Motherly love at the Cow Sanctuary: Nashville, TN
Sai Spiritual Education (SSE) children, along with their teachers, parents and other members, from the Sri Sathya Sai Centre of Nashville visited the S3 Gaushala (a cow sanctuary) in Arlington, Tennessee, located about three hours from Nashville.
S3 Gaushala is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and improving the lives of cows in the community and beyond. It was founded on the belief that kindness to animals leads to kindness to humans and, hence, a peaceful world. The Gaushala promotes the importance of protecting and spiritually revering cows, and teaches the vital role of cows in building a sustainable ecosystem for future generations. At the Gaushala, visitors get to serve about 65 cows.
Six SSE children accompanied by 12 adults reached the Gaushala around 5 pm on Saturday, 17th July 2021. The group were warmly greeted by volunteers and then guided towards the cowsheds for a walk-through and feeding of the cows.
Later, the children participated in a yagna (Hindu form of worship with oblations to the fire) where they learned and recited prayers under the guidance of Mr. Purushottam, the founder of the S3 Gaushala. The worship concluded with uplifting devotional songs by the children. The following morning, the children once again attended a yagna and served the cows. It was a beautiful sight to watch the children tenderly pet newly born calves. The children later picked fresh blueberries from a nearby farm.
One Nashville SSE student reflected on the beautiful relationship between the cows and their calves - how the mother cows showered love and protected their calves from any danger. It reminded her of how God showers His unconditional love and protects His devotees from any danger. Another SSE shared, “I feel extremely blessed to have visited the Gaushala and witness how the cows were taken care of with much love and devotion, just like they were one's family.” A third student expressed that being at the Gaushala helped him connect spiritually with nature.