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The cow gives milk, but she does not drink that milk; she eats grass and straw, and her milk is designated as food for human beings

Expressions researched:
"Although it is her milk, no, it gives you, human society" |"God's arrangement is like that, that" |"Let the human being drink the milk of cow, and the cow may eat grass" |"Milk is made for man" |"She is delivering the milk, but she's not taking, because it is not allotted for it. By nature's way" |"The cow gives milk, but she does not drink that milk; she eats grass and straw, and her milk is designated as food for human beings" |"The cow, for instance, gives milk, but she does not drink that milk: she eats grass and straw, and her milk is designated as food for human beings" |"The milk is produced by the cow, but it is not meant for the cow. It is meant for the human being"

Notes from the compiler: VedaBase research query: milk cow grass

Other Books by Srila Prabhupada

Sri Isopanisad

The cow gives milk, but she does not drink that milk; she eats grass and straw, and her milk is designated as food for human beings.
Sri Isopanisad 1, Purport:

One should therefore be intelligent enough to know that except for the Lord no one is a proprietor of anything. One should accept only those things that are set aside by the Lord as his quota. The cow, for instance, gives milk, but she does not drink that milk: she eats grass and straw, and her milk is designated as food for human beings. Such is the arrangement of the Lord. Thus we should be satisfied with those things He has kindly set aside for us, and we should always consider to whom those things we possess actually belong.

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

The grains are not meant for the tigers. The grains are meant for the human being. The fruits are meant for the dogs. The fruits are meant for the human being. The milk. The milk is produced by the cow, but it is not meant for the cow. It is meant for the human being. If you offer the milk, 30 pounds of milk, after milking the cow, and if you offer to the cow, it will refuse. It will refuse, "I don't want it."
Lecture on BG 3.13-16 -- New York, May 23, 1966:

Annād bhavanti bhūtāni. If you want to exist, if you want to maintain your body and soul together, then you have to take anna. Anna means foodstuff, or anna means grains, natural food. Generally, anna means foodstuff, and another technical meaning of anna—anna means grains, which is produced from the land for eating of the human being. For human being, so many things are produced from the land: the grains, the fruits, the vegetables, so many things. They are meant for human being. The grains are not meant for the tigers. The grains are meant for the human being. The fruits are meant for the dogs. The fruits are meant for the human being. The milk. The milk is produced by the cow, but it is not meant for the cow. It is meant for the human being. If you offer the milk, 30 pounds of milk, after milking the cow, and if you offer to the cow, it will refuse. It will refuse, "I don't want it." Give it dry grass? Oh, it will be very glad. It will be very glad. So everything is organized by the nature.

Now, there are so many scientists. They are discovering vitamin value from foodstuff. Now, what is the vitamin value in the dry grass? Can any scientist say that this is the vitamin value in dry grass? If there is no vitamin value in dry grass, how the cow is producing so much milk, who is full of vitamins A and D? How, from dry grass, vitamins coming out? Nowadays the physician prescribes some artificial vitamins for maintaining your body. Now, what is the vitamin there in the dry grass so that the cow is eating dry grass and giving you nice milk full of vitamins A and D, essential for your life? So these are all wrong theories, that "This contains this vitamin. This contains this." Let them go on. But natural foodstuff which is meant for human being, they are full of vitamins already there by nature's law, by God's wish. So annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14).

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

That is nature's way, by God's will, that a cow gives forty pounds, fifty pounds milk daily, but it does not drink. Although it is her milk, no, it gives you, human society: "You take. But don't kill me. Let me live. I am eating only grass."
Lecture on SB 1.3.14 -- Los Angeles, September 19, 1972:

These rascals, the scientists, they do not know that milk is nothing but transformation of the blood. That everyone knows. So if you want to... That is nature's way, by God's will, that a cow gives forty pounds, fifty pounds milk daily, but it does not drink. Although it is her milk, no, it gives you, human society: "You take. But don't kill me. Let me live. I am eating only grass." Just see. And the civilized men killing them, killing them. And they want peace. Just see the fun. Without touching your foodstuff, the cow is eating the grass which is given by God, immense grass, and they are giving you the finest foodstuff, milk. Just after your birth you have only to drink milk, either mother's milk... Nowadays, mothers do not supply milk. That is also to be supplied by the cow. So from the very beginning of my life I am subsisting by the foodstuff given by mother, cow, and when I am grown up, I kill. This is my gratitude. Just see. And they are called civilized. Less than lowest animal, narādhama. They are called narādhama, lowest of the mankind. Those who are killing cows, maintaining slaughterhouse, they are lowest of the mankind. They are not human being. Less than animal. They have no gratitude.

It is the arrangement of God that cow's milk... Cow's own milk, she does not drink. She eats grass. That means God's arrangement is like that, that "Let the human being drink the milk of cow, and the cow may eat grass."
Lecture on SB 2.3.19 -- Los Angeles, June 14, 1972:

Jīvo jīvasya jīvanam. One living entity is the source of vital strength for another living entity. That is law. Just like we are vegetarians. We are vegetarian. We are also eating some... Not killing, but eating. We are taking fruit. That means we are not killing the tree. We are taking grains. We are not killing the cow. We are eating milk, but we are not drinking the blood. Milk is nothing but blood of cow. But we know the art, how to drink the blood of cow without killing. That is civilization. That is civilization. Medically, they say the cow's blood or bull's blood is very effective, and that is accepted. But you must know the art. It is the arrangement of God that cow's milk... Cow's own milk, she does not drink. She eats grass. That means God's arrangement is like that, that "Let the human being drink the milk of cow, and the cow may eat grass." Because they haven't got good brain... Foodstuffs should be given, nice foodstuff given, should be given to the particular person for developing nice brain. Milk is a foodstuff which can develop your finer tissues of the brain so that you can understand higher philosophy.

And if you become blunt, and you eat meat by killing any animal, then how you will understand? The finer tissues given in the human form of life for understanding spiritual things...

Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures

The milk is not drunk by the cow. She is delivering the milk, but she's not taking, because it is not allotted for it. By nature's way. So you have to take. Milk is made for man, so you take the milk. Let her live and supply you milk continually.
Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Verse 32 -- New York, July 26, 1971:

So in all scriptures it is stated that man should live on fruits and vegetables. Their teeth are made in that way. They can eat very easily and digest. Although jīvo jīvasya jīvanam: one has to live by eating another living entity. Jīvo jīvasya... That is nature's law. So the vegetarian also eating another living entity. And the meat-eater, they're also eating another... But there is discretion. Discretion means that these things are made for human being. Just like fruits, flowers, vegetables, rice, grains, milk—the animals do not come to claim that "I shall eat this." No. It is meant for man. Just like milk. Milk is an animal product. It is the blood of the cow changed only. But the milk is not drunk by the cow. She is delivering the milk, but she's not taking, because it is not allotted for it. By nature's way. So you have to take. Milk is made for man, so you take the milk. Let her live and supply you milk continually. Why should you kill? Follow nature's law. Then you'll be happy. Tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā (ISO 1). Whatever is allotted to you, take. You live comfortably. So our, in temple, in this temple, we take fruits, flowers, milk because they're allotted, and Kṛṣṇa says: patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). Kṛṣṇa does not say that "You give Me meat." Kṛṣṇa says, "You give Me fruits, flowers, vegetables, milk." So we prepare nice preparations out of these things, we offer it to Kṛṣṇa, and we take it. If Kṛṣṇa would have said that "Give Me eggs and meat," then we would have given and eaten it. But because we are Kṛṣṇa conscious, we do not take anything which is not accepted by Kṛṣṇa.

Page Title:The cow gives milk, but she does not drink that milk; she eats grass and straw, and her milk is designated as food for human beings
Compiler:Labangalatika
Created:25 of Mar, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=1, Lec=4, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:5