Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.5.7
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesCow Protection Brings Care and Happiness
“The cows, the bulls and the calves were thoroughly smeared with a mixture of turmeric and oil, mixed with varieties of minerals. Their heads were bedecked with peacock feathers, and they were garlanded and covered with cloth and golden ornaments.”
What the purport teaches
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead instructs that farming, cow protection, and trade are the work of the vaiśyas. Nanda Mahārāja belonged to this agricultural community.
- The cows, bulls, and calves were carefully adorned with turmeric, oil, colored minerals, feathers, garlands, cloth, and gold ornaments. Their care showed the community’s wealth and their happiness.
- The purport contrasts this care with the suffering caused by abandoning the Vedic way of life. It urges understanding the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā.
Try this today
Write down one concrete way you could support the care and protection of cows.
Ask yourself
What does this description teach me about the importance of protecting cows?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.