Gau Puja - ISKCON Nellore

At ISKCON’s Gaushalas (including those in India like Newtown, Kukatpally, Virar), Gau Pujā (cow worship) is a sacred ritual honoring cows as embodiments of nourishment, abundance, and spiritual grace. Typically performed on Govardhan Puja (the day after Diwali) or on special occasions, devotees decorate, bathe, and garland the cows, feed them special offerings (grass, jaggery, fruits), chant mantras like the Gau Gayatri, and perform aarti and circumambulation around the animals. Beyond ritual worship, Gau Seva—acts of cow service—includes feeding, sponsoring, or adopting a cow, with donations supporting sheltering, nourishment, and medical care. These practices are believed to bring spiritual merit, ancestral peace (Pitru Shanti), prosperity, health, and protection from negativity. ISKCON frames Gau Puja as both a devotional act and ecological gesture, aligning Krishna’s care for cows with sustainable, compassionate living in line with Vedic values. 

Gau Puja at ISKCON begins with sanctifying the area where the cows reside, typically the temple’s goshala (cow shelter). Devotees first clean the cows with water and apply turmeric, kumkum, and sandalwood paste on their foreheads and horns. Aarti thalis are prepared with incense sticks, lamps (diya), camphor, and flowers. The cows are adorned with garlands, colorful cloth, and bells. The puja starts with invoking Lord Krishna—considered Gopala, the protector of cows—through chanting of Vedic mantras and bhajans. Gau Gayatri Mantra and Go Mata Ashtottara Shatanamavali are recited to honor the divine nature of the cow. Devotees offer freshly cooked food, jaggery, grass, fruits, and sweets to the cows. Aarti is performed by waving camphor and lamps before the cows in circular motion. Devotees circumambulate (pradakshina) the cows as a mark of reverence. Finally, they touch the cow’s feet or back and seek blessings by placing some dust from its hooves on their foreheads. The puja concludes with the distribution of prasad and Gau Seva donations for cow welfare and upkeep.