharat itself. The only nation in the world where Gau Mata is worshipped has become a top exporter of beef, where several thousand cows are slaughtered every day. Against this darkness, the volunteers of Birsa Vahini chose to stand on the ground and serve.

What Our Volunteers Found on the Ground

Across Jharkhand and Odisha, our karyakartas kept meeting the same three heartbreaking situations:

1. Old cows abandoned on the streets. When cows grow old, people leave them on the streets with no one to care for them, because cattle fodder is no longer affordable.
2. Sick cows left orphaned to die. When cows are sick, their owners leave them orphaned to die on the streets. When Gau Rakshaks and other Hindu volunteers see them, they rescue them and try to save and serve them.
3. Cows rescued from smugglers. Many times, when police, with the help of Gau Rakshaks from various Hindu organisations, apprehend Gau Tashkars, the smugglers abandon their transport vehicles loaded with hundreds of cows in pathetic situations and run away. Those cows need shelter, the police administration needs help finding an appropriate Gaushala for them, and many of those cows need urgent attention from doctors and treatment simply to survive.

The Seva: Doctors, Medicines and Fodder

In the first quarter of 2024, Birsa Vahini volunteers worked shoulder to shoulder with the Gau Sevaks of Jharkhand and Odisha and with the Gaushalas that host and serve such cows. Our teams helped arrange assistance for doctor fees, medicines and fodder for old, sick and injured cows who had been orphaned for these very reasons, and stood with the Gaushalas as the cows were fed and treated.

The photographs with this update tell the story honestly. Some of them show the state of the cows that the police rescued from the Gau Tashkars, who abandoned them when the police raided and ran away. These cows had been malnourished and kept hungry for many days. The other photographs show the teams feeding and treating the cows who needed immediate saving.

Over 1,500 Gau Matas Protected and Served

We are humbled and pleased to share that, together, we were able to help protect and serve over fifteen hundred cows in two states. Encouraged by this support, many doctors came forward to provide free service for these cows. Many local Hindu business owners, farmers and even ordinary villagers also came forward to help this cause of serving Gau Mata.

With Gratitude to Dharmansh USA

This ground work was carried out by Birsa Vahini volunteers, and it was made possible by the financial support of Dharmansh USA, which reached out to the Gau Sevaks in Jharkhand and Odisha and assisted them with doctor fees, medicines and fodder. Birsa Vahini is grateful to every Hindu who understands the need for financial assistance to the Hindu karyakartas who are fighting for Dharma and protecting Hindu culture on the ground like this, and to the Dharmansh community that supports this cause month after month and helps strengthen Dharma on the ground.

Our volunteers were on the ground. Our Gau Matas were served. That is the promise Birsa Vahini will keep.

Har Har Mahadev!