Shloka 3
Parīkṣit Confronts Kali: Dharma (Bull) and Bhūmi (Cow) at the Dawn of Kali-yuga
गां च धर्मदुघां दीनां भृशं शूद्रपदाहताम् । विवत्सामाश्रुवदनां क्षामां यवसमिच्छतीम् ॥ ३ ॥
gāṁ ca dharma-dughāṁ dīnāṁ bhṛśaṁ śūdra-padāhatām vivatsām āśru-vadanāṁ kṣāmāṁ yavasam icchatīm
โคผู้หลั่ง “น้ำนมแห่งธรรม” บัดนี้ยากไร้ ไร้ลูก และถูกศูทรเตะทำร้ายอย่างหนัก น้ำตาคลอ ดวงหน้าเศร้าหมอง ร่างกายซูบซีด และโหยหาหญ้าในทุ่งนา
The next symptom of the Age of Kali is the distressed condition of the cow. Milking the cow means drawing the principles of religion in a liquid form. The great ṛṣis and munis would live only on milk. Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī would go to a householder while he was milking a cow, and he would simply take a little quantity of it for subsistence. Even fifty years ago, no one would deprive a sādhu of a quart or two of milk, and every householder would give milk like water. For a Sanātanist (a follower of Vedic principles) it is the duty of every householder to have cows and bulls as household paraphernalia, not only for drinking milk, but also for deriving religious principles. The Sanātanist worships cows on religious principles and respects brāhmaṇas. The cow’s milk is required for the sacrificial fire, and by performing sacrifices the householder can be happy. The cow’s calf not only is beautiful to look at, but also gives satisfaction to the cow, and so she delivers as much milk as possible. But in the Kali-yuga, the calves are separated from the cows as early as possible for purposes which may not be mentioned in these pages of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The cow stands with tears in her eyes, the śūdra milkman draws milk from the cow artificially, and when there is no milk the cow is sent to be slaughtered. These greatly sinful acts are responsible for all the troubles in present society. People do not know what they are doing in the name of economic development. The influence of Kali will keep them in the darkness of ignorance. Despite all endeavors for peace and prosperity, they must try to see the cows and the bulls happy in all respects. Foolish people do not know how one earns happiness by making the cows and bulls happy, but it is a fact by the law of nature. Let us take it from the authority of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and adopt the principles for the total happiness of humanity.
FAQs
This verse depicts the cow—symbol of dharma—being violently abused by a degraded person, indicating Kali Yuga’s hallmark: the decline of compassion and righteousness, especially shown through harm to cows.
The cow represents nature’s sacred generosity; by sustaining human life with her gifts, she supports yajña, sattva, and religious life—thus she is poetically said to “milk” dharma for society.
Protect the vulnerable, cultivate compassion, support ethical living and non-violent food culture, and uphold dharmic values when society normalizes exploitation.