Shloka 31

Vaitaraṇī: Torments of the Sinful, Sins Enumerated, and the Vaitaraṇī Go-dāna Rite

Devanagari script

गावो मे अग्रतः सन्तु गावो मे सन्तु पार्श्वतः / गावो मे हृदये सन्तु गवां मध्ये वसाम्यहम्

Transliteration

gāvo me agrataḥ santu gāvo me santu pārśvataḥ / gāvo me hṛdaye santu gavāṃ madhye vasāmyaham

Translation

ขอให้โคอยู่เบื้องหน้าข้าพเจ้า ขอให้โคอยู่เคียงข้างข้าพเจ้า ขอให้โคสถิตในดวงใจข้าพเจ้า และข้าพเจ้าขออยู่ท่ามกลางหมู่โค

Word by Word

• gāvaḥ: cows
• gāvaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• me: my
• me: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन) enclitic

• agrataḥ: in front
• agrataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: agratas (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb of place (स्थानवाचक)

• santu: let them be
• santu: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

• gāvaḥ: cows
• gāvaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• me: my
• me: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन) enclitic

• santu: let them be
• santu: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

• pārśvataḥ: at the sides
• pārśvataḥ: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: pārśvatas (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb of place (स्थानवाचक)

• gāvaḥ: cows
• gāvaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन)

• me: my
• me: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन) enclitic

• hṛdaye: in (my) heart
• hṛdaye: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛdaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन)

• santu: let them be
• santu: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: Imperative (लोट्), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Plural (बहुवचन)

• gavām: of cows
• gavām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Plural (बहुवचन)

• madhye: in the midst
• madhye: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: madhya (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: Avyaya usage (अव्यय) as postposition meaning ‘in the midst of’; governs genitive ‘gavām’

• vasāmi: I dwell
• vasāmi: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vas (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 1st person (उत्तमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Lord Vishnu (teaching Garuda/Vinata-putra in the Preta Kanda context)

Philosophical Teaching

Concept: Seeking protection and auspiciousness through reverence for cows as embodiments of dharma and sustenance.

Vedantic Theme: Shanta-bhakti and śaraṇāgati expressed through sacred symbols; purity (śuddhi) as support for right living.

Application: Cultivate non-violence and care for cows; keep company of the sattvic; use protective prayers before rites or travel.

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: shanta

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Cross References

Related Themes: Garuda Purana, Pretakalpa: Vaitaraṇī-dhenu/Go-dāna context in the same adhyāya (2.47); Garuda Purana: śrāddha and dāna sections where go-dāna is praised

Characters & Entities

• Cows (Gāvaḥ)

FAQs

What is the importance of invoking cows in the Garuda Purana?

This verse frames cows as a spiritual refuge—seeking their presence in front, at the sides, and in the heart—reflecting the Purana’s emphasis on go-seva/go-dana as protective, purifying, and merit-giving in rites connected to death and the hereafter.

How does this verse explain the path of the soul after death?

In the Preta-oriented narrative, the verse functions as a protective aspiration: aligning oneself with dharmic merit (symbolized by cows) to gain support and auspiciousness during vulnerable transitional states described in the Garuda Purana.

Practical application of this wisdom today?

Cultivate reverence and care for life through ethical living and charity (especially go-seva/go-dana where appropriate), and keep one’s mind anchored in compassion and purity—symbolically ‘keeping cows in the heart’ as a dharmic orientation.