Sutra 20
Devanagari script
बालवृद्धव्याधितानां गोपालकाः प्रतिकुर्युः ॥ कZ_०२.२९.२० ॥
Transliteration
bālavṛddhavyādhitānāṃ gopālakāḥ pratikuryuḥ
Translation
牧牛人应对幼畜、老弱及患病的牲畜给予帮助并妥善照料。
Word by Word
बाल-वृद्ध-व्याधितानाम्of children, the elderly, and the sick
बाल-वृद्ध-व्याधितानाम्:
TypeNoun/Adjective (compound)
Rootबाल; वृद्ध; व्याधित
Formषष्ठी-बहुवचन (genitive plural); masculine/neuter collective sense; denotes the class/group ‘of children, the aged, and the sick’
गोपालकाःcowherds, cattle-keepers
गोपालकाः:
TypeNoun
Rootपाल (with go-)
Formप्रथमा-बहुवचन (nominative plural), masculine; agent noun
प्रतिकुर्युःshould attend to / should provide assistance (to)
प्रतिकुर्युः:
TypeVerb
Rootकृ (with प्रति-)
Formविधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; ‘they should do/act in return; should render (service/assistance)’
Entities Mentioned
G
gopāla (cowherds)B
bāla (young animals)V
vṛddha (aged animals)V
vyādhita (diseased animals)FAQs
Because livestock are fiscal and strategic assets; preventing avoidable loss sustains milk, traction, breeding stock, and state revenue.
A positive duty of service—officials are accountable not only for preventing theft but also for maintaining asset condition.