-By Shri Dashrathbhai M. Thaker

COW'S MILK IS A WHOLESOME NUTRIENT INEVITABLE TO REPLACE THE CRAZE FOR THE NON-VEGETARIAN POTENCY

I speak on the traditionally non-controversial practice, recommended for thousands of years by preachers of the ethical and Health Sciences. Innumerable past, consumption of milk products have been considered as nutritious, natural, inoffensive, pure, health-strengthening and a hygienic habit. It is sad that, for sometime past, an unnecessary controversy has been created by a group of some intellectuals against milk and milk products as unethical, unwarranted and health hazardous. This, I presume, has occurred in view of the behavior conducted and treatment rendered to cows in Western countries.
India has had for centuries a tradition of rearing cows. Cows were considered a supreme wealth. Their product, Milk and Butter milk, were commonly non-marketable, and an essential commodity for human health.

My professor of Social Science used to say "India is land of baths. Baths in the serene water of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati. Bath in nutrition of milk, butter & Ghee. Bath in the stream of compassion and kindness, for which India holds a special seat of reverence in the international arena. How could such ideology recommend milk, if cruelty was involved in obtaining it?

Their produce, milk and butter and Ghee are essentially needed in all major Indian ceremonies, nuptial, funeral, or religious. Just as mother's milk is imminent for infants and there is no controversy about this, similarly Cow's milk has been imminent for all sections of vegetarian people in the country without any controversy of ethical or other considerations.
According to Ayurveda, Indian Medical System-in-vogue since thousands of years, Milk is a Medicament. Milk of different animals have different properties and accordingly can cure different ailments.

"Sushruta", and unchallenged Authority on Ayurvedic System of Medicine has given a very detailed description of the various properties of different and also those of milk in general and the following translation of the forty seventh, forty-eighth and forty-ninth shlokas of the forty-fifth chapter will be found instructive.

"Hence it [milk] proves congenial to all sentient animals. And since milk is kindred in its nature to the essential principles of life and so very congenial to the panzosim of all created animals, its use may unreservably recommended to all and is not forbidden in diseases due to the deranged action of vayu or pittam or in animals affecting the mind or the vascular system of man. Its beneficial and curative efficacy may be witnessed in cases of chronic fever, in cough, dyspepsia, phthisis and other wasting disease, in Gulma (abdominal glands), insanity, ascites, epileptic fits, in vertigo, in delirium, in burning sensation of the body, in thirst, in diseases affecting the heart and the bladder, in chlorosis and dysentery, in piles, colic and obstinate constipation, in "Grahani, Pravahik, miscarriage and other disease peculiar to the female reproductive organs, and in haemoptysis. It is a refrigerant and acts as a bracing beverage after physical exercise. It is sacred, constructive, tonic, spermatopoietic, rejuventating and aphrodisiac. It expands the intellectual capacities of man, brings about the adhesion of broken or fractured bones, rejuvenates used and exhausted frames, forms an excellent enemata, increases the duration of life and acts as vitaliser. It is an emetic and purgative remedy and imparts a healthy rotundity to the frame and which through its kindred or similar properties augments the quality of bodily albumen and is the most complete and wholesome diet for infants, old men and person suffering from chchexia, witnessed in cases of ulcers in the chest, as well as for persons debilitated from insufficient food, sexual excesses or excessive physical labour.

Ayurved has categorised milk of cows of different sheds on different ailments in human body i.e. milk of black cow, yellow cow, white cow, red cow & reddish black cow etc. etc., on scientific consideration as to how much sun rays acts on different colored cows with that merits added to milk. It is difficult to narrate all these aspects of milk in a small treatise like this.

I am not a scientist nor a Physiologist. I am speaking from my 83 years active experience and practical knowledge. I was not even one year old when my mother expired. I was tried to be given milk from another mother in the neighborhood. It did not suit me. I was then brought up only on Cow's milk.

No fruits nor fruit juices or any other food or drink or Vitamin Tablets can replace milk. This is scientifically proven in the two tables annexed.

CONCENTRATION OF MICRO CONSTITUENTS IN COW MILK

1. Calcium 120 mg/100 mL
2. Magnesium 12 mg/100 mL
3. Sodium 50 mg/100 mL
4. Potassium 150 mg/100 mL
5. Phosphorus 100 mg/100 mL
6. Citric Acid 180 mg/100 mL
7. Chloride 100 mg/100 mL
8. Sulphur 300 PPM
9. Iron 1.26 PPM
10. Copper .127 PPM
11. Zinc 4.68 PPM
12. Boron .69-.9 PPM
13. Iodine 1.8 PPM
14. Fluoride 10-30 PPM
15. Vitamin – A 6.9 Ug/100 mL
16. B Carotene 3.5 Ug/100 mL
17. Thiamin 43 Ug/100 mL
18. Riboflavin 174 Ug/100 mL
19. Nicotinic Acid 93 Ug/100 mL
20. Biotin 3.0 Ug/100 mL
21. Folic Acid 5.9 Ug/100 mL
22. Pantothenic 33.9 Ug/100 mL
23. Vitamin B-12 42 Ug/100 mL
24. Pyridoxine 60 mg/100 mL
25. Lactoferin 15 mg/100 mL
26. Urea 37.40 mg/100 mL
27. Uric acid .26 mg/100 mL
28. Ammonia 1.63 mg/100 mL
29. Taurine 4.14 mg/100 mL
30. Orotic Acid 52-60 Ug/100 mL
31. Free Amino Acids 4.04 Ug/100 mL
32. Creatine 1.67 Ug/100 mL
33. Creatinine 1.0 Ug/100 mL
34. Cholesterol (a) Total 330 Ug/100 mLl; b) Free 280 Ug/100 mL
35. Phospholipide 31 Ug/100 mL
36. Squaline 5.92 Ug/100 mL
37. Ubiquinone 503 Ug/100 mL
38. Leutin 420 Ug/100 mL
39. Lanlstoerol 93.2 Ug/100 mL
40. Glycerol ether .90 Ug/100 mL
41. Alkanoles 23.29 Ug/100 mL

(Amritam Kshiram Bhojanam) Thus "Milk is considered the Nector for humanity." Thousands of Rishis, Mahatmas and saints, even today, in Hilly tracks of Himalayas, Western Ghats and Dense Jungles of Gir, subsists only on Milk. I would like to cite a recent example of my Senior friend, Philosopher and Guide, Prani-Mitra Late Shri. Jayantilal Mankar, who fought cancer and contributed his Life-long services to the Vegetarian Movement for 48 years subsisting only Cow Milk. He died at the age of 81 years.

It is absurd to think that these spiritual master-Rishis, Sages and Saints, who minted the great word "Ahimsa" and followed through out their lives to preach for protection of life and alleviation of pain and suffering of all living species, right from ant onwards and who predicted life even in creepers, centuries before Sir Jagdishchandra Bose proved it, who refrained from plucking leaves and even flowers from plants and Creepers could have failed to apply their minds on the So Called cruelty in drawing Milk from Animals.

How can Milk be a Health Hazard? A non-vegetarian food? How could it be cruel to draw milk from Cow? To all these questions my sort of people would simply say "It is a loose Talk." Milk is product of natural process coming out of the udder of a mother. Remember it is the udder and the teats, specially designed by nature to act as a stream which flows the nector named milk as nature's gift of affection. You may ask as to why should we drink this liquid which is meant for her offspring? This may be a pertinent point for those who stand to oppose milk drinking. My only reply is, we in India do not consider or treat cow as an animal. We treat Cow, from tradition immemorial, like our mother. In India and even elsewhere, a motherless baby or a baby whose mother is unable to feed from her breast, is sucking surplus milk of another mother's breast, known as "Dai Ma." Cow is the "Dai Ma" of young and old. This is our Tradition.

History has cited innumerable, instances of great persons like Akbar, the great Mughal Emperor, Udaysing the Maharaja of Mewar and hundreds of others brought up by sharing milk from another mother not their own or Cow. Cow is the "Dai Ma" of Indians. If the excess milk of the Cow is not drawn out of the teats after-calf sucking is over, it will degenerate into a diseased named "Mastritis" a very dangerous disease, affecting the body and the very life of the Cow. It is a wrong, misguided notion that milk is an extorted yield of cow, tortured by repeated pregnancy to produce milk continuously. This is absurd.
It is Western Milk, produced as a commercial product through extortion by precluding the calf from sucking the mother's teats, is objected on ethical grounds. This milk usurped from the calf's mouth is certainly unworthy to drink. I will, in this connection, narrate you an interesting episode.

Once I visted the beautiful and decorative temple of Radha-Krishna at the "Hare Rama Hare Krishna Complex" at Juhu in Mumbai. The chief of the complex Shri. Gurupad Swamiji was standing near me deeply engrossed in devotion of Lord. I laughed a bit loudly. This broke his concentration. Since there was none around me he was surprised. He came to me, tapped lightly my shoulder and asked what is the matter? I said Lord is complaining that he is starving without milk. Lord Krishna is known as Gopal, who looked after hundreds of cows in his childhood and was brought up on cow's milk and butter. Swamiji told it nonsense as ample Milk with Almonds, Pista, Cashew nuts & saffron was being offered twice a day. I repeated that Lord complains that this is the Milk. Purchased from Market and not of temple cows. Lord won't touch such polluted Milk. If there are no cows in temple how can Lord Krishna be happy? Swamiji was immensely interested and invited me to place this proposal before their working committee.

Please remember that those who object to Milk, mingled with affection, will make themselves devoid of the warmth of affection. It is a common theory that your thoughts and behaviour is molded by what you eat or drink. But, beware before you drink milk, find out its source of supply as well. When you purchase your eatables you examine its quality. You do not discard eating. Similarly do not discard Cows-milk but examine from where it is supplied.

I am deeply connected with two Animal Asylums, where cows and other animals, rescued by my Organisation, the Bombay Humanitarian League are carefully maintained. We never encourage or force cows to mate. The excess milk left after the calf has suckled, is drawn out and fed to other motherless calves or dogs or distribute to poor Children. Milk left over by the calfs and then drawn is called Ahimsak Milk, non-violent, non-offensive, satwik (Virtuous) milk.

Cows in some Western dairies are fed waste of slaughter houses, wastes of human and whatever rubbish that could be cheaply purchased and mixed in cattle feed to increase volume and protein value in Milk. The Mad Cow disease is the disgraceful example of such shabby treatment. Milk for such cows, treated as water-buffaloes is not only injurious, but dangerous. Propaganda against Milk drinking has originated from such Milk. Milk in some Western dairies is a commodity which is produced through exploitation, where some cow owners have no interest nor love for the animals but only taking out as much milk as possible even by injecting oxytocin in the udder of the cow and make it unfit for regeneration or milk production after some lactations. The use of oxytocin, the polluted cattle-feed and selfish handling degenerates the milk too. The cow is not given even natural Copulation by Bulls. When it comes in heat, a (Veterinarian) Doctor pushes his one hand into the ovary to locate the point where injection is thrashed in the ovary to inseminate the Cow. The Cow struggles during this process and 40/50 percent of such cases are failure and repeated. You can understand the psychological effect of such pregnancy and the cruel treatment on regeneration and Milk produced. Dairy farming in Western countries use familine, urea, Caustic Potash etc. as preservative. Such Milk is injurious to human health and human character. Like adulterated Food-Stuff one must beware of such Milk. Drink milk in Plenty but use dis-cretion. Please struggle to reform milk-production-its method and behaviour in West to save cows known as a poem of pity. Milk is the only composite, complete food containing eight kinds of calcium, Iron, Copper, Iodine, Magnize chlorine, Cilician etc. The tables have fully brought out the truth that milk is complete food and there is no alternative substance or food that can replace it.