“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated.”
— Mahatma Gandhi

What is a Goshala?

Simply put, a goshala is a place where cows are loved, nurtured and cared for as sacred beings in animal form. But what exactly makes cows so special?

It is difficult to overstate the significance of the cow to Hindu civilization and spirituality. For most of its history India was an agrarian society made up of villages and family farms where the male bull was used to till the land and the female cow’s milk, dung and other byproducts provided food, fuel, and medicine for the local community. The humble cow therefore constituted the economic unit of Hindu civilization. No other animal could convert ordinary grass into a complete protein with such remarkable efficiency. Because of the cow’s role as a selfless and constant provider for all of humanity’s needs, Hinduism regards her as the ultimate embodiment of maternal love. Indeed, the Hindu term for a cow is gaumata, or “mother cow”. 

Beyond the cow’s material benefits to mankind, she has enormous spiritual significance in Hinduism. Hinduism is the only major religion that recognizes the divinity of animals. It is said that when Brahma, the Creator, made the world he hid a specific secret in each animal to signify their spiritual importance to humans.

The cow is regarded as the representation of pure love, abundance and auspiciousness. Her body is considered the dwelling place of all the Gods and Goddesses. To be in her presence and to care for her is to imbibe her qualities and receive her blessings. This is why every indigenous Hindu community maintained a goshala, or cow sanctuary, where cows were raised, protected and worshipped as the Divine Feminine made manifest in animal form.

That is the ethos of Dharma Farms- a goshala in the heart of the modern world where people from all backgrounds can come and experience divinity in animal form, and in themselves.