The Verses of the Cows and Saudasa's Gift

Verse 1 (13.115.1)

घृतक्षीरप्रदा गावो घृतयोन्यो घृतोद्भवाः । घृतनद्यो घृतावर्तास्ता मे सन्तु सदा गृहे ॥

ghṛtakṣīrapradā gāvo ghṛtayonyo ghṛtodbhavāḥ | ghṛtanadyo ghṛtāvartāstā me santu sadā gṛhe

May the cows that give ghee and milk, whose source is ghee and whose origin is ghee, the rivers of ghee and whirlpools of ghee, always be in my house.

Verse 2 (13.115.2)

घृतं मे हृदये नित्यं घृतं नाभ्यां प्रतिष्ठितम् । घृतं सर्वेषु गात्रेषु घृतं मे मनसि स्थितम् ॥

ghṛtaṃ me hṛdaye nityaṃ ghṛtaṃ nābhyāṃ pratiṣṭhitam | ghṛtaṃ sarveṣu gātreṣu ghṛtaṃ me manasi sthitam

May ghee be always in my heart, ghee established in my navel, ghee in all my limbs, ghee in my mind.

Verse 3 (13.115.3)

गावो ममाग्रतो नित्यं गावः पृष्ठत एव च । गावो मे सर्वतश्चैव गवां मध्ये वसाम्यहम् ॥

gāvo mamāgrato nityaṃ gāvaḥ pṛṣṭhata eva ca | gāvo me sarvataścaiva gavāṃ madhye vasāmyaham

May the cows be always in front of me and behind me, and on every side of me; I dwell in the midst of cows.

Verse 4 (13.115.4)

इत्याचम्य जपेत्सायं प्रातश्च पुरुषः सदा । यदह्ना कुरुते पापं तस्मात्स परिमुच्यते ॥

ityācamya japetsāyaṃ prātaśca puruṣaḥ sadā | yadahnā kurute pāpaṃ tasmātsa parimucyate

A man who, after sipping water, recites this evening and morning is always freed from whatever sin he commits by day.

Verse 5 (13.115.5)

प्रासादा यत्र सौवर्णा वसोर्धाराश्च कामदाः । गन्धर्वाप्सरसो यत्र तत्र यान्ति सहस्रदाः ॥

prāsādā yatra sauvarṇā vasordhārāśca kāmadāḥ | gandharvāpsaraso yatra tatra yānti sahasradāḥ

Where there are golden palaces and the Vasu-streams that grant desires, where the Gandharvas and Apsarases dwell, there go those who give a thousand cows.

Note on the text: Variant in line 1: वसोर्धाराश्च कामदाः for CE vasor dhārā ca yatra sā; kept.

Verse 6 (13.115.6)

नवनीतपङ्काः क्षीरोदा दधिशैवलसङ्कुलाः । वहन्ति यत्र वै नद्यस्तत्र यान्ति सहस्रदाः ॥

navanītapaṅkāḥ kṣīrodā dadhiśaivalasaṅkulāḥ | vahanti yatra vai nadyastatra yānti sahasradāḥ

Where rivers flow with butter for their mud, milk for their water and curd for their moss, there go those who give a thousand cows.

Verse 7 (13.115.7)

गवां शतसहस्रं तु यः प्रयच्छेद्यथाविधि । परां वृद्धिमवाप्याथ स्वर्गलोके महीयते ॥

gavāṃ śatasahasraṃ tu yaḥ prayacchedyathāvidhi | parāṃ vṛddhimavāpyātha svargaloke mahīyate

The man who duly gives a hundred thousand cows reaches supreme prosperity and is honoured in the world of heaven.

Note on the text: Corrected प्रच्छेद्यथाविधि → प्रयच्छेद्यथाविधि (misprint in Wikisource; प्रच्छेत् would mean 'might ask'; the sense (giving) and CE 'prayacchet' require प्रयच्छेत्). Matches CE 13.79.7 (the automatic alignment left it unmatched) with the variant स्वर्गलोके for CE goloke. Kept.

Verse 8 (13.115.8)

दश चोभयतः प्रेत्य मातापित्रोः पितामहान् । दधाति सुकृताँल्लोकान्पुनाति च कुलं नरः ॥

daśa cobhayataḥ pretya mātāpitroḥ pitāmahān | dadhāti sukṛtām̐llokānpunāti ca kulaṃ naraḥ

After death he establishes ten of the forefathers on both sides, his father's and his mother's, in worlds won by good deeds, and he purifies his family.

Verse 9 (13.115.9)

धेन्वाः प्रमाणेन समप्रमाणां । धेनुं तिलानामपि च प्रदाय । पानीयवापीः स यमस्य लोके । न यातनां काञ्चिदुपैति तत्र ॥

dhenvāḥ pramāṇena samapramāṇāṃ | dhenuṃ tilānāmapi ca pradāya | pānīyavāpīḥ sa yamasya loke | na yātanāṃ kāñcidupaiti tatra

Having given a cow made of sesame seeds, equal in size to a living cow, he finds ponds of water in the world of Yama and meets no torment there.

Note on the text: Four lines, as CE 13.79.9a, c (CE star lines 13,079.009d*0377_01-02 are not in Wikisource). Line 3 is a variant of CE 9c (pānīyadātā ca yamasya loke): Wikisource पानीयवापीः स यमस्य लोके.

Verse 10 (13.115.10)

पवित्रमग्र्यं जगतः प्रतिष्ठा । दिवौकसां मातरोऽथाप्रमेयाः । अन्वालभेद्दक्षिणतो व्रजेच्च । दद्याच्च पात्रे प्रसमीक्ष्य कालम् ॥

pavitramagryaṃ jagataḥ pratiṣṭhā | divaukasāṃ mātaro'thāprameyāḥ | anvālabheddakṣiṇato vrajecca | dadyācca pātre prasamīkṣya kālam

The cows are the supreme purifier, the support of the world, the immeasurable mothers of the gods. One should touch them with reverence, walk keeping them to the right, and give them to a worthy recipient, having judged the right time.

Verse 11 (13.115.11)

धेनुं सवत्सां कपिलां भूरिशृङ्गीं । कांस्योपदोहां वसनोत्तरीयाम् । प्रदाय तां गाहति दुर्विगाह्यां । याम्यां सभां वीतभयो मनुष्यः ॥

dhenuṃ savatsāṃ kapilāṃ bhūriśṛṅgīṃ | kāṃsyopadohāṃ vasanottarīyām | pradāya tāṃ gāhati durvigāhyāṃ | yāmyāṃ sabhāṃ vītabhayo manuṣyaḥ

A man who gives a tawny cow with her calf, large-horned, with a bronze milking-pail and a cloth as her covering, enters Yama's assembly, so hard to enter, free from fear.

Note on the text: Four lines, as CE 13.79.11a, c.

Verse 12 (13.115.12)

सुरूपा बहुरूपाश्च विश्वरूपाश्च मातरः । गावो मामुपतिष्ठन्तामिति नित्यं प्रकीर्तयेत् ॥

surūpā bahurūpāśca viśvarūpāśca mātaraḥ | gāvo māmupatiṣṭhantāmiti nityaṃ prakīrtayet

"Mothers of beautiful form, of many forms, of every form: may the cows attend me" — thus one should always proclaim.

Note on the text: Corrected बहुरूपाश्चि → बहुरूपाश्च (misprint in Wikisource; a stray vowel sign on the conjunct; the word is बहुरूपाश्च, CE 'bahurūpāś ca').

Verse 13 (13.115.13)

नातः पुण्यतरं दानं नातः पुण्यतरं फलम् । नातो विशिष्टं लोकेषु भूतं भवितुमर्हति ॥

nātaḥ puṇyataraṃ dānaṃ nātaḥ puṇyataraṃ phalam | nāto viśiṣṭaṃ lokeṣu bhūtaṃ bhavitumarhati

There is no gift more meritorious than this, no fruit more meritorious than this; nothing in the worlds can be superior to it.

Verse 14 (13.115.14)

त्वचा लोम्नाऽथ शृङ्गैर्वा वालैः क्षीरेण मेदसा । यज्ञं वहति सम्भूय किमस्त्यभ्यधिकं ततः ॥

tvacā lomnā'tha śṛṅgairvā vālaiḥ kṣīreṇa medasā | yajñaṃ vahati sambhūya kimastyabhyadhikaṃ tataḥ

With hide, hair, horns, tail-hair, milk and fat, they together carry the sacrifice; what could be greater than that?

Note on the text: Variant: वहति for CE vahanti, and शृङ्गैर्वा for CE śṛṅgaiś ca; kept.

Verse 15 (13.115.15)

यया सर्वमिदं व्याप्तं जगत्स्थावरजङ्गमम् । तां धेनुं शिरसा वन्दे भूतभव्यस्य मातरम् ॥

yayā sarvamidaṃ vyāptaṃ jagatsthāvarajaṅgamam | tāṃ dhenuṃ śirasā vande bhūtabhavyasya mātaram

I bow my head to that cow by whom all this world, moving and unmoving, is pervaded, the mother of the past and the future.

Verse 16 (13.115.16)

गुणवचनसमुच्चयैकदेशो । नृवर मयैष गवां प्रकीर्तितस्ते । न च परमिह दानमस्ति गोभ्यो । भवति न चापि परायणं ततोऽन्यम् ॥

guṇavacanasamuccayaikadeśo | nṛvara mayaiṣa gavāṃ prakīrtitaste | na ca paramiha dānamasti gobhyo | bhavati na cāpi parāyaṇaṃ tato'nyam

O best of men, this is only one part of the heap of words in praise of the cows' virtues that I have told you. There is no gift here greater than cows, and nothing else is a greater refuge.

Note on the text: Four lines, as CE 13.79.16a, c.

Verse 17 (13.115.17)

वरमिदमिति भूमिपो विचिन्त्य । प्रवरमृषेर्वचनं ततो महात्मा । व्यसृजत नियतात्मवान्द्विजेभ्यः । सुबहु च गोधनमाप्तवांश्च लोकान् ॥

varamidamiti bhūmipo vicintya | pravaramṛṣervacanaṃ tato mahātmā | vyasṛjata niyatātmavāndvijebhyaḥ | subahu ca godhanamāptavāṃśca lokān

Thinking, "This is the best," that great-souled king, self-controlled, accepted the sage's excellent counsel, gave away a great store of cattle to Brahmins, and won the worlds.

Note on the text: Four lines, as CE 13.79.17a, c.