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
جو گایوں کے چرنے میں رکاوٹ ڈالے اور جو بوجھ اٹھانے والے بیل کو باندھ دے، وہ لازوال دوزخ میں جاتا ہے—پیدائش در پیدائش بار بار۔
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.