Adopt a Cow

गावो मम पुरस्ताद् गावो मम पृष्ठतः । गावो मम पार्श्वतो भान्तु गवां मध्ये वसाम्यहम् ॥

“May cows stand before me, behind me, beside me. Among the cows, I shall always dwell.”

Maha:bha:ratha, Anusa:sana Parva

Surabhi — the celestial wish-fulfilling cow, daughter of Daksha, mother of all cows — emerged at the churning of the milk-ocean as the giver of every desire and every nourishment. Ka:madhe:nu is her form. The mantra above is recited at the gosala door because to dwell among cows is to dwell among de:vatha:s; their breath is the cooling fragrance of the heavens, their footprint a thi:rtha, their gaze a quiet blessing on the household.

गोषु मे मातृषु मातरः सर्वाः च जीवाः ॥

“All beings reside as mothers in the cow's body.”

Skanda & Padma Pura:na tradition

The Pura:nic tradition holds that the thirty-three koti de:vatha:s dwell in the body of the cow. The horns are the seat of Brahma: and Vishnu, the dewlap of Indra, the eyes of Su:rya and Candra, the hooves of the four Vedas, the hump of Rudra. To feed a cow is to perform yajna to all the gods at once. To strike a cow is to strike all the gods at once. This single conviction is the root of go-raksha: in our civilization.

धेनूनामस्मि कामधुक्

“Among cows, I am Ka:madhe:nu.”

Bhagavad Gi:tha: 10.28

Krishna's identity is inseparable from the cow. He is Govinda — the protector of cows. He is Go:pa:la — the cowherd. The Venu-Go:pa:la form lives among the herds of Vraja, and the cows lift their heads at the sound of his flute. In Bhagavad Gi:tha: 10.28 he declares that of all cows, he is Ka:madhe:nu herself. To love a cow, then, is to love Krishna; to protect a cow is to receive his protection.