Atharva Veda's mantras
Protection of the cows is not a new concept. We can find a written text which describes and gives a special value to the cow. The following sukta is taken from the Atharva Veda describing the Cosmic form of an ox and a cow. Their quality is sattvic – pure, nourishing, life-giving. They are intelligent and alert, yet by nature they are relaxed. This beautiful hymn glorifies cows in an amazing way.
It is important to understand that these Vedic verses were written more than 5000 years ago. Even in that time, people were trying to protect cows by assigning them amazing Cosmic form. One can only wonder – if at that time people were protecting the cows, can we not also do so today?
अथर्वेद ९ काण्ड-७ सूक्त
(ऋषि: ब्रह्मा । देवता गौ:।)
ATHARVĒDA - KĀṆḌA 9 - SŪKTA 7
(ṚṢIḤ BRAHMĀ . DĒVATĀ GAUḤ)
Extolling the Virtues of the Cow
प्रजापतिश्च परमेष्ठी च शृङ्गे इन्द्र: शिरो अग्निर्ललाटं यम: कृकाटम् ॥१॥
सोमो राजा मस्तिष्को द्यौरुत्तरहनु: पृथिव्यधरहनु:॥२॥
विद्युज्जिह्वा मरुतो दंता रेवतीर्ग्रीवा: कृत्तिका स्कन्धा धर्मो वह:॥३॥
विश्वं वायु: स्वर्गो लोक: कृष्णद्रं विधरणी निवेष्य: ॥४॥
prajāpatiśca paramēṣṭhī ca śṛṅgē indraḥ śirō agnirlalāṭam yamaḥ kṛkāṭam ||1||
sōmō rājā mastiṣkō dyauruttarahanuḥ pṛthivyadharahanuḥ ||2||
vidyujjihvā marutō dantā rēvatīrgrīvāḥ kṛttikā skandhā dharmō vahaḥ ||3||
viśvam vāyuḥ svargō lōkaḥ kṛṣṇadram vidharaṇī nivēṣyaḥ ||4||
Prajāpati and the most exalted one are the two horns; Indra the head; Agni the forehead; Yama the neck joint. ||1||
Moon is the brain; the sky the upper jaw; the earth the lower jaw. ||2||
Lightning is the tongue; the Maruts the teeth; the Revatī the neck; the Kṛṭikā the shoulders; the Sun the withers. ||3||
Vāyu is all the limbs; the heavenly world its abode; the spinal cord is Rudra. ||4||
श्येन: क्रोडोऽन्तरिक्षं पाजस्यं बृहस्पति: ककुद् बृहती: कीकसा:॥५॥
देवानां पत्नी: पृष्टय उपसद: पर्शव:॥६॥
मित्रश्च वरुणश्चांसौ त्वष्टा चार्यमा च दोषणी महादेवो बाहू॥७॥
इन्द्राणी भसद् वायु: पुच्छं पवमानो बाला:॥८॥
śyēnaḥ krōḍō'ntarikṣam pājasyaṁ bṛhaspatiḥ kakud bṛhatīḥ kīkasāḥ ||5||
dēvānām patnīḥ pṛṣṭaya upasadaḥ parśavaḥ ||6||
mitraśca varuṇaścāṁsau tvaṣṭā cāryamā ca dōṣaṇī mahādēvō bāhū ||7||
indrāṇī bhasad vāyuḥ pucchaṁ pavamānō bālāḥ ||8||
The falcon is the breast; the atmosphere the belly; Bṛhaspati the hump; the brhatis the vertebrae. ||5||
The spouses of the gods the back; the attendants the ribs. ||6||
Both, Mitra and Varuṇa are the shoulders; both Taṣṭā and Aryaman the shanks, Mahādev the fore-legs. ||7||
Indrāṇī the buttocks; Vāyu the tail; the purifying (soma) the fur. ||8||
ब्रह्म च क्षत्रं च श्रोणी बलमूरू॥९॥
धाता च सविता चाष्ठीवंतौ जङ्घा गन्धर्वा अप्सरस: कुष्ठिका अदिति: शफा:॥१०॥
चेतो हृदयं यकृन्मेधा व्रतं पुरीतत्॥११॥
क्षुत् कुक्षिरिरा वनिष्ठु: पर्वता: प्लाशय:॥१२॥
brahma ca kṣatram ca śrōṇī balamūrū ||9||
dhātā ca savitā cāṣṭhīvantau jaṅghā gandharvā apsarasaḥ kuṣṭhikā aditiḥ śaphāḥ ||10||
cētō hṛdayaṁ yakṛnmēdhā vrataṁ purītat ||11||
kṣut kukṣirirā vaniṣṭhuḥ parvatāḥ plāśayaḥ ||12||
Both the Brahman and the Kśatria are the hips; force the thighs. ||9||
Dhātā and Savitā are the knee joints; the Gandharvas the calves; the Apsaras the dewclaws; Aditi, the hoofs. ||10||
Thought is the heart; wisdom the liver; ceremony the bowels. ||11||
Hunger is the stomach; food the large intestines and mountains the small intestines. ||12||
क्रोधो वृक्कौ मन्युराण्डौ प्रजा शेप:॥१३॥
नदी सूत्री वर्षस्य पतय स्तना स्तनयित्नुरूध:॥१४॥
विश्वव्यचाश्चर्मौषधयो लोमानि नक्षत्राणि रूपम् ॥१५॥
देवजना गुदा मनुष्या आन्त्राण्यत्रा उदरम्॥१६॥
krōdhō vṛkkau manyurāṇḍau prajā śēpaḥ ||13||
nadī sūtrī varṣasya pataya stanā stanayitnurūdhaḥ ||14||
viśvavyacāścarmauṣadhayō lōmāni nakṣatrāṇi rūpam ||15||
dēvajanā gudā manuṣyā āntrāṇyatrā udaram ||16||
Anger is the kidneys; fury the testicles; progeny the virile member. ||13||
Rivers are the uterus; Lord of the rain the udder and thunder the teats. ||14||
All pervasive Śakti is skin; herbs hairs; constellations form. ||15||
The gods are rectum; humans intestines and Yakṣas stomach. ||16||
रक्षांसि लोहितमितरजना ऊबध्यम्॥१७॥
अभ्रं पीबो मज्जा निधनम्॥१८॥
अग्निरासनि उत्थितोऽश्विना॥१९॥
इन्द्र: प्राङ्तिष्ठन् दक्षिणा तिष्ठन् यम:॥२०॥
rakṣā̃si lōhitamitarajanā ūbadhyam ||17||
abhraṁ pībō majjā nidhanam ||18||
agnirāsani utthitō'śvinā ||19||
indraḥ prāṅtiṣṭhan dakṣiṇā tiṣṭhan yamaḥ ||20||
Demons are blood; other living beings are the contents of bowels. ||17||
The cloud is fat and Death is marrow. ||18||
Agnidev when sitting; the two Aświns when standing. ||19||
Indra when standing eastward; Yama when standing southward. ||20||
प्रत्यङ् तिष्ठन् धातोदङ् तिष्ठन् सविता॥२१॥
तृणानि प्राप्त: सोमो राजा॥२२॥
मित्र ईक्षमाण आवृत्त आनन्द:॥२३॥
युज्यमानो वैश्वदेवो युक्त: प्रजापतिर्विमुक्त: सर्वम्॥२४॥
एतद् वै विश्वरूपं सर्वरूपं गोरूपम्॥२५॥
उपैनं विश्वरूपा: सर्वरूपा: पशवस्तिष्ठन्ति य एवं वेद॥२६॥
pratyaṅ tiṣṭhan dhātōdaṅ tiṣṭhan savitā ||21||
tṛṇāni prāptaḥ sōmō rājā ||22||
mitra īkṣamāṇa āvṛtta ānandaḥ ||23||
yujyamānō vaiśvadēvō yuktaḥ prajāpatirvimuktaḥ sarvam ||24||
ētad vai viśvarūpam sarvarūpam gōrūpam ||25||
upainaṁ viśvarūpāḥ sarvarūpāḥ paśavastiṣṭhanti ya ēvaṁ vēda ||26||
Dhata when standing westward; Savita when standing northward. ||21||
While grazing is the Lord of the constellations; the Moon, king Soma. ||22||
Mitradev when looking; bliss when turned away. ||23||
Belonging to all gods when being yoked to the plough or cart; Prajapati when yoked and when free can become anything. ||24||
That is the cosmic form of all, of everything, and that is also the form of the cow. ||25||
The one who really knows this form of everything, all kinds of animals (cattle) come to him. ||26||
