Got to sample Gomudra, the cow urine, during my recent temple tour to the Kumbakonam-Mayavaram belt. We Hindus normally do ‘prokshanam’ (one or two drops on our head) with river water or sea water or cow urine for cleansing (if not bathing). But there are friends of mine who may gulp down a glass of gomudra (!) without batting their eye lids – for their medicinal properties (as well as spiritual). As per Hindu culture and traditions and as per Ayurveda, the Hindu medicine system, gomudra is anti-cancer and has potential to cure many severely debilitating diseases and improve our immunity at the same time. So then came the Americans who as usual patented the cow urine benefits stealing one more Hindu practice and announcing it to the world that it is their discovery. What Hindus have been observing for thousands of years is just like that American invention now. So much has been stolen from our Vedas and claimed to be invention by Europeans and Americans, so what is this really. First they ridicule you, then they study your works and ways of life and then they present it as research papers and patent Asian ways. I have to add here that the NRI Americans are the No.1 culprits who are good at backstabbing India.
Anyway, Gomudra did not have odour! It tasted bitter. I just had a gulp that’s all. More than that I could not manage. Walking on barefoot on the goshala (cow shed floors), I was asked not even to wash my foot or my hands (after handling the gomudra stainless steel tumbler that had stains). I didn’t. The very old caretaker and his wife who took care of the goshala asked us not to rinse our hands and retain the goodness as long as possible. I believe in ancient Hindu wisdom. A motherless calf won my heart. We fed heartily the cow mothers and calves and even one or two bulls, all pure Indian strains.
A Hindu temple is a complete eco-system supporting goshalas (cow sheds), gardens with stala vrukshas (maintained gardens with local tree as flagship tree for the temple), performing stages for artistes such as vocalits, instrumentalists and dancers, sales counters for holy items such as rudraksha (prayer beads) etc., madappalli (kitchens where Neivedya (food for offering) may be prepared for the Gods and later for the ‘Prasad’ to be distributed to devotees), dining halls for free lunch for devotees (financed from temple collections/donations). In front of the temple or within temple complexes will be one or two or even three water tanks with steps from four sides leading to the water, minimum an acre in size. This is how ancient Hindus raised their temples: acres huge with a life on their own. The ancient Hindu temples boasted of a self-sustaining economy with trades executed within the temple walls. The temples even had granaries/barns within them.The temples had four grand entrances with towers raising to several hundred feet with marvellous architecture in four different streets east, west, north, south. Jewelry of the gods and goddesses invited the moslem invaders and the British who engaged in mindless looting and destruction. Even today many ancient temples down south stand erect, easily thousand to two thousand years old. They still function to be repository of vast information and wealth. The intrinsic wealth of India even after centuries of onslaught by the muslims and by the British cannot be estimated in figures. One has to see it to believe it. You need years to undertake a complete tour of the ancient Hindu temples of India. The bronze and gold and ‘panchaloka’ figurines themselves along with stone sculptures cannot be given a price tag. And imagine, this is after the destruction of everything Hindu for centuries by muslim invaders. The British simply shipped so much of our Hindu wealth including gems and jewelry and sculptures to Britain. Yes, including the Kohinoor diamond that belongs to Badrakali, the fierce goddess of Warangal. Whoever stole the gemstone from her will stand to be destroyed. This is why Queen Elizabeth never wore it. UK will become the first European caliphate within a century.
North is left with hardly a grand temple structure because the moslems razed everything Hindu to dust. Taj Mahal is believed to be a razed Hindu marble temple typical of north, going by name Tejo Shivalaya. It has a kumbh sitting atop and it has water in the front, which is synonymous with Hindu temples. Qutb Minar in Delhi still has Hindu temple pillars standing and supporting the islamic place. Every single Hindu temple was struck down by islamists who raised their mosques and worse still, mausoleums over the rubbles. But look at Afghanistan now. Look at Islamic nations in general. Karma.
Without ablutions, devotees were never allowed into temples until a century or two ago. You had to take the mandatory shower and enter the temple sanctum only in wet clothes. Which is why, Hindu temples were always located by sea side or river side. Even so, they came with the customary water tank holdings that improved underground water levels in the surrounding areas and served as storage in summers. For instance, the city of Chennai alone has at least 15 one acre water tanks attached to Hindu temples, each storing valuable rain water harvest and recharging the ground water table of Chennai. This is why I as well as fellow Hindus never hesitate when it comes to taking a sip of the cow urine from our temple goshalas or even outside it. Our forefathers knew what they did. The Indian cow milk is also rich with A2 minerals, something not found in the Jerseys or other strains from Europe. Next to mothers’ milk, only A2 milk can be digestible to newborn babies and can be used as a substitute. Hindus never introduce babies to A1 or the buffalo milk until 2 or 3 years as family practice. Now A2 is also patented by America and A2 milk is sold in cartons. Every single Indian cattle genetic line is fused with European bulls ensuring maximum destruction of A2 productivity in Asian nations. Already we are at the stage where an Indian cow cannot reproduce on her own but can only be impregnated via IVF with the semen from the imported Jersey bull. Not only India, every other Asian nation is caught in this trap. America and Europe produce only A1 milk whereas A2 milk helps in brain growth and is supposed to be a reason for the children’s smartness in India. Tamil Nadu, my home state, fought a terrible battle against PETA, etc., to retain certain local customs that engaged in bull racing but protected and stopped the native strains from going to extinction. The foreign NGOs had imposed a court ban on Indian traditional life, how is this?! We in India try our maximum to save native breeds of cattle apart from saving native food grains and seeds without contamination from the western strains imported from America or Europe.
Cow urine has been granted US Patents (No. 6,896,907 and 6,410,059) for its medicinal properties, particularly as a bioenhancer and as an antibiotic, antifungal and anticancer agent.
This is intellectual theft in broad daylight from Hindus who have been saying this for thousands of years. India never cared for patents because we believe, we have no need as this is our natural way of life for centuries, millennia – until the Europeans and Americans came along and started patenting everything native and Hindu as theirs! Lost a lot and losing lot more. Lost neem patent for poxes, lost some herbal patents for jaundice, etc., etc. Now we cough up in dollars to the international pharmaceuticals that sell us in capsules our own formula. India is fighting a losing battle.
Very recent addition to the list is the Turmeric latte sold by Starbucks. While it is everyday Indian bedtime drink, I don’t think Starbucks ever attributed the recipe to Hindus/Indians. Especially in winters or when we run a cold or sore throat, having a hot mug of turmeric milk, with or without ground peppercorn added, is our typical home remedy. Turmeric is added to every single Indian recipe and there is simply no Indian cuisine without turmeric. Now world knows Turmeric latte as American/Starbucks’ invention.
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