FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.64.13

పయస్వినీస్తరుణీ: శీలరూప- గుణోపపన్నా: కపిలా హేమశ‍ృఙ్గీ: । న్యాయార్జితా రూప్యఖురా: సవత్సా దుకూలమాలాభరణా దదావహమ్ ॥ ౧౩ ॥
payasvinīs taruṇīḥ śīla-rūpa-
[payasvinees taruneeh sheela-roopa-]
guṇopapannāḥ kapilā hema-sṛṅgīḥ
[gunopapannaah kapilaa hema-sringeeh]
nyāyārjitā rūpya-khurāḥ sa-vatsā
[nyaayaarjitaa roopya-khuraah sa-vatsaa]
dukūla-mālābharaṇā dadāv aham
[dukoola-maalaabharanaa dadaav aham]
payaḥ - vinīḥ — having milk taruṇīḥ — young śīla — with good behavior rūpa — beauty guṇa — and other qualities upapannāḥ — endowed kapilāḥ — brown hema — gold śṛṅgīḥ — with horns nyāya — fairly arjitāḥ — earned rūpya — silver khurāḥ — with hooves sa - vatsāḥ — together with their calves dukūla — fine cloth mālā — with garlands ābharaṇāḥ — adorned dadau — gave aham — I .
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
payasvinīs taruṇīḥ śīla-rūpa-
payaḥ - vinīḥ
having milk
taruṇīḥ
young
śīla
with good behavior
rūpa
beauty
guṇopapannāḥ kapilā hema-sṛṅgīḥ
guṇa
and other qualities
nyāyārjitā rūpya-khurāḥ sa-vatsā
upapannāḥ
endowed
kapilāḥ
brown
hema
gold
śṛṅgīḥ
with horns
nyāya
fairly
dukūla-mālābharaṇā dadāv aham
arjitāḥ
earned
rūpya
silver
khurāḥ
with hooves
sa - vatsāḥ
together with their calves
dukūla
fine cloth
mālā
with garlands
ābharaṇāḥ
adorned
dadau
gave
aham
I .
  • payaḥ - vinīḥ — milk-laden
    Payas (milk) + the suffix denoting possession. Go-dāna is meaningless if the cow is dry — the gift must serve the recipient's actual life. Gauḍīyas extend this principle to all dāna: the gift must fit the recipient's real need.
  • nyāya - arjitāḥ — earned by fair means
    Nyāya (justice, propriety) + arjita (earned). The dharma-śāstra requires that what is given in charity be acquired honestly. Nṛga emphasises this — making the failure in verse 16 all the sharper: an honest cowman who, despite his care, gave away one cow he did not own.
  • kapilāḥ — brown / tawny
    The kapilā cow is held especially auspicious in Vedic ritual; even today gauḍīya pūjā prefers her milk for abhiṣeka. Nṛga's gifts were of the best variety.
  • sa - vatsāḥ — with their calves
    Sa (with) + vatsa (calf). A cow given without her calf is dāna-doṣa — the gift must not break the cow's bond with her young. Nṛga observed every detail of correct dāna. The point is precisely how easily aparādha slipped past every observance.
Young, brown, milk-laden cows, who were well-behaved, beautiful and endowed with good qualities, who were all acquired honestly, and who had gilded horns, silver-plated hooves and decorations of fine ornamental cloths and garlands — such were the cows, along with their calves, that I gave in charity.
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Young, brown, milk-laden cows, who were well behaved, beautiful and endowed with good qualities, who were all acquired honestly, and who had gilded horns, silver-plated hooves and decorations of fine ornamental cloths and garlands—such were the cows, along with their calves, that I gave in charity.
Commentary

In this verse he describes in detail the cows.

Jīva Gosvāmī Gauḍīya
Commentary

After describing the unlimited number of cows he describes their qualities. They all had good natures (śīla), being easily controlled by their master. They were beautiful with good nourishment (rūpa). They always gave plentiful milk (guṇa). There are ten types of kapila cows. suvarṇa-kapilā pūrvā dvitīyā gaura-piṅgalā tṛtīya caiva raktākṣī caturthī guḍa-piṅgalā paṣcamī bahu-varṇā syāt ṣaṣtḥī syāt śveta-piṅgalā saptamī śveta-piṅgākṣi aṣṭamī kṛṣna-piṅgalā navamī pātalā jṣeyā daśamī pucccha-piṅgalā etā daśa samākhyātāḥ kapilās te varānane sarvāścaitā mahābhāgās tārayanti na sāṁśayaḥ The first is golden brown, the second is pale brown, the third has red eyes, the fourth is deep brown, the fifth is multi-colored, the sixth is white and brown, the seventh has light brown eyes, the eighth is black and brown, the ninth is pink and the tenth has a brown tail. O beautiful woman! These ten are called kapila cows. They are all most auspicious. By donating these cows one crosses saṁsāra without doubt. The order of the list of qualities is with increasing excellence. This will be stated later also. Not only that but they were well decorated with gold horns and silver hooves, and with cloth on their backs and ornaments. They had garlands made of jewels around their necks and were accompanied by calves. Thus they gave milk. They had been gathered by lawful means. He again states that he gave cows to reinforce his previous statement.

Related values
Dana (Charity / Generosity)Kshama (Forgiveness / Patience)Nyaya (Justice / Righteous Judgment)Asteya (Non-stealing / Honesty)Aparigraha (Non-possessiveness)
Related verses
Concepts
Jiva

A gift is read by Bhagavān not in the giving but in the texture of it — young cows, milk-laden, gentle-tempered, honestly earned, golden-horned, silver-hooved. Every adjective is a moral check. And yet, with all these checks in place, one cow that did not belong to the giver was enough to undo it.

📝 My note

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