गोशास्त्रम्

Scripture on Cow

Verses of reverence drawn from the Vedas and the great treatises of Ayurveda — on the cow as mother, as wealth, and as the abode of prosperity.

Across the Vedas, the Samhitas of Ayurveda, and the Smriti literature, the cow — go — is honoured not merely as an animal of the household, but as a living symbol of nourishment, gentleness, and abundance. She is called mother, she is called wealth, and she is called sacred beyond ordinary reckoning.

What follows is a curated collection of these verses in their original Sanskrit, with their English meaning and the theme each teaching carries forward.

Rigveda

ऋग्वेद

The oldest of the four Vedas — its hymns place the cow among the most exalted symbols of prosperity and sanctity.

Rigveda 6.28.1

गावो भगो गाव इन्द्रो मे अच्छान्
गावः सोमस्य प्रथमस्य भक्षः।
इमा या गावः स जनास इन्द्र
इच्छामि हृदा मनसा चिदिन्द्रम्॥

"Cows are indeed prosperity. Cows are a blessing. Cows are the first offering in sacred nourishment. Through these cows, O Indra, may prosperity and abundance come to us."

Cow as Wealth Cow as Prosperity Cow as Nourishment

Rigveda 1.164.40

माता रुद्राणां दुहिता वसूनां
स्वसा आदित्यानाममृतस्य नाभिः।

"The Cow is the mother of the Rudras, daughter of the Vasus, sister of the Adityas, and the very centre of immortality."

Sacred Status Highest Vedic Praise

Rigveda 10.87.16

मा गामनागामदितिं वधिष्ट।

"Do not injure the innocent cow, who is like Aditi, the universal mother."

Protection Ahimsa Toward the Cow

Yajurveda

यजुर्वेद

The Veda of sacrificial formulas gives the cow its most direct ethical injunction — as brief as it is enduring.

Yajurveda 13.49

गां मा हिंसीः।

"Do not harm the cow." — one of the shortest, yet most widely quoted, injunctions in the Vedic corpus.

Ethics Non-Violence

Yajurveda 36.18

मित्रस्य मा चक्षुषा सर्वाणि भूतानि समीक्षन्ताम्।

"May all beings look upon one another with the eyes of friendship." The ethical foundation for compassion toward all living creatures, cattle among them.

Compassion Universal Kinship

Atharvaveda

अथर्ववेद

Home to an entire hymn devoted to the cow, celebrated here as the very dwelling place of prosperity.

Atharvaveda 9.4.17

धेनुः सदनं रयीणाम्।

"The Cow is the abode of prosperity."

Prosperity

Atharvaveda 11.1 · The Cow Hymn

This extended hymn returns again and again to the cow's role at the centre of Vedic life: Life-giving, Nourishing, Sustaining society, Worthy of protection.

Vedic Hymn

Samaveda

सामवेद

The Samaveda is chiefly a liturgical compilation, its verses drawn from the Rigveda and rendered for chant during sacred ritual. It offers no separate theology of its own on the cow — its references, inherited from the Rigveda, carry forward the same enduring symbols of nourishment, abundance, and prosperity.

Charaka Samhita · Ayurveda

चरकसंहिता

The foundational treatise of Ayurvedic medicine turns to the cow for its account of nourishment and vitality.

Sutrasthana 27

गव्यं पयः जीवनीयम्।
क्षीरं श्रेष्ठं जीवनीयानाम्।

"Cow's milk is life-promoting." · "Milk is foremost among all life-promoting foods."

Nutrition Longevity Strength Ojas · Vital Essence

Sushruta Samhita · Ayurveda

सुश्रुतसंहिता

The classical treatise of surgery and medicine describes cow's milk as sweet, unctuous, and life-supporting.

Sutrasthana 45

क्षीरं मधुरं स्निग्धं जीवनीयम्।

"Milk is sweet in nature, nourishing, unctuous, and life-supporting."

Longevity Intelligence Strength Immunity Tissue Nourishment

Parashara Smriti

पराशरस्मृति

Commonly Cited Teaching

गावः सर्वसुखप्रदाः।

"Cows are the bestowers of every kind of welfare." Note: this phrase is widely quoted in traditional literature; editions of the source text vary, and it should be verified against a specific edition before citation with a verse number.

Welfare Traditional Attribution

At a Glance

Summary of Teachings

Every verse gathered above, in a single reading.

Scripture	Theme	Key Teaching
Rigveda 6.28.1	Cow as Wealth	"Cows are indeed prosperity. Cows are a blessing. Cows are the first offering in…
Rigveda 1.164.40	Sacred Status	"The Cow is the mother of the Rudras, daughter of the Vasus, sister of…
Rigveda 10.87.16	Protection	"Do not injure the innocent cow, who is like Aditi, the universal mother."
Yajurveda 13.49	Ethics	"Do not harm the cow." — one of the shortest, yet most widely quoted,…
Yajurveda 36.18	Compassion	"May all beings look upon one another with the eyes of friendship." The ethical…
Atharvaveda 9.4.17	Prosperity	"The Cow is the abode of prosperity."
Atharvaveda 11.1 · The Cow Hymn	Vedic Hymn	This extended hymn returns again and again to the cow's role at the centre…
Sutrasthana 27	Nutrition	"Cow's milk is life-promoting." · "Milk is foremost among all life-promoting foods."
Sutrasthana 45	Longevity	"Milk is sweet in nature, nourishing, unctuous, and life-supporting."
Commonly Cited Teaching	Welfare	"Cows are the bestowers of every kind of welfare." Note: this phrase is widely…