When Vivekananda arrived in kolkata from his foreign tour, he had encountered many Hindutva karyakartas who were working in society for the betterment of Hindu dharma. But in all encounters his only recorded encounter with a member of a cow protection committee was interesting, as the man, in a sense, was the ancestor of modern day gaurakshaks or cow vigilantes of RSS and VHP.

Their conversation was taken down by Vivekananda’s disciple Sharat Chandra Chakravarty, and gives us valuable insight into what Vivekananda thought of cow protection and its positioning with regard to Hinduism.

Sharat Chandra, who describes the member of the gaurakshak sabha as an ‘enthusiastic preacher’, narrates the following conversation, which can be found in the sixth volume of The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda.

At the announcement of this preacher of cow-protection Swamiji came out to the parlour room.

The preacher saluted Swamiji and presented him with a picture of the mother-cow.

Swamiji took that in his hand and, making it over to one standing by, commenced the following conversation with the preacher:

Vivekananda: What is the object of your society?

Gau rakshak: We protect the mother-cows of our country from the hands of the butcher. Cow-infirmaries have been founded in some places where the diseased, decrepit mother-cows or those bought from the butchers are provided for.

Vivekananda: That is very good indeed. What is the source of your income?

Gau rakshak: The work of the society is carried on only by gifts kindly made by great men like you.

Vivekananda: What amount of money have you now laid by?

Gau rakshak: The Marwari traders’ community are the special supporters of this work. They have given a big amount for this good cause.

Vivekananda: A terrible famine has now broken out in Central India. The Indian Government has published a death-roll of nine lakhs of starved people. Has your society done anything to render help in this time of famine?

Gau rakshak: We do not help during famine or other distresses. This society has been established only for the protection of mother-cows.

Vivekananda exhorted gaurakshaks and said that it was his duty to help his fellow brothers and sisters who were facing death. He told bluntly that he had no sympathy to spare for societies which would not lift a finger to help human beings but wasted piles of food on birds and beasts.