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Gaudiya Discussions Archive » HEALTH, TRAVEL, ENVIRONMENT
Health, travel, environment and other related topics. Tips and tricks for keeping your body in shape for spiritual life. Taking care of your health while traveling in India.

Cow's urine -



betal_nut - Tue, 03 Feb 2004 00:08:00 +0530
I posted something that got removed.
How many times do I have to say Im not being facitious?
I know that all of you are ekantik raganuga aspirants and would rather answering questions dealing directly with Gaudiya Vaishnava Siddhanta or lila katha yet the question I asked, however general and silly sounding, still stands.

I was asked by someone "do Vaishnavas drink cows urine". They are under the impression that this is some sort of "hindu practice."

Even when I told them it is not a practice yet some cows urine may be used for ritualisitic purposes in charanamrita, they thought it was horrible.
I also explained that cow's urine is antiseptic so no health hazards are there and their reply was "dish washing soap is also antiseptic..........should we drink it?"
It really made me stop and think that this little thing that is done from time to time in temples may be really uncivilized.

Any answers?

Also, when I said in same post that everything appears to be "one" it was half a joke and also seems to be the reality in a philosoply where everyone has multiple swarups and often times one person ends up being 3 or 4 other personalities at same time. It does appear in the end that everyone ends up being everybody else at some point in Gaudiya Ontology.
Madhava - Tue, 03 Feb 2004 01:31:09 +0530
There's been nothing deleted as far as I know. At least there's one post out there where you speak about cow urine.

http://www.gaudiyadiscussions.com/index.ph...&hl=urine&st=30

There is no "all appears to be one" in that post though, it was a separate post. That also has not been deleted as far as I am aware of. If it were, it would appear in the moderators' deleted items area.
Madhava - Tue, 03 Feb 2004 01:40:23 +0530
Oh, and here's your post on "it's all one":

http://www.gaudiyadiscussions.com/index.php?showtopic=1208
Madhava - Tue, 03 Feb 2004 01:45:29 +0530
QUOTE(betal_nut @ Feb 2 2004, 06:38 PM)
Even when I told them it is not a practice yet some cows urine may be used for ritualisitic purposes in charanamrita, they thought it was horrible.
I also explained that cow's urine is antiseptic so no health hazards are there and their reply was "dish washing soap is also antiseptic..........should we drink it?"
It really made me stop and think that this little thing that is done from time to time in temples may be really uncivilized.

Any answers?

Perhaps your friends should learn to appreciate the fact that there in this world, there is great cultural variety, and one civilization cannot set the norm of what is civilized for all human beings.

From the perspective of a religious Indian person, eating cow-flesh is about as abominable and barbaric as it gets.

I'm sure one could dig up a whole lot of cross-cultural incompatibilities. We have to learn to step beyond our prejudice and learn to appreciate the cultural variety out there, even if we may not agree or follow some practices or cultural norms ourselves. Now, that would be civilized.
Nandai - Tue, 03 Feb 2004 03:40:17 +0530
Jaya Radhe!

After the liberation of Putana, mother Yasoda gave krishna some cow urine to drink as protection. I heard that the urine of a virgen cow is extremely beneficial on health matters, I never questioned for what specifically. The answer is, 'not a requirement.'
bbri - Wed, 04 Feb 2004 02:19:35 +0530
QUOTE
From the perspective of an religious Indian person, eating cow-flesh is about as abominable and barbaric as it gets


I was just goning to say that tongue.gif
betal_nut - Wed, 04 Feb 2004 02:36:00 +0530
QUOTE(Nandai @ Feb 2 2004, 10:10 PM)
Jaya Radhe!

After the liberation of Putana, mother Yasoda gave krishna some cow urine  to drink as protection.  I heard that the urine of a virgen cow is extremely beneficial on health matters, I never questioned for what specifically.  The answer is,  'not a requirement.'

Virgin cows?
Now we're really getting into some weird fetishes here, aren't we?
Madhava - Wed, 04 Feb 2004 02:42:16 +0530
Yeah, you can tell your friends that it's not that Hindus drink the urine of any cow, it's only the virgin cows' urine that is good enough.

"Oh I see, thanks for clarifying the matter. It sounded weird that they would drink just any cow urine."
adiyen - Wed, 04 Feb 2004 05:06:30 +0530
I had devotee friend who found he had a massive inoperable brain tumour. He was given 2-3 years till it would kill him. This was 20 years ago. He heard that drinking cow urine for 100 days is a powerful cure for disease, and decided to try it while living in Mayapur so that if he did die it would be in the Dham.

I used to watch him every morning trudging up to the Goshalla with his lota, to crouch under a cow and catch a cup full to drink. Yes, a cup full. He did manage to do it for 100 days. The cows were all milking so I don't think he knew about the 'virgin' bit. Later he went back to the West, and died there a year or so later.

All cultures have folk medicine like this, it's not at all unique to India. It's just that in our modern sterile world a lot of the old remedies have been forgotten.

I used to take prasad in a traditional Bengali hut then too. We would sit on a clean floor made of gobar - a mix of cow dung and mud left to dry - and eat off banana leaves placed straight on the gobar. Often the dhal would mix with the gobar a little through holes in the leaves. So you could say I was eating cowdung. But it was the cleanest most natural way to eat, and I wish was back there still. The gobar always smelt delightful, and flies would never land on it - never! They would land on pieces of dropped food, but would always avoid the gobar. That must tell us something.

That's what I call civilised.
Gaurasundara - Wed, 04 Feb 2004 05:56:52 +0530
QUOTE(Nandai @ Feb 2 2004, 10:10 PM)
After the liberation of Putana, mother Yasoda gave krishna some cow urine  to drink as protection.

The way I heard it was that She bathed Krsna in cow urine rather than give him to drink?

Apart from that, drinking of urine (any urine) seems to be on the upsurge. Apparently it's a wonder cure for anything and everything, even cancer! Yeah right.

It's common knowledge that Morarji Desai, a previous PM of India, drank urine every day and claimed wondrous benefits. When this was mentioned to Bhaktivedanta Swami, the latter simply broke out laughing.
betal_nut - Wed, 04 Feb 2004 09:05:06 +0530
Supposedly that practice came from Mahadeva himself.
There is a book qouting in sanskrit the "great secret" that Shiv revealed to Parvati ---- drinking of this elixer which is a stimulant for health and life. It even gives details of how to store it. I read it once but forgot the name.
betal_nut - Wed, 04 Feb 2004 09:07:02 +0530
The elixer being ones own urine -- not cows urine.

Also there is a practice nowadays called -- well, better not get into that --
it has to do with S-E-?
Advaitadas - Wed, 04 Feb 2004 10:10:54 +0530
QUOTE
It's common knowledge that Morarji Desai, a previous PM of India, drank urine every day and claimed wondrous benefits. When this was mentioned to Bhaktivedanta Swami, the latter simply broke out laughing.


Desaiji did become over 100 years old - he was PM at the age of 92 or so. Strong as a bull, though I dont know if that is because of drinking his own urine. Perhaps he had a hell of an Ayu-Rekha.
nabadip - Wed, 04 Feb 2004 11:22:58 +0530
QUOTE(adiyen @ Feb 3 2004, 11:36 PM)


I used to watch him every morning trudging up to the Goshalla with his lota, to crouch under a cow and catch a cup full to drink. Yes, a cup full. He did manage to do it for 100 days.

Has none of you ever tried it? It tastes like warm beer plus it is a bit bitter. I did it for a while in my initial Iskcon days. It is no big deal. (this guy should have fasted on it instead of just taking only one cup.) Same thing about my own urine. In fact you really start to get conscious about what you put into your mouth when you start drinking (for instance, you will avoid milk, because the urine gets so sour and unpleasant). The best urine i ever drank was when I had a pineapple juiced up the night before.... The urine was even better than the juice... there is a book The Water of Life (Armstrong) that is promoted in India much. When I had no other medicine in India i got the use of urine recommended to me for an ear infection. (I did not know about the greatness of Mullein oil back then.) When I feel I might get ill I always start to drink my flow and feel better immediately. I think this thread belongs into the health section meanwhile.
Jai Nitai for the greatness of the power of things in this world...
Rasesh - Sun, 08 Feb 2004 07:38:56 +0530
I had a friend who used to drink cow urine as it was coming out of the cow. As the cow was urinating he would walk up behind the cow and take a drink like it was a water fountain. He claimed that it was very healthy. He was a healthy guy too.
He claimed that cows urine would dissolve kidney stones. If it does it would be a great modern medicine because they don't have anything that can dissolve kidney stones.
Cow urine is like a medicine. Like most medicines; it is not very tasty. If I had a cup of fresh cow urine I would drink right up.
betal_nut - Sun, 08 Feb 2004 07:51:41 +0530
QUOTE
He claimed that cows urine would dissolve kidney stones. If it does it would be a great modern medicine because they don't have anything that can dissolve kidney stones.


For kidney stones olive oil and epsom salts are the way to go....... works like a charm.
Gaurasundara - Sun, 08 Feb 2004 07:55:11 +0530
Auto-urine therapy is quite 'big' in India right now.
Rasesh - Sun, 08 Feb 2004 09:17:54 +0530
QUOTE(Gaurasundara @ Feb 8 2004, 02:25 AM)
Auto-urine therapy is quite 'big' in India right now.

You can drink your own urine if you want. I would rather drink cows urine anyday.
I heard about that Amaroli practice over 30 years ago when I was into Hatha-yoga.
I heard a story about a Japanese guy who got buried in an Earthquake and he survived by drinking his own urine for about 7 days till he was rescued. If that guy didn't have a cup handy he must have either been well endowed or a real good aim. biggrin.gif
Rasesh - Sun, 08 Feb 2004 09:22:23 +0530
Here is a little info about pee drinking.

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Ithaca/9012/amaroli.htm
nabadip - Mon, 09 Feb 2004 19:56:30 +0530
There IS a remedy for kidney-stones. Its name is Cystium wern, made in Germany, and stops a kidney stone colic in very short time, dissolves and produces the stones. It consists of Fennel-oil and Campher tree oil. I always carry it around with me, esp to India, also for others, because the pain of kidney colic is said to be some of the worst kind of pain you can suffer. In such accute situation I doubt that drinking some cow urine would make much of a difference.