Clothed in saffron, his forehead smeared with the sacred ashtagandha paste and a rudraksha mala dangling around his neck, the tonsured monk was at ease in his large government office as visitors touched his feet and sought his blessings.“The third world war will start over a cow,’’ declared Mahamandleshwar Swami Akhileshwaranand Giri, chairman of executive council of the Madhya Pradesh Gaupalan Evam Pashudhan Samvardhan Board, a position that tasks him with protecting and conserving the cow in a state with a recent history of vigilantism. He is the first religious person to hold the post.
“The cow has always been a source of contention. There are references in mythology and the first war of independence in 1857 began over the cow,” said the swami, 61, who got the title of Mahamandleshwar of Niranjani Akhara in March 2010, nearly 12 years after he had taken sanyasi deeksha.
“It’s natural for gau rakshaks to get angry when they see dead or injured cows packed in vehicles because it’s an emotive issue for them,” he said. “They should not take the law into their own hands and should wait for the police to come once they stop such vehicles. When all states pass stricter anti-cow slaughter laws, smuggling of cattle through state borders will become impossible.”
(Sourced from agencies, Feature image courtesy:oneindia.com)
