Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada who brought the Hare Krishna movement to the United States in 1966 wrote in "The Nectar of Devotion":


Page 67) Not Giving Pain to Any Living Entity

This is the statement of the Mahabharata: "A person who does not disturb or cause painful action in the mind of any living entity, who treats everyone just like a loving father does his children, whose heart is so pure, certainly very soon becomes favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead."

In so-called civilized society there is sometimes agitation against cruelty to animals, but at the same time regular slaughterhouses are always maintained. A Vaisnava is not like that. A Vaisnava can never support animal slaughter nor give pain to any living being.

- by His Divine Grace Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
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LORD KRISHNA: LOVED COWS, ANIMALS & NATURE

At a young age, Lord Krishna left the city of Mathura to live in the forest with the cowherds. Srivatsa Goswami, a Vaishnava scholar and devotee says that scriptures
describe Krishna performing formal religious worship only twice, and on both these occasions he worshipped nature. Krishna, showed by example, that he preferred an earth - based religion which recognizes the sacred relationship between humans and nature. Similar to the Buddha's teachings, Krishna taught love for all beings, harmony with nature, not harming sentient beings, and rejoicing in a life of simplicity.

Krishna purified the Yamuna River of the black serpent Kaliya. He swallowed the forest fire to protect the forest. He cared for the cows and spoke to the birds in their own language, while He protected nature.

When Krishna played His flute to call the cows, the river stopped flowing, her waters stunned with ecstacy. Instead of swimming or flying, the cranes, swans, ducks and other birds closed their eyes and entered a trance. The cows and deer stopped chewing, their ears raised. They became motionless like painted animals. - from the Srimad Bhagavatam 10.35

The Srimad Bhagavatam states:

My dear father, our home is not in the cities or towns or villages. Being forest dwellers, we always live in the forest and among the hills. Therefore, begin a festival in honor of the cows, the brahmanas, and Govardhan Hill.

Then Krishna went with them and worshipped the hill. In order to convince them, he assumed a gigantic mystical form and merged himself with the hill, demanding, "Feed me more!" He asked for the worship to be given equally to the mountain, the cows and the brahmanas as well as himself. - from Srimad Bhagavatam 10.24.25

The Srimad Bhagavatam relates how Krishna and his brother Balarama entered the forest with their cows:
Krishna saw all the trees, overloaded with fruits and fresh twigs, coming down to touch the ground as if welcoming Him by touching His lotus feet. He was very pleased by the behavior of the trees, fruits and flowers, and He began to smile, realizing their desires.

Krishna then spoke to His elder brother as follows: "My dear brother, You are superior to all of us. Just see how these trees, full with fruits, have bent down to worship Your lotus feet. Just see how the peacocks in great ecstacy are dancing before You. The deer are welcoming You with the same affection. And cuckoos who reside in the forest are receiving You with great joy because they consider that Your appearance is so auspicious in their home. Even though they are trees and animals, these residents of Vrindavan are glorifying You. The herbs, creepers and plants are also fortunate to touch Your lotus feet. And by touching the twigs with Your hands, these small plants are also made glorious."

BUDDHA: CONSIDERED the 9th INCARNATION of VISHNU

Hindus consider the Buddha as the 9th incarnation of Vishnu. Buddha's teachings, including the Eightfold path and the Four Noble Truths are embraced by Hindus. Buddha's influence was a major factor in nearly eliminating ritual animal sacrifices, as he taught compassion for all living beings. This compassion is revealed in the Srimad Bhagavatam:

One should treat animals such as deer, camels, asses, monkeys, snakes, birds and flies exactly like one's own children. How little difference there actually is between children and these innocent animals.

Krishna and his brother Balarama enter the forest: from the Srimad Bhagavatam:

Accompanied by the cowherd boys and Balarāma, Kṛiṣhṇa brought forward the cows and played on His flute through the forest of Vṛndāvana, which was full of flowers, vegetables, and pasturing grass. The Vṛndāvana forest was as sanctified as the clear mind of a devotee and was full of bees, flowers and fruits. There were chirping birds and clear water lakes with waters that could relieve one of all fatigues. Sweet flavored breezes blew always, refreshing the mind and body. Kṛiṣhṇa, with His friends and Balarāma, entered the forest and, seeing the favorable situation, enjoyed the atmosphere to the fullest extent. Kṛiṣhṇa saw all the trees, overloaded with fruits and fresh twigs, coming down to touch the ground as if welcoming Him by touching His lotus feet. He was very pleased by the behavior of the trees, fruits and flowers, and He began to smile realizing their desires. (Chapter 15: Killing of Dhenukasura)

…One day, when Kṛiṣhṇa, along with Balarāma, was maintaining the calves in the forest, They saw some cows grazing on the top of Govardhana Hill. The cows could see down into the valley where the calves were being taken care of by the boys. Suddenly, on sighting their calves, the cows began to run towards them. They leaped downhill with joined front and rear legs. The cows were so melted with affection for their calves that they did not care about the rough path from the top of Govardhana Hill down to the pasturing ground. They began to approach the calves with their milk bags full of milk, and they raised their tails upwards. When they were coming down the hill, their milk bags were pouring milk on the ground out of intense maternal affection for the calves, although they were not their own calves. These cows had their own calves, and the calves that were grazing beneath Govardhana Hill were larger; they were not expected to drink milk directly from the milk bag but were satisfied with the grass. Yet all the cows came immediately and began to lick their bodies, and the calves also began to suck milk from the milk bags. There appeared to be a great bondage of affection between the cows and calves. (Chapter 13: The Stealing of the Boys and Calves by Brahma)

.… Kṛiṣhṇa was very pleased with the atmosphere of the forest where flowers bloomed and bees and drones hummed very jubilantly. While the birds, trees and branches were all looking very happy, Kṛiṣhṇa, tending the cows, accompanied by Śrī Balarāma and the cowherd boys … (Chapter 21 The Gopīs Attracted by the Flute)


https://theharekrishnamovement.org/category/balarama/

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