SpiritualYamuna’s daughter, Gopi, was a cow with a strong character. From her behavior, one might think she was half cow, half bull. Dealing with her was quite difficult, as she tended to kick and butt with her head. However, with Alberto, Gopi was more gentle—the two shared a very good relationship.
One day, while Alberto was caressing her, she moved and accidentally scratched his arm with her horn.
“Look, Gopi, what you’ve done here! Look! Have I ever hurt you? Why did you do this to me?” Alberto said to her in a deep, serious tone.
Gopi lowered her head and began licking the tiny wound. Seeing her affectionate reaction, Alberto felt how “tough Gopi” had won his heart.
Gopi in her stall
The Alarm
One night, Gopi’s loud mooing echoed throughout the valley:
“Mooooo… mooooo… mooooo…!”
She had a strong voice and a distinctive moo. Everyone could hear her and recognize her call.
“Moooo… mooooooo…!”
Alberto woke up and went down to the cowshed to see what was happening. Some devotees also woke up and started calling on the phone to find out what was going on. But when Alberto arrived, everything seemed to be in order. Nothing strange. Yet Gopi kept mooing with great intensity.
“But Gopi, what is the matter? Everything is fine… what do you want?”
“Mooooo… moooooo…!” she answered with another powerful moo.
Immediately, Alberto suspected what was happening. At that time, the goshala was divided into two areas. Almost a kilometer away were other cows, and among them was one about to give birth.
“Could it be that the cow has given birth?” Alberto wondered.
He quickly went up to the house of Mahalaksmi, a dedicated devotee and friend of New Vrajamandala. He woke her up and asked for her car keys. He also woke her son Ananda and asked him to come along in case he needed help.
When they arrived at the other goshala and turned on the lights, they were struck with wonder—there was the newborn calf. Gopi had been giving the alarm.
A Difficult Milking
Alberto recalls:
“Gopi—truthfully, I loved her very much; I felt a strong affection for her. We had something unique. But she was not easy to handle, and even less so when it came to milking. She constantly tried to kick; she never stopped. So, with one hand I had to milk, and with the other I had to block and restrain her legs so the kicks would not hit the bucket where I collected the milk. She did not stay still for a moment. It was not easy, but somehow we had gotten used to it.
There was one day when I was very sick, with a fever, feeling awful. But of course, I had to milk. So I went down to the goshala as best I could to do my service. When I entered Gopi’s stall, I said to her:
Listen, Gopi, behave well today, please. You know I’m really unwell. I’m exhausted. Please do me a favor and do not move.”
I went inside, and—can you believe it?—she did not move at all. Not one bit. She stayed perfectly still for the entire milking.
When I finished and stepped out of the stall, she started kicking again, just as usual. It was incredible.”
Cows are gentle creatures endowed with a silent wisdom that few can truly grasp. On that day of exhaustion, when Alberto could barely stand, Gopi, through her behavior, revealed the depth of that bond that transcends the visible. It was not just about milking or daily routine—it was about mutual understanding, an unspoken respect. Cows know when their companion needs a moment of respite, and through a simple act, they become something far greater than mere animals of production. Gopi was very rebellious, but at the same time also very perceptive. When someone unpleasant, aggressive, or rough-mannered arrived, she would immediately become agitated and moo loudly, as if in protest. She was very sensitive to people’s moods. When small children of four or five years wanted to milk her, Alberto would say,
“Hey, Gopi, behave yourself, it is a little child.”
And she would not move.
Cows are very sensitive beings; they can perceive everything that happens around them. Another very clear example is when the veterinarian comes. Cows do not like the vet because he pricks their tails, sometimes takes their blood, or performs tests that prick their necks—and they do not like that. What they do like is being brushed. On the day the vet arrives, the cowherds act as if it is just an ordinary day, pretending nothing unusual is about to happen, but they never manage to fool the cows. The cows always know—and they try to run quickly toward the field.
Gopi Leaves Her Body
Time passed, and the moment came to bid farewell to Gopi. Usually, before departing, cows lie down, stop getting up, stop eating, and stop drinking water. They remain like that for a few days, until their time arrives. Gopi had been lying down for three days, waiting for the moment to leave her body. The devotees stayed with her; they had prepared a cozy spot, a parasol protected her from the sun, and they took turns chanting the holy name by her side.
Suddenly, the devotee who was outside with her came into the goshala to call the cowherd:
“Alberto! Alberto! Come quickly, Gopi has left her body!”
Alberto rushed to the door and saw Gopi move her ear, as if waving her hand, as if to say, “Bye-bye.”
“She is not dead! She moved her ear!”
“Yes, she is gone,” replied the devotee.
Alberto approached and touched her, confirming that she had indeed left her body. Astonished, he turned to Eva, another companion who was there, and said,
“Did you see what she did? Did you see her move her ear?”
“Yes, yes, I saw it too,” she replied.
Thus, in an atmosphere of love and reverence, the devotees accompanied Gopi on her final journey, surrounding her with chanting and care until her departure. In that moment, everyone was reminded that true bonds transcend time and form—connections that leave indelible memories in the heart.
“I remember very well when Gopi was leaving her body. My family and I were there with her, chanting the holy name. There she was, covered up, no longer getting up. It was incredible to be with her until the very last moment. We saw Alberto there, especially with Gopi… his eyes were shining, on the verge of tears. That made our own tears start to flow as well. In that moment, we realized that relationships of love go beyond physical bodies. They are bonds that remain eternally. Saying farewell to the great Gopi together as a community was a sad moment—but also a beautiful one.” —Laksmana
Gopi’s last supper