Meet Sudevi Dasi, a German Gau Rakshak in Mathura

With 1,200 cows in her gaushala in Mathura, she manages her finances through donations and her savings in Germany.

German national Sudevi runs a cow shelter called Radha Surabhi Gaushala in Mathura.

(Photo: ANI Screengrab)

No, she isn’t a saffron clad woman who believes in violence in the name of cow protection. And no, she isn’t even Indian.

Meet Sudevi Dasi, a German citizen who came to India for a spiritual journey at the tender age of 20 and decided to dedicate her life to treating injured and abandoned cows.

Living in Mathura, Sudevi runs a cow shelter called ‘Radha Surabhi Gaushala’ where she works with about 60 people and houses 1,200 cows. The Gaushala even runs a morning to evening emergency ambulance service that goes out whenever notified about an injured or abandoned cow.

My efforts began with compassion towards cows, lying hurt and abandoned on streets. Seeing their grief, I started picking them up. What started with one or two cows, and ended with 1,200 of them. 

Sudevi Dasi, founder, Radha Surabhi Goshala 

But her selfless efforts come at a cost. For maintaining and running the gaushala, she requires Rs 20 to 22 lakh per month, which she mostly manages through donations. She spends about Rs 12,000 on medicines for the cows. A part of her expenditure comes from her own savings in Germany.

From my country, I ask for Rs 5 to 7 lakhs every month. With God’s grace, I have money now, but if it finishes, then I have nothing because I’m not earning anything. Whatever I get is all I have. 

While most employees work in the gaushala for their religious inclinations towards the gau mata, Sudevi Dasi, who has also been named so because of her spiritual inclination, believes it’s a matter of humanity. She doesn’t hold the government responsible for the abandonment and ill-treatment of cows, but the inherent selfish human nature.

In this Kalyug, everyone works for their greed. No one wants to benefit another living being by serving them. Everyone thinks of their greed and this thought needs to change. 

Video Editor: Vivek Gupta