SB 1.17.9 (1965)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT No. 9
- Ma sourebheyatra sucho byetu te vrisalad bhayam
- Ma rodir amba bhadram te khalanam maye sastavi.
ENGLISH SYNONYMS
Ma—Do not, Sourebheya—oh the son of Surabhi, Atra—in my kingdom, Sucho—lament, Byetu—Let there be no, Te—your, Vrisalad—by the Sudra, Bhayam—causes of fear, Ma—do not, Rodir—cry, Amba—mother cow, Bhadram—all good, Te—unto you, Khalanam—of the envious, Maye—while I am living, Sastari—the ruler or subduer.
TRANSLATION
Oh the son of Surabhi, you need not lament any more now; there is no cause of your being afraid of from this lower class Sudra. And oh mother cow so long I am living as the ruler and subduer of all envious, there is no cause for your crying; there is everything good for you.
PURPORT
Protection of the bulls and the cow or for the matter of that all other animals can only be possible when there is a state ruled over by an executive head like Maharaj Parikshit. Maharaj Parikshit addresses the cow as mother just as a cultured twice-born Kshatriya King. Surabhi is the name of the cow which exists in the spiritual planets and specially reared by Lord Sri Krishna Himself. As men are made after the form and feature of the Supreme Lord, so also the cows are made after the form and feature of the Surabhi cow in the spiritual kingdom. In the material world the human society gives all protection to the life of the human being but there is no law for protecting the life of the descendants of Surabhi which can give all protection to the human being by supplying the miracle food Milk. But a pious king like Maharaj Parikshit or the Pandavas were fully conscious of the importance of the cow and bull and they were prepared to punish the cow-killer with all chastisement including death. There had been sometimes agitation for protection of the cow but for want of pious executive heads and suitable law in the state, the cow and the bull could not be given protection by the agitators. The human society may, therefore, recognise the importance of cow and the bull and thus may give all protections to these important animals in the human society following the foot prints of Maharaj Parikshit. By such protection to the cow and the Brahminical culture, the Lord who is very kind to the cow and the Brahmins (go Brahmana hitaya), will be pleased upon us and will bestow upon us real peace.