Shloka 193
Right Conduct, Offenses Against Brāhmaṇas, Truthfulness, and the Greatness of the Cow
Go-Māhātmya
गोप्रचारप्रभग्नश्च षंडवाहनबंधनः । अक्षयं नरकं प्रायान्पुनर्जन्मनि जन्मनि
gopracāraprabhagnaśca ṣaṃḍavāhanabaṃdhanaḥ | akṣayaṃ narakaṃ prāyānpunarjanmani janmani
ผู้ใดขัดขวางการเล็มหญ้าของโค และผู้ใดผูกมัดโคผู้ (วัวเพศผู้) ที่แบกภาระ ผู้นั้นย่อมไปสู่นรกอันไม่สิ้นสุด ซ้ำแล้วซ้ำเล่าในชาติแล้วชาติเล่า
Unspecified (narrative voice of the Purana in a list of karmic consequences)
Concept: Even indirect harm—blocking grazing or cruel restraint of working bulls—incurs severe, recurring karmic results; dharma includes preventing suffering, not merely avoiding murder/theft.
Application: Ensure animals under one’s care have food, movement, and humane treatment; avoid systems that profit from cruelty; practice compassionate stewardship in agriculture and transport.
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: raudra
Type: celestial_realm
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A dusty road beside a parched pasture: cows strain toward grass while a cruel figure blocks their path, and a burden-bearing bull is tied tightly to a post, eyes weary. Behind this earthly scene, a translucent vision of a dark, endless hell corridor repeats like mirrors, symbolizing ‘again and again’ across births.","primary_figures":["cows seeking pasture","burden-bearing bull (ox)","offender figure","optional yamadūtas as faint silhouettes"],"setting":"Village edge with grazing field and tethering post; overlayed metaphysical backdrop of repeating infernal passageways.","lighting_mood":"forest dappled","color_palette":["dusty umber","dry grass gold","indigo shadow","rust red","stone gray"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: split-register composition—lower earthly cruelty scene with cows and tethered bull, upper register showing an ‘akṣaya naraka’ corridor with repeating arches, gold-leaf outlining the karmic loop motif, rich earthy reds and greens, ornate borders emphasizing moral instruction.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: village pasture rendered with delicate naturalism, expressive animals, subtle moral tension, a faint ghosted overlay of repeating dark arches behind the sky, cool-shadow palette with warm earth tones, refined human figures.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: bold outlines, stylized cows and bull with large eyes, strong red-yellow-green contrasts, symbolic repeating-arch hell motif in the background band, didactic clarity like a temple narrative panel.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central cows and bull framed by intricate floral borders, the karmic repetition shown as a patterned dark mandala of arches behind, deep blue and gold accents, devotional-didactic symmetry with lotus motifs contrasting cruelty and sanctity."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"narrative","suggested_raga":"Durga","pace":"moderate-narrative","voice_tone":"authoritative","sound_elements":["cattle bells","dry wind","distant temple bell","low drum pulse"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: गोप्रचारप्रभग्नश्च = गोप्रचारप्रभग्नः + च; प्रायान् (IAST prāyān) interpreted as प्रायात् (लुङ् 3sg of प्र-√या) by context; पुनर्जन्मनि = पुनः + जन्मनि.
FAQs
It underscores dharma through non-violence and responsibility toward cattle—especially not harming livelihoods tied to cows and working oxen.
In Purāṇic dharma, cows symbolize sustenance and sacred duty, while oxen represent agrarian labor; harming or restricting them is treated as a serious social and moral offense.
The verse presents wrongdoing as producing recurring consequences across rebirths, stressing that persistent harm leads to prolonged suffering unless corrected through ethical conduct and atonement.