Shloka 52

Devanagari script

गावो लोकांस्तारयन्ति क्षरन्त्यो गावश्षान्नं संजनयन्ति लोके । यस्तं जानन्न गवां हार्दमेति स वै गन्ता निरयं पापचेता:,गौएँ दूध देकर सम्पूर्ण लोकोंका भूखके कष्टसे उद्धार करती हैं। ये लोकमें सबके लिये अन्न पैदा करती हैं। इस बातको जानकर भी जो गौओंके प्रति सौहार्दका भाव नहीं रखता, वह पापात्मा मनुष्य नरकमें पड़ता है

Transliteration

gāvo lokāṁs tārayanti kṣarantyo gāvaś cānnaṁ saṁjanayanti loke | yas taṁ jānann na gavāṁ hārdam eti sa vai gantā nirayaṁ pāpacetāḥ ||

Translation

Cows, by yielding milk, deliver the worlds from the suffering of hunger; and in this world they also generate nourishment for all. Knowing this, whoever still does not cultivate a heart of goodwill toward cows—that person, of sinful mind, goes to hell.

Word by Word

• {'gāvaḥ (गावः/गावो)': 'cows', 'lokān (लोकान्)': 'worlds

• people/realms', 'tārayanti (तारयन्ति)': 'they ferry across

• rescue', 'kṣarantyaḥ (क्षरन्त्यः)': 'flowing

• yielding (milk)', 'ca (च)': 'and', 'annam (अन्नम्)': 'food

• grain', 'saṁjanayanti (संजजनयन्ति/संजजनयन्ति)': 'they produce

• bring forth', 'loke (लोके)': 'in the world', 'yaḥ (यः)': 'whoever', 'tam (तम्)': 'that (fact/benefit)', 'jānan (जानन्)': 'knowing', 'na (न)': 'not', 'gavām (गवाम्)': 'of cows', 'hārdam (हार्दम्)': 'heartfelt goodwill

• affection', 'eti (एति)': 'goes

• attains', 'saḥ (सः)': 'he', 'vai (वै)': 'indeed', 'gantā (गन्ता)': 'goer

• one who goes', 'nirayam (निरयम्)': 'hell

• a state of torment', 'pāpacetāḥ (पापचेता: / पापचेताः)': 'one whose mind is sinful

Speaker

नाचिकेत उवाच

Characters & Entities

• नाचिकेत (Nāciketa)
• गावः (cows)
• लोकाः (worlds/people)
• निरय (hell)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Recognize the life-sustaining, society-supporting role of cows (milk and nourishment) and therefore cultivate goodwill and respectful conduct toward them; ingratitude and hostility toward such benefactors is framed as sinful and leading to grave karmic consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nāciketa speaks a didactic verse praising cows as rescuers from hunger and sources of food in the world, then warns that a person who knows this yet lacks heartfelt friendliness toward cows is morally culpable and destined for hell.