SB 10.13.24 — FolioCorpus

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.13.24

गावस्ततो गोष्ठमुपेत्य सत्वरं हुङ्कारघोषै: परिहूतसङ्गतान् । स्वकान् स्वकान् वत्सतरानपाययन् मुहुर्लिहन्त्य: स्रवदौधसं पय: ॥ २४ ॥

gāvas tato goṣṭham upetya satvaraṁ

[gaavas tato goshtham upetya satvaram]

huṅkāra-ghoṣaiḥ parihūta-saṅgatān

[hunkaara-ghoshaih parihoota-sangataan]

svakān svakān vatsatarān apāyayan

[svakaan svakaan vatsataraan apaayayan]

muhur lihantyaḥ sravad audhasaṁ payaḥ

[muhur lihantyah sravad audhasam payah]

Word-for-word

gāvaḥ — the calves tataḥ — thereafter goṣṭham — to the cow sheds upetya — reaching satvaram — very soon huṅkāra - ghoṣaiḥ — by making jubilant mooing sounds parihūta - saṅgatān — to call the cows svakān svakān — following their respective mothers vatsatarān — the respective calves apāyayan — feeding them muhuḥ — again and again lihantyaḥ — licking the calves sravat audhasam payaḥ — abundant milk flowing from their milk bags .

Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)

gāvas tato goṣṭham upetya satvaraṁ

gāvaḥ

the calves

tataḥ

thereafter

goṣṭham

to the cow sheds

upetya

reaching

satvaram

very soon

huṅkāra-ghoṣaiḥ parihūta-saṅgatān

huṅkāra - ghoṣaiḥ

by making jubilant mooing sounds

parihūta - saṅgatān

to call the cows

svakān svakān vatsatarān apāyayan

svakān svakān

following their respective mothers

vatsatarān

the respective calves

apāyayan

feeding them

muhur lihantyaḥ sravad audhasaṁ payaḥ

muhuḥ

again and again

lihantyaḥ

licking the calves

sravat audhasam payaḥ

abundant milk flowing from their milk bags .

Important Words

huṅkāra-ghoṣaiḥ — with their lowing sounds
Compound: huṅkāra (the 'huṁ' sound) + ghoṣa (loud sound). Vraja's cows speak in huṅkāra. Gauḍīyas note the resonance: huṁ is also a bīja-syllable in the rakṣā-mantras of verse 23 — Vraja's everyday sound and its mantra-sound interpenetrate.
lihantyaḥ — licking
Present participle of √lih. The cows lick the calves — the recurring Vraja gesture of cow-vātsalya. Gauḍīyas notice: even the animals in Vraja participate in the līlā with their characteristic vātsalya-signature.
sravat audhasam payaḥ — milk flowing from their udders
Phrase: sravat (flowing) + audhasa (udder) + payas (milk). The same somatic signal as the mothers' breast-milk in verse 22 — vātsalya's flow is universal in Vraja that year, in mothers and cows alike.
vatsatarān — the calves
Diminutive/intensive of vatsa — 'their dear calves.' The grammar itself is affectionate. Gauḍīyas hear in such diminutives the bhāva-saturation of Bhāgavata Sanskrit.
satvaram — very quickly
Adverb — 'with haste.' Vraja's mothers and cows do not pause; the body knows where the child is and goes. Gauḍīyas read satvaram as the speed-mark of vātsalya: it does not deliberate.

Thereafter, all the cows entered their different sheds and began mooing loudly, calling for their respective calves. When the calves arrived, the mothers began licking the calves’ bodies again and again and profusely feeding them with the milk flowing from their milk bags.

Purport

All the dealings between the calves and their respective mothers taking care of them were enacted by Kṛṣṇa Himself.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

Gauḍīya Ācāryas

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya

Translation

Thereafter, all the cows entered their different sheds and began mooing loudly, calling for their respective calves. When the calves arrived, the mothers began licking the calves' bodies again and again and profusely feeding them with the milk flowing from their milk bags.

Commentary

The bewilderment of the cows was similar to that of the mothers. First calling out for their calves, they then came close. The words satvara (quickly), muhur lihanti (licking continuously), muhu sravat (constantly flowing), give a hint of more affection than before.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya

Commentary

The extra affection of the cows for their calves is shown. The cows fed their calves though the calves had grown older (vatsatarān), because they were close to the calves and they had intense affection for them. Their udders were so filled with milk that the milk began to flow out. Their increased affection is indicated by the words sa-tvaram (quickly), muhuḥ (constantly) and sravad (flowing).

Related values & verses

Related values

Vairagya (Detachment / Dispassion)Tejas (Inner Radiance / Vigour)Anahankarah (Freedom from False Ego)

Related lectures

SB 10-13-24-37 - The Stealing of the Boys and Calves by Brahma - Gauranga Darshan Prabhu 2017-05-30
Bhaktivedanta Vidyapitha-Govardhan Eco Village· 2017-05-30· English
Gauranga Darshan Pr SB 10-13-24-37 - The Stealing of the Boys and Calves by Brahma - 2017-05-30
His Grace Gauranga Darshan Prabhu· 2017-05-30· English

Personal Guidance

Cows lick their calves and feed them — Kṛṣṇa is enacting both sides, mother and child, calf and cow. The Lord plays every role in the loving exchange because love itself is His nature.

Reflection Questions

In a recent moment of giving and receiving care, can I see Kṛṣṇa on both sides?
Where am I treating give-and-take as zero-sum when, in Him, both parties are blessed?

Analogy

A cow who lows for her calf even when the calf is across the meadow — the udder fills before reason permits. The Vraja cows, finding 'their' calves at the shed, lick them so urgently it is as if licking would bring them closer than even nursing can.

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io