FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.17.3

विदुर उवाच कस्माद्दधार गोरूपं धरित्री बहुरूपिणी । यां दुदोह पृथुस्तत्र को वत्सो दोहनं च किम् ॥ ३ ॥
vidura uvāca
[vidura uvaacha]
kasmād dadhāra go-rūpaṁ
[kasmaad dadhaara go-roopam]
dharitrī bahu-rūpiṇī
[dharitree bahu-roopinee]
yāṁ dudoha pṛthus tatra
[yaam dudoha prithus tatra]
ko vatso dohanaṁ ca kim
[ko vatso dohanam cha kim]
Word-for-word
viduraḥ uvāca — Vidura inquired kasmāt — why dadhāra — took go-rūpam — the shape of a cow dharitrī — the earth bahu-rūpiṇī — who has many other forms yām — whom dudoha — milked pṛthuḥ — King Pṛthu tatra — there kaḥ — who vatsaḥ — the calf dohanam — the milking pot ca — also kim — what.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
vidura uvāca
viduraḥ uvāca
Vidura inquired
kasmād dadhāra go-rūpaṁ
kasmāt
why
dadhāra
took
go-rūpam
the shape of a cow
dharitrī bahu-rūpiṇī
dharitrī
the earth
bahu-rūpiṇī
who has many other forms
yāṁ dudoha pṛthus tatra
yām
whom
dudoha
milked
pṛthuḥ
King Pṛthu
tatra
there
kaḥ
who
ko vatso dohanaṁ ca kim
vatsaḥ
the calf
dohanam
the milking pot
ca
also
kim
what.
Vidura inquired from the great sage Maitreya: My dear brāhmaṇa, since mother earth can appear in different shapes, why did she take the shape of a cow? And when King Pṛthu milked her, who became the calf, and what was the milking pot?
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Vidura said: Why did the cow, who takes many forms, whom Pṛthu milked, take the form of the earth? Who was the calf and what was the milk pot?
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Vidura asks: since earth can take many shapes, why a cow? Who was the calf, what was the milking pot? Honest curiosity dignifies even the mechanics of sacred imagery.
Reflection Questions
  • Where am I lazy about the mechanics of a sacred story when curiosity would deepen me?
  • Which 'cow shape' in a familiar story have I never asked about?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

← Read full Chapter 17