Sutra 2

Devanagari script

गोपालकपिण्डारकदोहकमन्थकलुब्धकाः शतं शतं धेनूनां हिरण्यभृताः पालयेयुः ॥ कZ_०२.२९.०२ ॥

Transliteration

gopālakapiṇḍārakadohakamanthakalubdhakāḥ śataṃ śataṃ dhenūnāṃ hiraṇyabhṛtāḥ pālayeyuḥ

Translation

Cowherds—namely the gopālaka, piṇḍāraka, dohaka, manthaka, and lubdhaka—being paid in cash (gold), shall each maintain herds of one hundred milch-cows (in units of a hundred).

Word by Word

• गोपालक: cowherds / cattle-keepers
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोपालक (गोप + पालक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचन (समाहार/जातिवाचक-बहुवचन)

• पिण्डारक: makers/handlers of dairy lumps/curd-products (pinda-makers)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्डारक
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचन (जातिवाचक)

• दोहक: milkers
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुह् (दोहक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचन; कर्तृवाचक-प्रत्यय (ण्वुल्/अक)

• मन्थक: churners
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्थ् (मन्थक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचन; कर्तृवाचक

• लुब्धकाः: hunters
• Type: Noun
• Root: लुब्धक
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचन

• शतम्: a hundred
• Type: Numeral
• Root: शत
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक (अव्ययीभाव-प्राय प्रयोग)

• शतम्: a hundred (each)
• Type: Numeral
• Root: शत
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति द्वारा वितरण/समूह (100 each / by hundreds)

• धेनूनाम्: of cows (milch-cows)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धेनु
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी बहुवचन

• हिरण्यभृताः: paid in gold / receiving monetary wages
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हिरण्य-भृत्
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा बहुवचन; ‘भृत्’ (धृ-धातु) कर्तरि; विशेषणं (गोपालकादीनां)

• पालयेयुः: should tend/guard (should look after)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पाल्
• Form: लिङ् (विधिलिङ्), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष बहुवचन; धातु: पाल्; अर्थ: ‘पालनं कुर्युः’

Entities Mentioned

• gopālaka
• piṇḍāraka
• dohaka
• manthaka
• lubdhaka

More Details

FAQs

What is the governance logic behind “by hundreds”?

It standardizes herd units for budgeting, supervision, and performance comparison—an early administrative ‘unit-cost’ approach.

Why specify multiple roles (milker, churner, guard) rather than one generic herdsman?

It institutionalizes division of labor to reduce spoilage/theft, improve output control, and clarify responsibility for each production stage.