Shloka 175
Right Conduct, Offenses Against Brāhmaṇas, Truthfulness, and the Greatness of the Cow
Go-Māhātmya
तावद्गौः पृथिवी ज्ञेया यावद्गर्भं न मुंचति । सुवर्णशृंगीं वस्त्राढ्यां सर्वालंकारभूषिताम्
tāvadgauḥ pṛthivī jñeyā yāvadgarbhaṃ na muṃcati | suvarṇaśṛṃgīṃ vastrāḍhyāṃ sarvālaṃkārabhūṣitām
So long as she has not yet delivered her calf, a cow should be known as equal to the Earth—golden-horned, richly clothed, and adorned with every ornament.
Unknown (verse excerpt provided without surrounding dialogue context)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shanta
Type: celestial_realm
Sandhi Resolution Notes: तावद्गौः = तावत् + गौः; यावद्गर्भम् = यावत् + गर्भम्; ‘सुवर्णशृंगीं’ = सुवर्ण-शृंगिनीम् (द्वितीया एकवचन)।
FAQs
The verse uses a symbolic equivalence: as the Earth sustains and nourishes all beings, a cow—especially while pregnant—represents fertility, nourishment, and the continuation of life, making her worthy of the highest reverence.
Yes. The description of a cow with golden horns, fine clothing, and ornaments matches traditional Purāṇic gift-language, indicating an idealized form of honoring or gifting a cow in meritorious rites.
It teaches heightened responsibility and compassion toward vulnerable life—here, a pregnant cow—framing such care as a sacred duty (dharma) and a form of reverence toward the sustaining principle of the Earth.