Our Mission
Bansi Gir Gaushala was established in 2006 by Shri Gopalbhai Sutariya as an effort to revive, regain and re-establish Bharat’s ancient Vedic culture. In Vedic traditions, the Cow was revered as Divine Mother, the Gomata or Gaumata, and one which bestows health, knowledge, and prosperity. In Sanskrit, the word “Go” also means “Light”.
But as time passed and humanity entered the Dark Age (“Kali Yuga”), much of this wisdom was lost. In modern times, Gaumata has become a victim of human greed. The place of Gaumata in Bharatiya society has degenerated to being a mere component of animal husbandry. In the worst cases, and which are not uncommon, the “Cow” has become an “asset” in accounting terminology, a factor of production for “industry”. Science has devised novel techniques to increase milk production, often at the cost of inflicting inhuman suffering on Gaumata and Her family, while humanity enjoys the fruits that She continues to grant in spite of our transgressions.
However, Gaumata’s fall from her exalted position in Bharatiya society has had catastrophic consequences for Bharat and the world, giving rise to ecological imbalances and a multitude of diseases to which modern science has no answers. Bharat has lost much of the beauty, scholarship and abundance that She enjoyed in the Vedic period.
The solution to the world’s problems as we see it is both external (material) and internal (spiritual). We believe it is now crucial to raise the “Cow” to her original exalted position of “Gaumata”. With Her blessings, Bansi Gir Gaushala is working as a living laboratory to revive Bharat’s ancient Vedic “Go Sanskriti”, and introduce time tested Vedic paradigms in all aspects of modern life, be it nutrition, health, education, agriculture or business.
Our Founder – Shri Gopalbhai Sutariya
Shri Gopalbhai Sutaria is the founder of Bansi Gir Gaushala. Gopalbhai was born in 1977 in Bhavnagar, Gujarat. Under the influence of his spiritual master Guruji Shri Paramhans Hansanandteerth Dandiswami, since early in his life, he was keen to spend a life serving the nation and humanity. In adulthood, he successfully took over the family business in Mumbai, but his childhood dream kept coming back to him. During this time, he conceived a plan to establish a Gaushala and undertake Gaukrushi (Gaumata based agriculture). He moved to Ahmedabad in 2006 and established the Bansi Gir Gaushala. He studied various aspects of the 18 Gotras (closest word in English being “lineage”) of Gir Gaumata’s, and gathered them at the Gaushala.
Today, Bansi Gir Gaushala is blessed with over 700 Gaumata’s and Nandi’s of the Gir variety. Under Gopalbhai’s leadership, the Gaushala in its scope and function has gone much beyond being a centre of excellence in Gopalan. The Gaushala is breaking new ground and developing novel formulations in Ayurveda, introducing new practices in organic farming and making concerted efforts at reviving ancient Bharatiya system of education.
Every year hundreds including Gaumata devotees, saints, Ayurveda experts, the general public and people working in the field of Gopalan and agriculture visit the Gaushala to learn from Gopalbhai or share their expertise. He strongly believes that farmers in Bharat can regain their health and prosperity by adopting indigenous Gaumata breeds and raising them ethically using the ancient Bharatiya practice of “Dohan”. He continues to work towards reviving ancient Bharatiya Vedic culture, traditions and spiritual practices.
