Shloka 32
सुरूपा बहुरूपाश्न विश्वरूपाश्व मातर: । प्राजापत्यमिति ब्रह्मन् जपेन्नित्यं यतव्रतः,नरेन्द्र! शक्तिशाली सूर्य और बलवान् वायु जिन लोकोंके अधिपति हैं, एवं राजा वरुण जिन लोकोंके ऐश्वर्यपर प्रतिष्ठित हैं, मनुष्य गोदान करके उन्हीं लोकोंमें जाता है। गौएँ युगन्धरा, सुरूपा, बहुरूपा, विश्वरूपा तथा सबकी माताएँ हैं। शुकदेव! मनुष्य संयम- नियमके साथ रहकर गौओंके इन प्रजापतिकथित नामोंका प्रतिदिन जप करे
surūpā bahurūpāś ca viśvarūpāś ca mātaraḥ | prājāpatyam iti brahman japennityaṃ yatavrataḥ ||
Vyāsa said: “O Brāhmaṇa, one who is disciplined in vows should daily recite the Prajāpati-given names of the cows—Surūpā, Bahurūpā, Viśvarūpā, and ‘Mātaraḥ’ (the Mothers). By honoring and giving cows, a person attains those exalted worlds presided over by the mighty Sun and the powerful Wind, and those realms whose prosperity rests under King Varuṇa. Thus, reverence for the cow—expressed through gift and remembrance—becomes a dharmic path to merit and higher destiny.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that honoring cows through disciplined practice—especially daily recitation of their sacred, Prajāpati-associated names—and through the act of go-dāna generates great religious merit, leading to exalted realms associated with cosmic deities (Sun, Wind, Varuṇa).
Vyāsa is instructing a learned listener (addressed as ‘Brahman’) within a broader discourse on gifts and dharma, emphasizing the spiritual efficacy of cow-gifting and the devotional practice of remembering cows by specific sacred epithets.