अनपत्यमल्पपशुं वशा कृणोति पूरुषम् । ब्राह्मणैश्च याचितामथैनां निप्रियायते
The cow makes a man without offspring and with few cattle; and when asked by Brahmins, she becomes not dear to him.
अग्नीषोमाभ्यां कामाय मित्राय वरुणाय च । तेभ्यो याचन्ति ब्राह्मणास्तेष्वा वृश्चतेऽददत्
For desire, to Agni and Soma, to Mitra and Varuna, the Brahmins ask; among them, he prospers who gives.
यावदस्या गोपतिर्नोपशृणुयादृचः स्वयम् । चरेदस्य तावद्गोषु नास्य श्रुत्वा गृहे वसेत्
As long as the master of cattle does not himself listen to the verse, let him wander among the cows; after hearing, he should not dwell in the house.
यो अस्या ऋच उपश्रुत्याथ गोष्वचीचरत्। आयुश्च तस्य भूतिं च देवा वृश्चन्ति हीडिताः
Who, having heard the verse, wanders among the cows, the gods, invoked, take away his life and prosperity.
वशा चरन्ती बहुधा देवानां निहितो निधिः । आविष्कृणुष्व रूपाणि यदा स्थाम जिघांसति
The cow, wandering in many ways, is the treasure placed for the gods; reveal your forms when the master intends to kill.
आविरात्मानं कृणुते यदा स्थाम जिघांसति । अथो ह ब्रह्मभ्यो वशा याञ्च्याय कृणुते मनः
She makes herself manifest when the master intends to kill; then she turns her mind to asking from the Brahmins.
{२१} मनसा सं कल्पयति तद्देवामपि गच्छति । ततो ह ब्रह्माणो वशामुपप्रयन्ति याचितुम्
With his mind he forms the intention, and thus he attains that very goddess; then indeed, the Brāhmaṇas come to her power to beg.
स्वधाकारेण पितृभ्यो यज्ञेन देवताभ्यः । दानेन राजन्यो वशाया मातुर्हेडं न गच्छति
By the rite of oblation to the ancestors, by sacrifice to the gods, and by giving gifts, the Kṣatriya approaches the power; but he does not incur his mother's reproach.
वशा माता राजन्यस्य तथा संभूतमग्रशः । तस्या आहुरनर्पणं यद्ब्रह्मभ्यः प्रदीयते
The cow is the mother of the Kṣatriya, thus she is born first; they say that what is given to the Brāhmaṇas from her is not to be withheld.
यथाज्यं प्रगृहीतमालुम्पेत्स्रुचो अग्नये । एवा ह ब्रह्मभ्यो वशामग्नय आ वृश्चतेऽददत्
Just as, having taken clarified butter, one offers it into the ladles for Agni, so indeed the fires draw forth the cow for the Brāhmaṇas, having given her.
पुरोडाशवत्सा सुदुघा लोकेऽस्मा उप तिष्ठति । सास्मै सर्वान् कामान् वशा प्रददुषे दुहे
Like a cake offered in sacrifice, the cow stands in this world as a good milker; she grants and yields to him all desires.
सर्वान् कामान् यमराज्ये वशा प्रददुषे दुहे । अथाहुर्नारकं लोकं निरुन्धानस्य याचिताम्
All desires in the realm of Yama the cow grants and yields; then they say, for one who withholds when asked, a hellish world is secured.
प्रवीयमाना चरति क्रुद्धा गोपतये वशा । वेहतं मा मन्यमानो मृत्योः पाशेषु बध्यताम्
Driven away, the cow moves about angrily for her master; thinking, 'Let him be bound in the nooses of death who drives her away.'
यो वेहतं मन्यमानोऽमा च पचते वशाम् । अप्यस्य पुत्रान् पौत्रांश्च याचयते बृहस्पतिः
Whoever, thinking he is driving her away, slaughters the cow or cooks her, Bṛhaspati himself may beg from him his sons and grandsons.
महदेषाव तपति चरन्ती गोषु गौरपि । अथो ह गोपतये वशाददुषे विषं दुहे
Great indeed is her heat, wandering among the cows, she is truly a cow; and so, for the master of the cows, from the cow they milk out poison.
प्रियं पशूनां भवति यद्ब्रह्मभ्यः प्रदीयते । अथो वशायास्तत्प्रियं यद्देवत्रा हविः स्यात्
What is given to the Brāhmaṇas becomes dear to the cattle; and so, for the cow, that is dear which, as an offering, is for the gods.
{२२} या वशा उदकल्पयन् देवा यज्ञादुदेत्य । तासां विलिप्त्यं भीमामुदाकुरुत नारदः
The cows which the gods prepared, arising from the sacrifice, Nārada made their ointment, terrible, from among them.
तां देवा अमीमांसन्त वशेया३ अवशेति । तामब्रवीन् नारद एषा वशानां वशतमेति
The gods considered her, 'Is she to be enjoyed or not to be enjoyed?' Nārada said to them, 'She is the most enjoyable among cows.'
कति नु वशा नारद यास्त्वं वेत्थ मनुष्यजाः । तास्त्वा पृच्छामि विद्वांसं कस्या नाश्नीयादब्राह्मणः
How many cows, O Nārada, born among men do you know? I ask you, O learned one, of which one should a non-Brāhmaṇa not eat?
विलिप्त्या बृहस्पते या च सूतवशा वशा । तस्या नाश्नीयादब्राह्मणो य आशंसेत भूत्याम्
Of the ointment-cow, O Bṛhaspati, and the charioteer's cow, a non-Brāhmaṇa should not eat, if he desires prosperity.
नमस्ते अस्तु नारदानुष्ठु विदुषे वशा । कतमासां भीमतमा यामदत्त्वा पराभवेत्
Homage to you, Nārada, knower of the rite of the cow; which among them is the most terrible, by giving which one would be ruined?
विलिप्ती या बृहस्पतेऽथो सूतवशा वशा । तस्या नाश्नीयादब्राह्मणो य आशंसेत भूत्याम्
The ointment-cow, O Bṛhaspati, and the charioteer's cow—a non-Brāhmaṇa should not eat of her, if he desires prosperity.
त्रीणि वै वशाजातानि विलिप्ती सूतवशा वशा । ताः प्र यच्छेद्ब्रह्मभ्यः सोऽनाव्रस्कः प्रजापतौ
There are indeed three kinds of cows: the ointment-cow, the charioteer's cow, and the ordinary cow; these he should give to the Brāhmaṇas—he is not excluded from the sacrifice of Prajāpati.
एतद्वो ब्राह्मणा हविरिति मन्वीत याचितः । वशां चेदेनं याचेयुर्या भीमाददुषो गृहे
Let this be your oblation, O Brāhmaṇas, so should one think when asked; if they ask him for a cow, let him give the one that is most terrible in the house.
देवा वशां पर्यवदन् न नोऽदादिति हीडिताः । एताभिर्ऋग्भिर्भेदं तस्माद्वै स पराभवत्
The gods surrounded the cow of plenty, not giving her to us, though praised; with these hymns they broke her, and thus he was defeated.
उतैनां भेदो नाददाद्वशामिन्द्रेण याचितः । तस्मात्तं देवा आगसोऽवृश्चन्न् अहमुत्तरे
But the breaker did not take the cow of plenty, though he begged Indra; therefore the gods cut him off from the act, and I from the later ones.
ये वशाया अदानाय वदन्ति परिरापिणः । इन्द्रस्य मन्यवे जाल्मा आ वृश्चन्ते अचित्त्या
Those who, for the giving of the cow of plenty, speak with flattery—Indra's anger, like a net, cuts them off in their folly.
ये गोपतिं पराणीयाथाहुर्मा ददा इति । रुद्रस्यास्तां ते हेतीं परि यन्त्यचित्त्या
Those who say, 'Do not give the cow of the herdsman, drive him away,'—let the weapons of Rudra surround them in their ignorance.
यदि हुतां यद्यहुताममा च पचते वशाम् । देवान्त्सब्राह्मणान् ऋत्वा जिह्मो लोकान् निर्ऋच्छति
Whether he cooks the cow of plenty offered or not offered, or eats her himself, he, crooked in rite, casts out gods, priests, and sacrificers from their worlds.
श्रमेण तपसा सृष्टा ब्रह्मणा वित्तर्ते श्रिता
Created by toil and austerity, established by Brahman, she stands firm in knowledge.