Scripture Treasury

नमो ब्रह्मण्यदेवाय गोब्राह्मणहिताय च ।
जगद्धिताय कृष्णाय गोविन्दाय नमो नमः ॥

namo brahmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca
jagad-dhitāya kṛṣṇāya govindāya namo namaḥ

Obeisance to Lord Kṛṣṇa, the well-wisher of the cows and the brāhmaṇas and the protector of the whole world. To Govinda, who always delights the cows, I bow again and again.

मातरः सर्वभूतानां गावः सर्वसुखप्रदाः ।

mātaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ gāvaḥ sarva-sukha-pradāḥ

Cows are the mothers of all beings and the givers of every happiness.

यया सर्वमिदं व्याप्तं जगत् स्थावरजङ्गमम् ।
तां धेनुं शिरसा वन्दे भूतभव्यस्य मातरम् ॥

yayā sarvam idaṁ vyāptaṁ jagat sthāvara-jaṅgamam
tāṁ dhenuṁ śirasā vande bhūta-bhavyasya mātaram

I bow my head to the cow who pervades this whole universe of moving and unmoving beings, the mother of all that was and all that will be.

नमस्ते जायमानायै जाताया उत ते नमः ।
बालेभ्यः शफेभ्यो रूपायाघ्न्ये ते नमः ॥

namas te jāyamānāyai jātāyā uta te namaḥ
bālebhyaḥ śaphebhyo rūpāyāghnye te namaḥ

O aghnyā, you who must never be killed: salutations to you as you are being born, and salutations once you are born. Salutations to your hair, your hooves and your form.

नमो गोभ्यः श्रीमतीभ्यः सौरभेयीभ्य एव च ।
नमो ब्रह्मसुताभ्यश्च पवित्राभ्यो नमो नमः ॥

namo gobhyaḥ śrīmatībhyaḥ saurabheyībhya eva ca
namo brahma-sutābhyaś ca pavitrābhyo namo namaḥ

Salutations to the radiant cows, the daughters of Surabhi. Salutations to the daughters of Brahmā; to the purifying cows, salutations again and again.

गावो ममाग्रतः सन्तु गावः सन्तु च पृष्ठतः ।
गावो मे पार्श्वतः सन्तु गवां मध्ये वसाम्यहम् ॥

gāvo mamāgrataḥ santu gāvaḥ santu ca pṛṣṭhataḥ
gāvo me pārśvataḥ santu gavāṁ madhye vasāmy aham

May cows be before me, may cows be behind me, may cows be on both sides of me. May I always live in the midst of cows.

चिन्तामणिप्रकरसद्मसु कल्पवृक्ष-
लक्षावृतेषु सुरभीरभिपालयन्तम् ।
लक्ष्मीसहस्रशतसम्भ्रमसेव्यमानं
गोविन्दमादिपुरुषं तमहं भजामि ॥

cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-
lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam
lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

In abodes built of wish-fulfilling gems, surrounded by millions of wish-fulfilling trees, He tends the surabhi cows and is served with great reverence by hundreds of thousands of goddesses of fortune. I worship Govinda, the original person.

धेनूनामस्मि कामधुक् ।

dhenūnām asmi kāmadhuk

Among cows, I am Kāmadhenu, the wish-fulfilling cow.

हन्तायमद्रिरबला हरिदासवर्यो
यद् रामकृष्णचरणस्पर्शप्रमोदः ।
मानं तनोति सहगोगणयोस्तयोर्यत्
पानीयसूयवसकन्दरकन्दमूलैः ॥

hantāyam adrir abalā hari-dāsa-varyo
yad rāma-kṛṣṇa-caraṇa-sparśa-pramodaḥ
mānaṁ tanoti saha-go-gaṇayos tayor yat
pānīya-sūyavasa-kandara-kandamūlaiḥ

Of all the devotees, this hill Govardhana is the best! Delighted by the touch of Rāma's and Kṛṣṇa's feet, he honours them and their cows with water to drink, soft grass, caves to rest in, and roots and fruits.

अहोऽतिधन्या व्रजगोरमण्यः
स्तन्यामृतं पीतमतीव ते मुदा ।
यासां विभो वत्सतरात्मजात्मना
यत्तृप्तयेऽद्यापि न चालमध्वराः ॥

aho 'tidhanyā vraja-go-ramaṇyaḥ
stanyāmṛtaṁ pītam atīva te mudā
yāsāṁ vibho vatsatarātmajātmanā
yat-tṛptaye 'dyāpi na cālam adhvarāḥ

How fortunate are the cows and the women of Vraja! Taking the form of their calves and sons, You, O Lord, joyfully drank the nectar of their milk, though even great sacrifices have never been enough to satisfy You.

घासमुष्टिं परगवे दद्यात् संवत्सरं तु यः ।
अकृत्वा स्वयमाहारं व्रतं तत् सार्वकामिकम् ॥

ghāsa-muṣṭiṁ para-gave dadyāt saṁvatsaraṁ tu yaḥ
akṛtvā svayam āhāraṁ vrataṁ tat sārva-kāmikam

One who, for a year, gives a handful of grass every day to someone else's cow before eating his own meal, keeps a vow that fulfils every wish.

गां च स्पृशति यो नित्यं स्नातो भवति नित्यशः ।
गवां रजः खुरोद्भूतं शिरसा यस्तु धारयेत् ।
स च तीर्थजले स्नातः सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते ॥

gāṁ ca spṛśati yo nityaṁ snāto bhavati nityaśaḥ
gavāṁ rajaḥ khurodbhūtaṁ śirasā yas tu dhārayet
sa ca tīrtha-jale snātaḥ sarva-pāpaiḥ pramucyate

One who touches a cow every day is as if bathed every day. One who places on his head the dust raised by cows' hooves has bathed in the waters of every holy place and is freed from all sins.

गोषु भक्तश्च लभते यद्यदिच्छति मानवः ।
विद्यार्थी चाप्नुयाद्विद्यां सुखार्थी प्राप्नुयात्सुखम् ।
न किञ्चिद् दुर्लभं चैव गवां भक्तस्य भारत ॥

goṣu bhaktaś ca labhate yad yad icchati mānavaḥ
vidyārthī cāpnuyād vidyāṁ sukhārthī prāpnuyāt sukham
na kiñcid durlabhaṁ caiva gavāṁ bhaktasya bhārata

A person devoted to cows obtains whatever he desires. The student gains learning, the one who seeks happiness finds happiness. O Bhārata, nothing is out of reach for one devoted to cows.

गवां कण्डूयनं कुर्याद् गोग्रासं गोप्रदक्षिणम् ।
गोषु नित्यं प्रसन्नासु गोपालोऽपि प्रसीदति ॥

gavāṁ kaṇḍūyanaṁ kuryād go-grāsaṁ go-pradakṣiṇam
goṣu nityaṁ prasannāsu gopālo 'pi prasīdati

Scratch the cows gently, feed them, and walk around them in reverence. When the cows are always happy, Gopāla Himself is pleased.

गावो लक्ष्म्याः सदा मूलं गोषु पाप्मा न विद्यते ।

gāvo lakṣmyāḥ sadā mūlaṁ goṣu pāpmā na vidyate

Cows are always the root of prosperity; in cows there is no sin.

गवां हि तीर्थे वसतीह गङ्गा पुष्टिस्तथा तद्रजसि प्रवृद्धा ।
लक्ष्मीः करीषे प्रणतौ च धर्मस्तासां प्रणामं सततं च कुर्यात् ॥

gavāṁ hi tīrthe vasatīha gaṅgā puṣṭis tathā tad-rajasi pravṛddhā
lakṣmīḥ karīṣe praṇatau ca dharmas tāsāṁ praṇāmaṁ satataṁ ca kuryāt

In the holy body of the cow dwells the Gaṅgā; nourishment grows in the dust of her hooves; Lakṣmī lives in her dung, and dharma in bowing to her. So one should always bow to the cows.

शृङ्गमूले स्थितो ब्रह्मा शृङ्गमध्ये तु केशवः ।
शृङ्गाग्रे शङ्करं विद्यात् त्रयो देवाः प्रतिष्ठिताः ॥
सर्वे देवाः स्थिता देहे सर्वदेवमयी हि गौः ॥

śṛṅga-mūle sthito brahmā śṛṅga-madhye tu keśavaḥ
śṛṅgāgre śaṅkaraṁ vidyāt trayo devāḥ pratiṣṭhitāḥ
sarve devāḥ sthitā dehe sarva-devamayī hi gauḥ

Brahmā dwells at the root of her horns, Keśava in their middle, and Śaṅkara at their tips: the three great deities reside there. All the devas live in her body; the cow is truly the abode of all the gods.

प्र नु वोचं चिकितुषे जनाय मा गामनागामदितिं वधिष्ट ।

pra nu vocaṁ cikituṣe janāya mā gām anāgām aditiṁ vadhiṣṭa

I say to every thoughtful person: do not kill the innocent cow, who is Aditi, the boundless mother.

अहिंसा परमो धर्मः ।

ahiṁsā paramo dharmaḥ

Non-violence is the highest dharma.

अहिंसार्थाय भूतानां धर्मप्रवचनं कृतम् ।
यः स्यादहिंसासम्पृक्तः स धर्म इति निश्चयः ॥

ahiṁsārthāya bhūtānāṁ dharma-pravacanaṁ kṛtam
yaḥ syād ahiṁsā-sampṛktaḥ sa dharma iti niścayaḥ

Dharma was taught so that no living being would be harmed. Whatever is joined with non-violence, that is certainly dharma.

मां स भक्षयिताऽमुत्र यस्य मांसमिहाद्म्यहम् ।
एतन्मांसस्य मांसत्वं प्रवदन्ति मनीषिणः ॥

māṁ sa bhakṣayitāmutra yasya māṁsam ihādmy aham
etan māṁsasya māṁsatvaṁ pravadanti manīṣiṇaḥ

'Me (mām) he (saḥ) will eat in the next world, whose flesh I eat here.' This, the wise say, is the very meaning of the word māṁsa, meat.

गाभीर यत लोम तत सहस्र वत्सर ।
गो-वधी रौरव-मध्ये पचे निरन्तर ॥

gābhīra yata loma tata sahasra vatsara
go-vadhī raurava-madhye pace nirantara

For as many thousands of years as there are hairs on the body of the cow, the one who kills her rots without end in the hell called Raurava.

अष्टादशपुराणेषु व्यासस्य वचनद्वयम् ।
परोपकारः पुण्याय पापाय परपीडनम् ॥

aṣṭādaśa-purāṇeṣu vyāsasya vacana-dvayam
paropakāraḥ puṇyāya pāpāya para-pīḍanam

In all eighteen Purāṇas, Vyāsa says just two things: helping others brings merit; harming others brings sin.