On a Sunday afternoon in October, the sound of chanting mingled with the low hum of cattle.
Area Hindus as well as out-of-town visitors had gathered at S3 Gaushala in Arlington to say prayers to Lord Shiva and to perform a fire ritual.
Every year since about 2018, people from across the United States and even from India visit S3 Gaushala, a Hindu cattle farm in Shelby County. Its operators believe they have the largest gaushala — which means “place for cows” — in the United States, with close to 200 Gyr cattle.
The nonprofit Shradda Saburi Samidha, which runs the gaushala, aims to protect cattle, which are venerated in the Hindu faith, and promote healthy living and spirituality.
The cattle are a key part of that, with Hinduism teaching that in the presence of cows, benefits from chanting and fire rituals — activities that foster good vibrations and good karma — are amplified tenfold.
“There are different animals, but among them cows, horses, elephants, these three are separate,” said Purushotham Tandu, spiritual adviser at the organization. “When it comes to the cow, according to the Indian philosophy, cow has many healing capacities. When you go close to the cow, it will vibrate on certain frequencies. We have certain frequencies. So whatever unwanted emotions, it will take and will replace with good emotions and cosmic energy.”
When volunteers visit the gaushala on the weekend, everyone is well fed. Organic vegetables, including the leafy Indian vegetable gongura, are grown on the farm and used in vegetarian meals every weekend. Coffee is made with organic, raw milk from Kentucky.
The practices used on the farm are ancient and deal with physical and spiritual health, teaching that the two are closely related.
Originally launched in 2005 by University of Memphis students, it wasn’t until around 2018 when the organization purchased its first two cows. Later, they purchased 22 pregnant cows — quickly doubling to 44. Now, there are both cows and bulls.
Visitors attend for yoga on the weekends, for Hindu rituals or to simply feed the cows. Some stay for weeks at a time, believing the cosmic vibrations of the cows are beneficial to health and wellbeing.
Gyr cattle, which originate in India, are particularly special, having large humps on their necks. Those humps are believed to absorb solar energy, converting that energy into the cow’s products of milk and butter. A cow also represents Mother Earth, and good karma can be gained from feeding cows and expressing gratitude to them, Tandu said.
“Wherever cows are there, that area there stands to be prosperous and happy and healthy,” Tandu said.
Saritha Bandlamudi, president of the S3 board, grew up hearing from her mother about the importance of cow protection and how all the gods and goddesses are present with the cows.
When the gaushala first started, Bandlamudi went and sat in the pasture with a bad headache, she said, and a cow named Lakshmi — then just a few days old — came and licked her hands.
“That made me so happy and so joyous,” Bandlamudi said. “They listen to you. They know you. Whenever I feel something down, whenever I go to gaushala I forget how I was earlier. It completely heals me. I feel so happy, I feel so good mentally.”
Healthy eating, cow veneration and other ancient Indian practices are at the core of solving people’s problems, said Tandu, who spent years researching Indian philosophy and spiritual practices, learning from different gurus and reading books.
Visiting the gaushala has made a difference in his life, said Pratap Velagapudi, who earlier this month made his third trip to the gaushala from his home in Texas.
When he first visited with his parents to see a guru from India who was speaking at the gaushala, Velagapudi “felt like something good was happening here,” he said.
Tandu had him use a machine called a biopulsar reflexograph, which is intended to measure the vitality of a person’s organs and the health of their aura.
“My energy was low. It wasn’t where it should be,” Velagapudi said.
Tandu suggested that he try one thing: Wear a necklace of seeds called a rudraksha mala around his neck.
When Velagapudi placed his hand on the biopulsar again, the line measuring his cerebrum’s function had returned to normal, he said.
Velagapudi would visit again for nine days that were “pretty intense,” including three hours of fire ceremonies in the morning and three at night.
“When I left for the first time, I felt like I’d just left my home,” he said. “The thing that I found was I really wasn’t tired, I really wasn’t that worn out. I felt at peace.”
When he feeds the cows — bananas are the preferred snack — he sends them gratitude and love, he said.
“For me, I automatically felt something come back,” Velagapudi said. “I don’t know what that back was, I Have no idea, I can’t explain it to you in logical terms, but I can definitely tell you I did feel something.”
Leadership at the gaushala have big plans for expansion.
Next year, dependent on the board’s decision, they hope to build a kitchen on four acres of land in downtown Memphis, feeding those in need.
They also are in the process of purchasing 45.9 acres of land behind Collierville High School, where they hope to offer programs to students who want to work with cattle and agriculture.
They’re also planning to take their cows all over the country for go puja, cow worship. Last year, they took two cows to Dallas to interact with the Hindu community there.
When visitors come to the main location in Arlington, they’re offered the chance to feed bananas and carrots to the cows.
Tandu whistles to bring the cows over to the fence. After the cows disperse, he calls a particular one by name: Lakshmi.
Lakshmi is named for his deceased mother, Tandu said, and has her personality. She knows her name and comes when called.
The love that Tandu wants to give to his mother, he now gives to Lakshmi the cow, he said. Many of their cows are named after people and share their personalities, he said.
Bandlamudi said she is hopeful that people will come to the gaushala to spend time with the cows, feeding them, watching them, giving them hugs. It is important to protect the Gyr cattle for the next generation, she said.
“Honestly, I cannot describe how much I feel happy when I go to the gaushala,” Bandlamudi said. “When I go and see the cows running and the bulls running, sometimes the bulls fighting, it is like so much joy. It is like you are a kid again.”
Katherine Burgess covers county government and religion. She can be reached at katherine.burgess@commercialappeal.com or followed on Twitter @kathsburgess.
In Arlington, a Hindu cow sanctuary provides spiritual gains – Commercial Appeal
