A kind woman
Not many truly understand or empathize with the suffering of hunger… and even fewer feel for the sufferings of hunger that plague street dogs around the world. It takes a very special person to recognize this suffering, and one such person was Gyani Deula. I was very sad to hear about the passing of such a compassionate lady, who took into her care more than 20 street dogs even though she herself had close to nothing… and even when her family abandoned her due to the increasing costs of feeding those dogs, she never gave up the dogs which she considered her family. Earning just NPR1,000 (approximately RM40 or USD10) a month, she cared for these street dogs until the day she passed away.
The world needs more compassionate people like Gyani. I pray that she takes a new and good rebirth and be blessed with good conditions to continue her caring works for the abandoned and unwanted street animals. She is a hero. I am worried about her dogs now though.
Tsem Rinpoche
The Death of Dog Mother
Gyani Deula, a homeless temple-dweller known for her love and compassion towards stray dogs, passed away at the Ganesh Temple in Kamaladi Sunday morning. She was 56.
In November 2012, Nepal Times profiled Deula in a profile titled ‘The Dog Mother’, a moniker stuck. A few organisations even carried out fund-raising programs for her and her four-legged friends.
Deula had been living at the temple after being abandoned by her family, and made a living selling flowers. She spent much of her meagre income to feed her dogs every day.
“It’s difficult, but I will provide for them until I die, they are my family,” she had told Nepali Times in 2012. “I worry about them once I am gone, what will my babies do? Who will feed them and love them?”
As Gyani Deula anticipated, the dogs being looked after by her have now become helpless yet again. They are hungry and waiting for their mother – probably unaware that Deula has left them forever.
Deula had started adopting dogs after she found abandoned puppies in a carton dumped near the temple in 2009. She was herself abandoned by her family, and adopted all the puppies.
Gyani Deula had signed a will that her eyes be donated and a team from Tilganga Hospital extracted her corneas on Sunday itself for transplants to patients. After the news about her death spread on social networking sites, many who knew of her compassion and devotion to dogs went to Pashupati Aryaghat to attend her funeral and bid her goodbye.
When Deula’s body was put in a van and taken to Pashupati Aryaghat, some of her adopted dogs even followed her.
Gyani Deula Profile: The Dog Mother
For Gyani Deula and her 21 adopted dogs, it’s Kukur Tihar every day.
At 5 pm every evening, a plump, middle-aged flower seller at the Ganesh Temple in Kamaladi brings out three pots of rice, dal, and meat. She sits on a mat on a corner of the street, and feeds her furry four-legged friends.
Like a mother tending her children, Gyani Deula talks to her 21 dogs, coaxing them to eat up. She heaps ladles full of rice and curry into their bowls. Bijuli is one of the shyer dogs who prefers to eat alone, so Gyani gets up to feed her separately.
Gyani has lived on the temple grounds all her life, after being abandoned by her family she has found canine companionship more rewarding. “The dogs have been more loyal, caring, and protective than any friend or relative,” says Gyani, hugging Sweety.
Gyani started adopting dogs three years ago after she found abandoned puppies in a carton dumped near the temple. The 54-year-old makes a meagre living selling flowers to pilgrims and sets aside part of her earnings to buy food for the dogs. The Seto Machhendranath committee pays her Rs 1,000 a month to look after the chariot, and others helped set up her flower stall.
Gyani adopts every dog that is dumped at the temple, and takes care of them as if they were her own children. The 21 dogs are all registered with a nearby vet, and Gyani makes sure they get their shots and the females are neutered. The dogs get a breakfast of milk and biscuits and even a bowl of Pedigree dog food. The puppies are hand fed with human baby food and eggs.
All this costs Rs 7,000 a month, and she still owes the vet Rs 5,000 for the shots. Gyani’s son and daughter-in-law left her because they couldn’t handle the attention and resources she was devoting to her pets.
“It’s difficult, but I will provide for them until I die, they are my family,” she says matter-of-factly. “I worry about them once I am gone, what will my babies do? Who will feed them and love them?”
Gyani knows the names of all her dogs by heart. “That is Khaire, Kali, and Gore,” she says, pointing out the mostly-female mongrels, “and those are Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Sweety, Bijuli, Naulo, and Bhakta Bahadur.”
Despite the fact that dogs are gods in Nepal, and are worshipped this year on Kukur Tihar on Tuesday 13 November, hundreds of mongrel puppies are discarded on the streets of Kathmandu every year.
Gyani’s dogs are gentle and friendly, even with strangers. They like to playfully chase bikes that circle the temple which they guard at night. They get up at four every morning, lining up in front of the temple and howling in unison as the priest rings the bell.
The dogs are all devoted to Gyani, they pull at her sari if she is going out on an errand, and sulk when she is away. At night they sneak into her tiny room and snuggle at the foot of her bed.
As it got dark one evening this week, Gyani set out mattresses and blankets for her dogs under the shed where the chariot wheels are stored.
Gyani has seen people in fancy cars stop, dump the puppies on the sidewalk, and go inside the temple to pray. Threading a marigold garland, Gyani says: “What kind of dharma is that? God will punish them one day for their cruelty.”
Source: http://www.nepalitimes.com/blogs/thebrief/2015/06/07/the-death-of-dog-mother/
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Gyani Deula, known as the dog mother of Kathmandu, a homeless temple-dweller known for her love and compassion towards stray dogs. Living at the temple , she made a living selling flowers and with her savings income she fed those strays dogs without failed. Her selfless act of kindness ,compassion and willingness will be remembered by many. She had started adopting dogs after she found abandoned puppies in a carton dumped near the temple where she lived. She had taken care more than 20 street dogs even she have nothing for herself. Sadly she passed away leaving those dogs behind.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this story of a kind and compassion woman.
Gyani Deula is a wonderful and compassionate lady. Although she is homeless and earns little, this did not stop her from taking care of the homeless dogs too. Many would normally make sure they have enough food before feeding others but Gyani has a big heart that reach out to the adopted dogs and love them so much. An inspiring story to share and learn. May Gyani has good rebirth and that all her dogs are taken care of.
It’s so touching and inspiring. Gyani may seem poor by her condition but she is rich in compassion which nothing can be replaceable. What really makes me respect her is that even though Gyani’s family abandoned her but that doesn’t make her a cold-hearted person. In fact, I think she understands very much the feeling being abandoned in return she develope the care and love for the stray dogs and treated them just like her own children. Not all bad experiences turn one to be bad, Gyani shows us the opposite and with her unfortunate condition, she learned and able to provide the best that she could for the dogs. This reminded me of H.E. the 25th Tsem Rinpoche who also has the same quality. Rinpoche suffered a lot during his young age and had gone through so much suffering but that doesn’t turn Rinpoche onto a bad person, instead of with that experienced Rinpoche to benefit many people and show them compassion, love and care.
Gyani indeed a lovely and inspiring lady.
Anyone who takes the time and effort to be kind is beautiful. Gyani Deula, a homeless temple-dweller with a big heart who looked after 21 stray dogs despite of her difficult life. She was abandoned by her family and since then she lived at the temple. She earned little by selling flowers but that didn’t stop her to look after the stray dogs. She provided food and necessary medical for the dogs with some help from a few organizations and vet. Her greatest worries were always about who is going to take care of her doggies family when she is no longer here.
Gyani passed away on 2012. She donated her eyes to Tilganga Hospital. Her act of kindness has made her life a meaningful one, bringing care and happiness to the dogs, and also spreading the awareness of being kind to people around her. People who knew her compassion and devotion to dogs went to attend her funeral to pay final respects. Her passed is a lost, but her kindness will remain in people’s heart, reminding them to give love and care.
Gyani Deula, a homeless temple-dweller, with such a big heart! Deula had been abandoned by her family after she started adopting , feeding and caring for stray dogs that she had rescued. The first stray dogs were abandoned puppies that hade been dumped near the temple. She had looked after them like her own children, making sure they had their shots and were neutered. She got by with a meagre income from selling , feeding her dogs, over 20 of them, from this meagre income .However difficult it was, she was determined to provide for them until she died.
Unfortunately, she died at the age of 56 in the temple where she had been living after being abandoned by her family. Affectionately called the “dog mother”, she is much loved by her canine children, who will miss her now she is no more. May all her dogs not be abandoned again, even with her death. Her generosity wextended to beyond her death. She had signed a will that her eyes be donated and a team from Tilganga Hospital extracted her corneas on the Sunday itself , the day of death, for transplants to patients.
May this kind lady go on lifetime after lifetime caring for homeless animals.May her dogs be adopted by other kind souls.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article. I totally respect what Gyani Deula does. She has the compassion and kind heart to the 21 dogs that she adopted. She has been treating them well and took care of their health by sending them to the vet for jabs. Though is tough for her, but she will give all her care to the dogs. She has done so much good deed. May she have a good and swift rebirth.
With folded palms,
Vivian
This is such a remarkable story about someone who has literally nothing, but yet, gave everything she has to care for animals who cannot even say “Thank You”. It is “strange” that people who do not have much, are the people who are more generous. May be it is because they really know the feeling of hunger and cannot let others to feel the same hunger.
I feel this is a good article for people who wants to get a pet. Many people get a pet and when situation does not allow, they dump their pet and they become stray. It is very bad towards the animals. I pray that people will take care of their pets as their own family member.
In recent times, it is definitely rare to find people like Gyani with such unconditional love for her dogs and steadfastly taking care of them despite her own difficulties and financial situation. In fact, she makes no distinction and viewed the dogs as her family and she even worries about what would happen to them when she is no longer around.
It is also quite significant that she never saw her (homeless) situation as so destitute that she couldn’t afford to help the dogs, she just took them in with determination to provide for them as long as she lived.
Yet, for many of us who are definitely more well-off than her, have so much more reservations to contribute even in a manner less than what Gyani has done. What Gyani has accomplished, effectively renders all justifications for not doing anything at all as what it truly is – excuses, since there are always ways to contribute/take action and in varying degree. Anything, even on a smaller scale, is better than not doing anything.
Her death is definitely a loss but her life remains a shining example of unconditional compassion in action where she prioritised the needs of others before hers without any agenda or expected returns but simply because she can relate to their pain and did whatever she can to alleviate such suffering.
Gyani has such immense love and compassion to care for these creatures, putting their well-being before her own. Hope that some kind people will offer her some financial help to ease her burden.
Thank you for sharing stories about beautiful people such as Gyani, Rinpoche.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this touching story of a amazing woman who cares for the abandoned puppies as if they are her own children till her last breath.Her story really my heart hoping that more people will be like her.
Thanks again.
Yes samfoonhei, it would be fantastic for the world if more people were like this wonderful lady. Can you imagine if every person in the world cared about animals and took just one dog off the streets and into their homes? That would be billions of dogs saved.
Actually, all of us have the capacity to be like her. We can start in small, small ways like how Rinpoche carries dog food in his car so we can always stop by the side of the road to feed the strays. Maybe at this moment we can’t open a rescue or take in street dogs and care for them like this kind lady, but we can do our bit to help.
If we don’t have a car, we can support animal care projects or animal rescues. If we don’t have time to volunteer, offer money. If we don’t like to offer money, give animal food. If we don’t like to give food, we can sponsor one animal’s medical bills. There are lots and lots of ways each and every one of us can make a difference. When we wish for more people in the world to be kind, the best and fastest way to make that wish come true is for us to become kind people ourselves 🙂
As His Holiness, The 14th Dalai Lama has once said, “Many creatures have toiled singly or jointly to make our lives comfortable. The food we eat and the clothes we wear, have not laboured to produce them. That is why we should be grateful to all our fellow creatures. Life is as dear – is as dear to a mute creature, as it is to a man. Just as one wants to live and not die, so do other creatures.” It is further said, that the eating of meat extinguishes the seed of compassion! All living beings are said to be spiritual in essence and are conscious with their hearts like every human beings too! Om Mani Padme Hunm.
Pictures tell a thousand words. The feeling I get is that, this was a wonderful and warm lady who cared for dogs more than even her own well being.
Dear Rinpoche ,
Thank you for sharing this post on this amazing women. Her love and compassion for those homeless dogs is beyond this world. She is willing to be away from her family just to be able to continue what she wanted to do which is helping those dogs. She also sacrifices a large portion of her income which is quite little already to be used on the expenses on the dogs.
She shows perfect example of not attached to money, relationships and materialistic gains. All she want is the dogs to be fed, to be shown love, and have a home. She is already living the dharma.
Chris
The kindness of Gyani Deula really touched my heart. Although I also help animals from time to time and feed cats on the street, her devotion was much greater than I. Animals are helpless beings. I love them because sometime, I found them much kinder and more loyal than some humans once you get their trust.
I hope Gyani Deula will have a good and swift rebirth and continue to take care of the helpless animals and may the dogs she left will be taken care off as well.
This woman is truly one in millions. I wish her a smooth and good rebirth. I am also saddened by her passing. She could recognise pain in other beings which is amazing, but not only that, she gave her all and everything that she had to those beings. It is true, dogs and other animals feel pain like us and they get hungry like us so they deserve as much as us. But a lot of people don’t see that.
I want to give to animals like that. I want to grow up and become successful. I want to give to others in a way that I can give more than I can now. I want to be successful to give more to them when I can. I can donate more and I will have more to make more for them. That is how I want to help when I grow up.
She had so much burden on her but she kept one thing higher than her, the dogs. I respect that tremendously. I wish her a good rebirth. She did a good thing and hopefull it inspires more to follow in her footsteps.
This is difficult to believe that such kind lady existed. So touching story Rinpoche. She could manage to suffer for them even though she herself is under problems. How courageous and compassionate. I have my prayers for swift and good rebirth _()_. May she be born to continue her kind acts in much profound and with less difficulties.
It is really hard to find people like Gyani Deula in Nepal and around the world who sacrifice so much to take care of the welfare of animals of which whom manysadly look down upon.
What stood out for me was that she isn’t a rich, well to do person who has a stable job or even at least a house to stay in but she is actually a homeless person who was even abandoned by her own family but yet she is still committed to helping abandoned stray dogs and making sure they get food.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this post.
Gyani’s love for her cute mumus is very touching..In Nepal very rare to see
people taking care animals as i have seen a lots people just ignore them nobody care about them,,reading this article made me so happy… she is not rich but still able to find money and take care them..hope one day can meet her in Nepal.. thank you Rinpoche for finding such a beautiful kind person and sharing her story..
I can understand Gyani’s love to the dog. I have experience this with my little niece who is now 9 years old. She always take care of those abandoned puppies, she spend most her time feeding milk to the puppies and talk to them. That is one time we have 9 puppies in our house.
She feed the dog with “wholemeal bread”, when we told her don’t feed wholemeal bread because is expensive, and she replied back and asked why the dog is eating cheaper bread, why we cannot treat the dog just like how we treat a human.
And Gyani said “The dogs have been more loyal, caring, and protective than any friend or relative,”, I agreed with this. When you take good care of them, they payback by taking care of your house and protective you at the same time. And some of the “human” will hurt you despite all the while you take good care of them.
I respect Gyani who unconditionally taking care of dog. A modal for us to learn from her.
Gyani was such an empowering and kind woman, her death is definitely a loss as there are not many kind people like her in our society nowadays. She is indeed a very good person, even though she wasn’t very wealthy herself, but she was willing to share what she had with her beloved pet doggies. The dogs love her for a reason and I’m pretty sure this is why.
From what I observe, normally a person who loves animals unconditionally are always the kindest and most generous person because animals are incapable of saying “thank you” or do anything in return of peoples’ kindness. Therefore, a person who helps and does not ask for anything in return is a person who’s truly making good use of their human lives to benefit others even animals.
I really hope that the dogs are well and I too wish that there’s someone who’s kind enough to feed the dogs so they don’t starve. May Gyani take a good rebirth in a dharmic family, always be kind and spiritual by practising the Buddha Dharma.
Gyani和她的狗儿的故事感人，希望有人能“继承”她的志业，照顾她遗留下来的20多只狗狗。
网上还是有不少这样的言论：为什么会有人爱狗多过爱家人或人？总觉得像Gyani这样的人对动物的爱或表现是“不正常”或“过火”的，是难于理解的。
Gyani说得很好：狗的忠诚和关心超越亲人能给予的，狗爷比有血缘关系的亲人能给予的保护更多。狗的爱很简单直接，没有猜疑和耍心机。接近狗和家里有养狗的人大概都知道，所以，像Gyani那样爱护自己的狗－忠诚的朋友甚至是家人，看在一般人眼里应该很容易理解。
像Guyana这样的大爱的表现，应该获得的是表扬，至少没有表扬也不应该是非议。
Gyani’s personalities are really that of a god.
I have not heard of any Nepali’s so poor but yet can feed and raise more than 20 dogs. Even after Gyani’s family abandoned her, she still kept on not losing hope at all. She always made sure that her dogs were well fed and taken care of even though she herself had barely anything to eat.
If I sent someone to live in Nepal and take care of 20+ dogs and live on 1000 RS a month,no one would be able to do it, That is partly because we crave so much luxury that we really can’t live without it.
We badly lack these kind of people, there are only a pitiful few who could or would go to such extent in caring for stray dogs.
I am really sure that Gyani would have a good rebirth due to the deeds she had done in this life.
I like her personality very much. For some reason, when I read about the story of her life and look at her pictures, I can feel very strong and happy vibes from her. Not all heroes wear capes and have superpowers, and she is one of the great examples. She is amazing because she takes very good care of her dogs and gives them food, water and shelter even when she is short of them. It is truly sad to learn that she has already passed on.
She is very compassionate towards animals which is what I always mention and it is something special that not many people would be doing if they were in her shoes. It is already nearly impossible to survive on just Rs1,000 every month and needless to say, she still continues to feed her dogs until the day she passed on. How often do we actually witness people like this before?
As for me, I haven’t met many of them in my life. Most of the people I know are too caught up with earning money. Which is not too bad, but when it’s over the limit then it’s bad, you will start to realize that they become lost as they grow old wondering what good things they have done besides than just earning money? It is not necessary to help only animals, we can also help homeless people by buying or cooking food for them if you think it is better not to just give them money because we never know what they will do with it.