The Krishna cows were first brought to the ashram back in 2010.

Their cowshed is situated right across from Amma’s apartments so they have a very prized location in the ashram. On peaceful nights when everyone is asleep it’s easy to imagine Amma coming quietly down from Her room to visit the cows as they serenely rest. There are about 8 adult and young cows. And they actually have 4 different types of Kerala cows there.

First is the “Vechur” breed. This is a very small cow and is actually an endangered species. There’s one Vechur adult female here. She’s bred with some male Vechur bulls that are kept at a Kerela Government veterinary facility not too far away. This breeding program is helping to re-populate the species. This breed is valued for the larger amount of milk it produces relative to the amount of food it requires.

Second is the “Kapila” cow. This breed is named after the ancient sage Kapila who (according to legend) kept this breed of cow in his ashram. This breed has a beautiful golden color.

Third is the “Kasargod” breed which is more common and fourth are some hybrid cows. Like the Vechur and Kapila cows, the Kasargod breed is very small and very well adapted to the warm tropical Kerala climate. Various organizations in Kerala are working to save these breeds and to educate the public on their value. These breeds give more milk per input of food than hybrid breeds and they’re very resistant to all kinds of diseases and pests. Unlike other breeds, the Kerala cows can twitch their skin to keep away flies. Larger hybrid cows tend to suffer in the heat of India. The native breeds require much less money to maintain and they’re well suited to help rural farmers get high quality milk and cow dung at very low cost. Some small farmers are starting to discover that the native breeds are actually more cost effective at producing milk.

At the ashram the cows are fed a very healthy and organic diet. A tall grass called “Elephant grass” is grown in many places around the ashram. This grass is harvested and is one of the main staples of their diet. Amma has instructed different people to cultivate elephant grass and now there is a good steady supply.

Most of the milk from our Kerala cows go to their calves. These cows are native to the Kerala region and are well adapted to the climate and vegetation of this area. Central Kerala has a range of tall hills and these smaller cows are well adapted to hilly terrain.

When Amma gives darshan at the ashram and around the world, She gives out small packets of vibhuti (sacred ash) to everyone. Vibhuti has many healing and spiritual properties. Amma devotees are always eager to receive this vibhuti and use it for physical and spiritual healing. Vibhuti is traditionally made from cow dung ash and other ingredients and is carefully prepared. Amma would like the ashram to start making it’s own supply of vibhuti. The Kerala cows is especially pure and wholesome and is perfect for making potent vibhuti.

The process starts with collecting the cow dung and rolling it into balls about 7cm in diameter. They’re dried in the sun and then collected into a pyramid of about 50 dung balls. Rice husk and other ingredients are put into the pyramid and it’s then slowly burned with a little charcoal. The ash is then finely filtered to produce the final product of light gray powder. Plans are for this to become the primary supply of Amma’s darshan vibhuti.

Some of the dung is also used to help fertilize the flowers and plants around Ashram.

These native cow breeds can stand in the sun quite comfortably for long periods of time, and they’ll naturally turn toward the sun. The energy of the sun is absorbed into their spinal column and transformed into spiritual (pranic) energy.

Due to their calming and harmonizing energy, many ashrams in India have some cows and the Hindu scriptures relate their many beneficial spiritual properties.

Kerala is a lush and verdant land with many unique species of plants and animals. Amma has said on a number of occasions that Her children should make an effort to preserve native endangered species as they have many unique healing properties. The Kerala cows at Amritapuri is one way that Amma’s children are putting Her divine guidance into practice. The “Krishna” cows shows another example of how living creatures adapt beautifully to their environments and selflessly offer their gifts for human nourishment and spiritual well-being.