Shloka 156
Right Conduct, Offenses Against Brāhmaṇas, Truthfulness, and the Greatness of the Cow
Go-Māhātmya
गावो बंधुर्मनुष्याणां मनुष्या बांधवा गवाम् । गौश्च यस्मिन्गृहे नास्ति तद्बंधुरहितं गृहम्
gāvo baṃdhurmanuṣyāṇāṃ manuṣyā bāṃdhavā gavām | gauśca yasmingṛhe nāsti tadbaṃdhurahitaṃ gṛham
గోవులు మనుష్యులకు బంధువులు; మనుష్యులు గోవులకు బంధువులు. ఏ ఇంటిలో గోవు లేకపోతే, ఆ ఇల్లు బంధువులేని ఇల్లు అని చెప్పబడుతుంది।
Unspecified (narrative voice not provided in the input excerpt)
Concept: Go-sevā is not optional charity but familial duty; a home without a cow is portrayed as lacking relational dharma and auspiciousness.
Application: Cultivate ‘kinship ethics’: support ethical dairy/cow protection, feed animals, avoid cruelty, and make the home a place of sattvic nourishment and generosity.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: karuna
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A humble village courtyard: a family offers fodder and water to a calm cow, while a small lamp burns before a simple Vishnu altar. The composition emphasizes warmth and belonging—hands extended in care, the cow’s gentle gaze, and a sense that the home itself becomes a sanctuary.","primary_figures":["a cow","gṛhastha family (householders)","small Vishnu icon (altar)"],"setting":"rural household courtyard with tulsi platform optional, earthen pots, thatched or tiled roof, small shrine niche","lighting_mood":"soft morning light","color_palette":["earthy ochre","milk white","leaf green","vermillion","soft sky blue"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: auspicious household scene with a richly adorned cow in the center, family offering fodder, a small Vishnu shrine with gold leaf halo in the background, ornate borders, saturated reds and greens, gold embellishments on vessels and jewelry, devotional domestic sanctity.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: intimate courtyard with delicate linework, gentle cow and affectionate family gestures, cool natural palette, flowering trees, distant hills, refined faces conveying tenderness and dharmic kinship.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized cow and householders with bold outlines, warm pigment blocks, a small Vishnu panel icon, decorative floral bands, temple-wall aesthetic applied to domestic dharma theme.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central cow framed by lotus and creeper motifs, householders in devotional posture, deep blue border with gold floral filigree, small Vishnu symbol (conch/chakra) integrated into the textile pattern, peacocks and cows as auspicious motifs."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Desh","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"serene","sound_elements":["cowbells","courtyard birds","soft flute in distance","oil lamp crackle","gentle chanting"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: बंधुर्मनुष्याणां = बन्धुः + मनुष्याणाम्; गौश्च = गौः + च; यस्मिन्गृहे = यस्मिन् + गृहे; नास्ति = न + अस्ति; तद्बंधुरहितं = तत् + बन्धुरहितम्
FAQs
It teaches that caring for cows is a form of familial duty (bandhu-dharma), implying that a household’s moral completeness is linked with compassionate stewardship of cows.
Yes. It presents the presence and care of cows as a marker of a well-ordered, dharmic household, emphasizing reciprocity between humans and animals.
“Bandhu” is used in an expanded dharmic sense: cows are treated as members of one’s extended moral community, deserving protection and care like family.