Prabhupāda: Pasturing ground? They become muddy. They become muddy with milk. Now, with the scarcity of rain, the earth also does not become muddy. It becomes dry earth. But in those days, with milk it was muddy. Just imagine how much milk was . . . and how it is possible? Siṣicuḥ sma vrajān gāvaḥ payasodhasvatīr mudā. The milkbag was so fatty and full with milk. Why? Mudā, they were so happy. They were so happy.
So if you keep the cows happy, then cow will supply large quantity of milk. If the cow knows that you are going to kill it, she is always afraid, always fearful, "Oh, this man will kill." They can understand. I have seen in New Vrindaban, one cow was . . . she was crying because her calf was taken away. So she was feeling so sorry. Now in our New Vrindaban, we see how the cows are happy, how they are dealing. They are not afraid. This is our duty, to keep the cows happy. Just like I want to see my wife and children happy, similarly, it is the duty of the human society to see that the cows feeling very happy. This is human civilization. Otherwise it is tiger civilization, meat-eaters. Meat is not eaten by human being; it is eaten by the dogs, by the tigers, by the animals.
So we have created a society for killing cows and eating the meat and maintaining slaughterhouse, in the name of religion. This is going on. So how we can be happy? There cannot be happiness. It is not a sentiment. Therefore this is most sinful activity, meat-eating, cow killing. Most sinful activity. And you have to suffer for that. Unfortunately, these rascals, they do not know that what is the result of these sinful activities. They think the life will go on, and there is no more life. "After finishing of this body, everything will be finished." Atheistic theory. Bhasmī-bhūtasya dehasya kutaḥ punar āgamano bhavet (Cārvāka Muni). Kutaḥ. "Oh, who is coming?" But that they do not know, rascals. We get information from Kṛṣṇa, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13): "Oh, you have to accept another body after this finishing this body." But they are not responsible. They are so irresponsible, they do not care for the next life, the result of pious and sinful activities.
So it appears that how much strictly the cow protection was there, so that the gāvaḥ, payasodhasvatīr mudā. They were . . . you'll see Kṛṣṇa, He is always with cows, and how the cows look very happy with Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa is personally teaching how to protect cows. He became a cowherd boy. He was king's son, Mahārāja Nanda's, but His business was to take the cows and the calves daily to the pasturing ground. And it was very sportive engagement with the cowherd boys. The cows were grazing, and the boys, they took their meals in a pot, tiffin carrier—not tiffin carrier in those days; some way or other—and they used to eat them, distribute amongst the friends.
Sometimes a tiffin carrier was stolen by one boy, and he was searching, and then it was . . . so just like the boys do. This was the children's life, to take protection, to give protection to the cows, to the calves. The small children, up to six years, seven years old, they used to take care of the calves, and the elderly men, the used to take care of the . . . or elderly boys, they used to take care of the grown-up cows. So the cows were fed very nicely. Vrajān. Therefore Vṛndāvana is called Vrajabhūmi, "Where there are many cows." It is called Gokula. Gokula. Go means cows, and kula means group. Gokula. Govardhana. Govardhana Hill. Because the cows were grazing on the hill, and profuse grass was being grown, and they are enjoying. So there should be arrangement. Just like here we see, there are so many open fields, and the cows are grazing. But they cannot be happy, because they know that they are simply raised for being killed. They cannot be happy.
So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not a sentimental movement. It takes care of all-round social organization. It is not a something like religious sentiment. Everything should be take care of. Therefore we say cow protection. Cow protection. Here it is said, kāmaṁ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ sarva-kāma-dughā mahī. Mahī means land, bhūmi. Agnir mahī gaganam ambu marud-diśaḥ . . . mahī. In another, Brahma-saṁhitā, it is said mahī.