hellish life for more than 10 million lifetimes

tomarā jīyāite nāra, — vadha-mātra sāra

naraka ha-ite tomāra nāhika nistāra

go-ańge yata loma, tata sahasra vatsara

go-vadhī raurava-madhye pace nirantara

Since you cannot bring killed cows back to life, you are responsible for killing them. Therefore you are going to hell; there is no way for your deliverance. Cow-killers are condemned to rot in hellish life for as many thousands of years as there are hairs on the body of the cow.

- Cc Adi Lila 17.165-166

The above statement was spoken by Lord Chaitanya to a Muslim ruler. This conversation took place some 500 years ago. If you doubt the authority of Lord Chaitanya, there are many references to Him in the Vedas as the Supreme Absolute Truth. So the above statement is the most authentic sruti (sound). It is to be considered "dharma" for all living beings including Indian, American, Paksitani, Jew, Christian, Hindu etc etc

However, in the current age, there is rampant slaughtering of cows. Just in the USA, per year, an estimated 35 million cows are slaughtered. This is a colossal proportion. In other words, per year, approximately one cow is killed for every 10 individual in the USA or approximately 90 to 100 pounds of beef is consumed by one person every year in the USA. So if an individual lives for say 100 years, then mathematically one individual in the USA will consume approximately 8 to 10 cows whole (a cow on average weighs 1000 pounds). Of course, this is just for the sake of calculation and such calculations cannot be applied in practice. But by the pounds of beef consumed and number of cattle killed, and total US population, one can estimate around 10 cows eaten whole by one person in 100 years in the US. So if a cow say has million hairs on his body, then one individual in the US will rot in hellish life for at least 10 million life times. This is very conservative estimate because surely there may be more than million hairs on a cow.

Anyways, when you are walking on the road and see a fellow American (or for that matter any cow eater), you can safely say this fellow will rot in hell for the next 10 million life times (at the least) based on the above sloka. That is like associating with criminals who are condemned to prison for life. If you think life imprisonment is harsh, imagine hellish life for more than 10 million life times. Citing such gloomy future for the condemned souls, Srila Prabhupada therefore based on the grounds of pure and unconditional compassion did what he did - crossed the ocean despite repeated heart attacks, lived in poverty for a year or so and still persisted on to spread the glory and mercy of Lord Chaitanya. Doing so, he saved many souls from hellish life.

Let us again use some creative math. Let's say Srila Prabhupada saved around 10,000 souls when he was physically present and all 10,000 were meant to rot in hell for more than 10 million lifetimes, then, by argument one can say Srila Prabhupada saved a cumulative of at least 1 trillion lifetimes of hellish life for all these souls combined. Now that's a huge number. But for our part, if we can save even one soul, then that adds to 10 million lifetimes of hellish life saved, still a huge number. So we have to continue to try to push on this movement for our own benefit (so we don't fall back into the lap of Maya) and also for the  benefit of others.

There is also one more point I think is important in that he created a genuine spiritual path and he made it visible for the entire world to see by establishing temples, distributing books and devotee association. So now the condemned souls cannot say there was no access to genuine spiritual literature. If people reject Krishna consciousness, that is ok, but at least they were given an option and in that sense devotees have done their job.

Chant Hare Krishna and spread the glory!

Hare Krishna