Shloka 153

Right Conduct, Offenses Against Brāhmaṇas, Truthfulness, and the Greatness of the Cow

Go-Māhātmya

Devanagari script

गावो ममाग्रतो नित्यं गावः पृष्ठत एव च । गावश्च सर्वगात्रेषु गवांमध्ये वसाम्यहम्

Transliteration

gāvo mamāgrato nityaṃ gāvaḥ pṛṣṭhata eva ca | gāvaśca sarvagātreṣu gavāṃmadhye vasāmyaham

Translation

الأبقار أمامي دائمًا، والأبقار خلفي كذلك. والأبقار في جميع أعضائي؛ وأنا أقيم في وسط الأبقار.

Word by Word

• gāvaḥ: cows
• gāvaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Prathamā (1st/प्रथमा), Bahuvacana (बहुवचन)

• mama: of me / my
• mama: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ṣaṣṭhī (6th/षष्ठी), Ekavacana (एकवचन); possessive genitive

• agrataḥ: in front
• agrataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: agrataḥ (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb of place (स्थानवाचक अव्यय)

• nityam: always
• nityam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyayībhāva usage as adverb (क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण)

• gāvaḥ: cows
• gāvaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana

• pṛṣṭhataḥ: from behind / behind
• pṛṣṭhataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pṛṣṭhataḥ (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb of place

• eva: indeed / just
• eva: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: Nipāta (निपात), emphasis particle

• ca: and
• ca: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta (समुच्चय-निपात) conjunction

• gāvaḥ: cows
• gāvaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā, Bahuvacana

• ca: and
• ca: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Samuccaya-nipāta conjunction

• sarva-gātreṣu: in all the limbs
• sarva-gātreṣu: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + gātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsakaliṅga (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Saptamī (7th/सप्तमी), Bahuvacana; compound = ‘all limbs’

• gavām: of the cows
• gavām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī (6th), Bahuvacana

• madhye: in the middle
• madhye: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: madhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsakaliṅga, Saptamī (7th), Ekavacana; locative of place

• vasāmi: I dwell / reside
• vasāmi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vas (वस्, धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्, present), Prathama? actually Uttama-puruṣa (उत्तमपुरुष), Ekavacana; Parasmaipada

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana; pronoun

Speaker

Unspecified (first-person devotional declaration within the narrative context of Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa 48)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Sandhi Resolution Notes

Sandhi Resolution Notes: mamāgrataḥ = mama + agrataḥ; gāvaśca = gāvaḥ + ca; gavāṃmadhye = gavām + madhye; vasāmyaham = vasāmi + aham.

Characters & Entities

• Cows (Gāvaḥ)

FAQs

What is the central teaching of this verse?

It poetically declares complete identification with and continual presence among cows, expressing the Purāṇic ideal of reverence for cows (go-mahima) and the dharmic value of protecting and serving them.

Does this verse imply a literal or symbolic presence of cows in one’s body?

In Purāṇic style it is primarily devotional and symbolic language, emphasizing that cows are regarded as all-pervading supports of dharma and auspiciousness, and that the speaker’s life is centered on them.

What ethical lesson can be drawn from this shloka?

It encourages go-rakṣa (protection of cows), gratitude for what sustains society (milk, agriculture, yajña-supporting economy), and a life oriented toward compassion and non-harm.