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The Importance of Go Pooja (Cow Pooja)
Go means cow.
Go maatha (or gomatha) means cow, the mother.
Go Puja is the worship of cows.
Krishna Go pala is Lord Krishna revered as the protector of cows.
Why worship cows, one may ask. Sathguru Venkataraman made it a point to teach us that mother cow is the place of residence of all deities, divinities, devas and devatas. We don't say that all deities and divinities reside in a human, but we do say that all deities and divinities are embodied in mother cow. This is because the cow is the very symbol of saatvik nature - calm, tranquil, serene and peaceful always. So the deities like to reside in her and this is the reason that worship of mother cow is held in such high regard by the Siddhas. Lord Krishna Himself described the benefits of Go Puja to Sri Brahma.
The benefits of Go Pooja are many. When done properly, it can easily marshal the protective power of all the deities and divinites for the welfare of families, societies and nations. In particular, cow worship can bring about unity in a family and put an end to constant bickering. It can reform husbands who have fallen in the grip of bad habits and children who have fallen into evil ways. Furthermore, the benefits derived from Go puja can never be misused. They can only be used for good purposes. This is a specialty of Go Pooja.
[More on Go Pooja (cow pooja).]
Sri Krishna as Gopala in Komal
Lord Sri Krishna manifests Himself in Komal as Raja Gopala along with His consorts Rukmini and Satyabama. Furthermore, the Lord also gives darshan in His Venugopala and Madanagopala forms in this temple, thus making it a treat for Krishna devotees everywhere. This sacred Komal land is very dear to Lord Krishna.
Once Sri Brahma, in an act of arrogance and defiance, used his maya power of delusion to hide the cows of Brindavan that were so lovingly tended to by Lord Sri Krishna. This resulted in much chaos amidst the villagers, but Lord Krishna decided to teach Brahma a lesson by creating a brand new set of cows. Seeing this power of creation wielded so effortlessly by the young Sri Krishna, Brahma realized his folly and begged forgiveness at the Lord's feet. He also restored the cows that he hid with his maya shakti.
Brindavan now had a bit of a problem on its hands. It had twice the number of cows all of a sudden - the Gokula cows hid by Brahma and the Gopala cows created by Lord Sri Krishna. But this problem was just a stage set up by the Lord who transcends time and place for yet another divine leela. In a trice, the Lord magically transported the Gokula cows and the Gopala cows to the southern and northern halves of Komal and tended to them in this village made sacred by His blissful and playful presence!
Once when the Universal Mother Parashakti took the form of a cow in Komal, Lord Sri Krishna took form yet again as Gopala to stand guard.
There was also a time when Mothers Lakshmi, Saraswathi and Parvati took human forms in Komal to personally experience the vagaries of the human heart, mind and body and the problems arising therefrom. They did this to show us that it is by suffering through problems that one can overcome the karma that caused them in the first place. The Mothers then blessed humankind with remedies through the Siddhas.
Thus the blessed land of Komal is charged with divine potency.
Go Pooja at the Rajagopala Swami Temple in Komal
Sathguru Venkataraman taught us that the Komal village and particularly the Rajagopala Swamy temple here are sacred places for the
performance of Go Puja and Go Dhaana. Go Pooja and Go Dhaana performed here is a thousand times more potent than that done elsewhere since this sacred land is so dear to Lord Sri Krishna who manifests Himself here as Raja Gopala along with His consorts Rukmini and Satyabama.
On this Vishnupathi pooja day, follow the pooja procedures given by the Siddhas of the Agasthiar Lineage as revealed in the May 2008 issue of the Ashram monthly magazine. Some of these pooja procedures are given below:
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Gift cows (Go Dhaana) to at least one poor family. Go Dhaana can bless one and one's progeny with good habits and good character.
Gift cows to the Komal temple so that milk abhisheka can be done for Lord Rajagopala six times a day in the temple. Go Dhaana done to the Komal temple is 1000 times more potent than Go Dhaana done elsewhere.
Establish a Gosala (cow shelter) for the temple.
Do Go Pooja along with your spouse and family.
Do Go Shakti Homam fire ceremony. With cows and calves looking on from the eight directions, do the fire ceremony in their midst while the Go Sukta and Sri Sooktha are chanted. This will result in great blessings for one's ancestors and one's progeny. Mothers Rukmini, Sathyabama and Lord Krishna bless those who do this fire ceremony.
Go Puja here will show the way to the Guru. Sri Krishna says that those who set their feet in Komal will get the blessings of the Guru. This puja is particularly important for those who are grieving for their departed ancestors and preceptors. It will get them the blessings of pitrus and gurus. This pooja is also important for those who were once rich but then lost their wealth. It will show them a way towards regaining their lost status.
Convey the importance of Go Pooja to the poor cowherds in Komal and invite them to do Go Puja with you.
Feed the poor and the needy with dishes made using milk. Make those dishes that are used for worship in Sri Rangam and for Lord Sri Krishna.
For more detailed worship procedures, please refer to the May 2008 issue of the Ashram monthly magazine.
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May we all be showered with the blessings of Mothers Rukmini, Satyabhama and Lord Sri Krishna Raja Gopala on this Vishnupathi day.
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| Om Salutations to Sri Rukmini, Satyabhama and Lord Rajagopala Perumal of Komal |
| Om Salutations to Mother Lakshmi and Sri Maha Vishnu |
| Om Salutations to Maha Guru Sri Agasthiar |
| Om Salutations to the Agasthiar Lineage |
| Om Salutations to the Siddhas |
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May 14, 2008 - First Vishnupathi of the Sarvadhari Year - Sri Rajagopala Perumal Temple in Komal near Kumbakonam
