Balabhadra Das, ISCOWP President, Departs

Balabhadra Das (William E. Dove), president and cofounder of the International Society for Cow Protection (ISCOWP), passed away peacefully at the ISCOWP cow sanctuary on October 17, 2026, at the age of 80. He was surrounded by his beloved cows, his Deity Lord Giriraj, his family, and Srila Prabhupada chanting japa.

Since 2008, he had medical difficulties each year, from which he recovered and thus continued his service to the cows. In the past three years, he became seriously ill with multiple health problems from which he could not recover. During those three years, his wife of 53 years, Chaya Devi, and his daughter, Lakshmi, were his 24/7 caretakers. The ISCOWP cows were his constant source of peace and serenity. In his last year of life, he stated he was preparing to leave his body. He became calm and remained so as he departed.

Balabhadra and his twin sister were born in Altadena, California, on April 22, 1946. He and his sister were adopted two weeks later and brought to Highland Park, a countrified Chicago area, by Lorraine, his adoptive mother. His adoptive mother and father divorced when he was five years old, and soon after, Lorraine moved him and his sister to Hawaii.  It was a closed adoption; however, he met his brother for the first time a few months ago.

Balabhadra grew up on the island of Oahu. He had an idyllic childhood swimming in tidal pools and surfing big waves. Yet, he was always questioning the meaning of his life and its purpose. In his early twenties, he met Govinda Dasi in front of the Honolulu library. By then he was a vegetarian and reading the Bhagavad Gita. She took him to the temple to meet Srila Prabhupada. Several days later, Srila Prabhupada sent Gourasundar Das (temple president) to ask Balabhadra if he would like to be initiated. The reply was yes. Ten days after meeting Srila Prabhupada, on March 25, 1969, Srila Prabhupada personally initiated him and performed the fire sacrifice. William E. Dove became Balabhadra Das, the first person to be initiated in Hawaii.

Balabhadra was deeply involved in the early development of Srila Prabhupada’s movement in Hawaii by serving as temple commander. He leveraged his local-boy popularity to expand Srila Prabhupada’s movement in the islands. Due to his connections, he helped arrange for devotees to perform kirtan at public events, reaching thousands of people. Once, the Jefferson Airplane was scheduled to perform at the Civic Auditorium in Honolulu, and Balabhadra spoke with Grace Slick (lead singer) to arrange for the devotees to open the show with kirtan. He also gave up his entire inheritance to purchase the McKinley Street ISKCON temple in Honolulu in 1971.

After moving to the mainland and serving on Jayananda Das’s dedicated Ratha Yatra project, he married Chaya in January 1973. At the court ceremony, Jayananda Das was his best man and gave Balabhadra the ring off his finger when Balabhadra forgot to bring one. Jayananda was a large man, and the ring dangled from Chaya’s finger. However, everyone was thankful for his precious loan at such a crucial moment.

In the 1970s, he and his wife welcomed two children, Valadev and Lakshmi. Balabhadra worked as a hired dairyman and eventually developed a successful honey inter-island distribution business to support his young family. Even though he was immersed in householder life, he continued to feel an intense desire to practice cow protection. The opportunity to put his desire into practice did not arise until he and his family moved to Gita Nagari. He spent 10 years at Gita Nagari farm learning to work with oxen under Paramananda Das. Through Paramananda’s association, he learned practical skills and deepened his understanding of the spiritual aspect of working with cows, which increased his love and attachment to them.

Besides being a dedicated cowherd, for a few years he became the top collector for World Galleries, a devotee business headed by Puspavan Das. World Galleries aimed to pay off Gita Nagari’s mortgage and to fund projects and investments to enhance its agricultural productivity.  Although Balabhadra was separated from the cows, he considered that he was protecting them by securing and expanding their home.

“In 1990, he and his wife Chaya incorporated ISCOWP, which became an international force in cow protection. ISCOWP became an expression of Balabhadra’s deep commitment to go-seva, or cow protection. What began as a modest effort grew into an influential organization dedicated to promoting the practical and spiritual principles of caring for cows without slaughter. Balabhadra and Chaya educated countless devotees and well-wishers about how cows could be protected and engaged in farm life in ways that honored their sacred role. They also inspired many people outside of ISKCON through their outreach and educational programs. Over time, ISCOWP became widely respected as a pioneer in cow protection, demonstrating that with devotion, knowledge, and practical skill, it was possible to build a sustainable, compassionate farm community.” Puspavan memories, Rooted in Devotion, Gita Nagari and the Path to Krsna, Satyaraja das

 Balabhadra and family traveled extensively throughout North America during ISCOWP’s early days in a renovated school bus with no A/C, toilet, or beds, hauling two large oxen weighing approximately 2000 pounds each. They attended ISKCON Ratha Yatras, often leading the parade with a team of oxen,  and state fairs, spreading the message of cow protection.

In 1998, Balabhadra became the ISKCON Minister for Cow Protection and Agriculture. As minister, he traveled widely, inspiring and encouraging devotees to protect cows respectfully and lovingly. Under his leadership, the Minimum Cow Protection Standards were drafted by an international group of devotee cowherds and were adopted as ISKCON Law 507 in 1999. In 2003, Cow Protection Book 1 was written to help explain the standards. In 2012, he resigned from the ISKCON Ministry due to health problems, which made it difficult for him to travel extensively.

He is remembered for his ability to train oxen and teach others how to become teamsters. He had a natural ability to form a relationship with any ox he met.

“….one long-experienced trainer, Balabhadra Das (William E. Dove), the founder of ISCOWP (International Society for Cow Protection), who has been training oxen over twenty-seven years, offers videos online in which he demonstrates the process in a step-by-step manner that involves the use of voice commands as the basis of gentle engagement of oxen. Significantly, Balabhadra emphasizes that the first step in training oxen is making friends with them, which means spending time with them, addressing them by their names, and brushing and stroking them.” Cow Care in Hindu Animal Ethics, Kenneth R. Valpey (Krishna Kshetra Swami), Palgrave Macmillan Animal Ethics Series

ISCOWP, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by Balabhadra and Chaya, is strong; its mission is clear, and the values Balabhadra instilled in ISCOWP will continue to guide its work and growth in the years ahead. It was Balabhadra’s wish that ISCOWP be prepared to carry on his legacy of loving and protecting cows after his passing.  That legacy can be viewed as it develops on ISCOWP’s Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube web pages.

With heavy hearts, we humbly ask for your prayers for his journey to greener pastures with the all-attractive cowherd boy Krishna and His cows.

If you would like to write a tribute/appreciation, we would be thankful for the healing words.  You can post on our ISCOWP Facebook page and/or Balabhadra’s Facebook page. If you would like your appreciation to remain private, you can email us. Thank you so much!