“Cow is a mother? Seriously?”
That’s the reaction.
People laugh. Some find it quaint. Others find it backward. Most assume it’s either:
But let’s go deeper.
Because in Sanātana Dharma, the word “mother” (mātā) is not casual language.
It is a theological category.
And the cow’s inclusion in that category—as Gau Mātā (गौ माता)—is not arbitrary reverence. It’s documented recognition of a specific functional relationship between the cow and civilization, rooted in:
The cow is called “mother” for the same reason the Earth is called mother.
Not because of emotion—because of sustained nourishment and life-support.
In Hindu Dharma, motherhood is not limited to biological gestation.
Mātā (माता) is a theological designation for that which sustains life through continuous nourishment.
The tradition recognizes Sapta Mātā (सप्त माता) — Seven Mothers:
1. Janani Mātā (जननी माता) – The Biological Mother
2. Guru Patnī (गुरु पत्नी) – The Teacher’s Wife
3. Rāja Patnī (राज पत्नी) – The King’s Wife / Queen
4. Deśa Mātā (देश माता) – The Motherland
5. Dhenu / Gau Mātā (धेनु / गौ माता) – The Cow
6. Pṛthvī Mātā (पृथ्वी माता) – The Earth
7. Vedamātā (वेदमाता) – Mother Veda / Knowledge as Mother
All seven share one defining characteristic:
Sustained nourishment without requiring destruction of the source.
The cow is included deliberately.
The reason is documented in śāstra.
📖 Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva 75.19
Sanskrit (Devanāgarī):
गावो विश्वस्य मातरः ॥Sanskrit (IAST Transliteration):
Gāvo viśvasya mātaraḥTranslation:
“The cows are the mothers of the universe.”
Who is speaking?
Bhīṣma (भीष्म) — the eldest Kuru, lying on a bed of arrows after the Kurukshetra war, is imparting his final teachings on Dharma to King Yudhiṣṭhira.
What is Anuśāsana Parva?
The 13th book of the Mahābhārata, also called the “Book of Instructions” or “Book of Precepts.”
After 18 days of catastrophic war, Yudhiṣṭhira is king—but devastated by the destruction. Bhīṣma, waiting for the auspicious uttarāyaṇa (northward journey of the sun) to leave his body, uses these final days to transmit comprehensive knowledge of:
What does Anuśāsana Parva say about cows?
According to the Parva, “several chapters are dedicated to cows, their importance to household’s food security, agriculture and wealth”.
Bhīṣma explains:
The declaration “Gāvo viśvasya mātaraḥ” comes in this context—not as poetic hyperbole, but as dharmic principle.
Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva (Various Sections):
“A vaishya should protect all animals especially the cow and the bull. These two are the mother and father of all mankind.”
Why “mother” AND “father”?
Together, they sustain civilization.
Throughout the Ṛgveda (ऋग्वेद), cows are repeatedly called Aghnyā (अघ्न्या).
Etymology:
Meaning: “Not to be killed” / “Unslayable” / “Inviolable”
Rigveda References:
Ṛgveda 1.164.27:
अघ्न्येयं सा वर्धतां महते सौभगाय“May this Aghnyā cow thrive for great prosperity.”
Ṛgveda 5.83.8:
सुप्रपाणं भवत्वघ्न्यायाः“There should be excellent facility for pure water for the Aghnyā cow.”
Ṛgveda 10.87.16:
यः पौरुषेयेण क्रविषा समङ्क्ते योऽश्वेन पशुना यातुधानः ।
योऽघ्न्यायाः भरति क्षीरमग्ने तेषां शीर्षाणि हरसापि वृश्च ॥“Those who feed on human, horse, or animal flesh, and those who destroy the milk-giving Aghnyā cows—O Agni, sever their heads.”
The Rigveda—humanity’s oldest surviving text—explicitly:
✓ Designates cows as protected beings (aghnyā) ✓ Associates cow protection with prosperity (saubhāgya) ✓ Prescribes severe punishment for cow-killing ✓ Links cow welfare to civilizational health
This isn’t later interpolation or medieval reform.
This is Vedic foundation.
The key to understanding why the cow is called “mother” lies in how motherhood is defined in Dharmic thought:
Mother = That which sustains life continuously without requiring its own destruction.
Compare:
The cow:
Animals typically used for meat:
The cow provides more value alive than dead—and over years, not moments.
This is sustainable resource management encoded in theological language.
In Vedic society (roughly 1500–500 BCE), civilization functioned through:
1. Agriculture (Kṛṣi – कृषि)
2. Yajna (यज्ञ – Ritual Fire Sacrifice)
3. Milk Products (Pañcagavya – पञ्चगव्य)
The logical sequence:
The cow (and bull) are embedded in the foundational loop.
Remove them, and the entire system collapses.
This is why they’re “mothers”—not sentimentally, but structurally.
Wealth in Vedic society was measured in cattle:
The Sanskrit word Go-dhana (गोधन) literally means “cow-wealth.”
Cattle = Capital
Just as modern economies measure wealth in currency or land, Vedic economy measured it in cattle.
Why?
Because cattle:
Brahmins (ब्राह्मण) — the priestly class — had a vested interest in cow protection:
Why?
Because yajna required ghee, and ghee came from cows.
Without cows:
Thus, cow protection became religiously encoded.
But this wasn’t cynical manipulation—it was civilizational wisdom.
Protecting the source of:
…was protecting survival itself.
Modern scholarship has debated whether Vedic Hindus ate beef.
The claim: Some scholars cite verses suggesting animal sacrifice (paśubandha) in yajnas, including cattle.
The counter-claim: Traditional interpreters argue these references are either:
Vedic Evidence:
✓ Cows repeatedly called aghnyā (not to be killed) ✓ Severe punishments prescribed for cow-killing ✓ Prayers for cow prosperity ✓ Association of cows with wealth and well-being
Possible Exceptions:
Some texts reference rituals like Gomedha (गोमेध) — literally “cow sacrifice.”
Traditional Explanation:
“Gomedha yajna is a Vedic sacrifice in which an old cow was sacrificed and then brought back to life in a young body by chanting the Vedic hymns. The sacrifice was just meant to prove the efficacy of the hymns.”
Not meat consumption—ritual demonstration of Vedic power.
By the time of classical Hinduism (500 BCE onward):
Whatever ambiguities existed in early Vedic practice, by the Puranic/Epic period, cow protection was absolute.
The Mahābhārata’s declaration—“Gāvo viśvasya mātaraḥ”—reflects this settled position.
Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद) — India’s traditional medicine system — extensively uses Pañcagavya (पञ्चगव्य): the five products of the cow.
The Five Products:
1. Milk (Kṣīra – क्षीर)
2. Curd/Yogurt (Dadhi – दधि)
3. Ghee (Ghṛta – घृत)
4. Urine (Mūtra – मूत्र)
5. Dung (Gomaya – गोमय)
Ayurvedic texts like Caraka Saṁhitā and Suśruta Saṁhitā prescribe cow products for hundreds of conditions.
This medical utility reinforced the cow’s “mother” status—she doesn’t just feed, she heals.
In industrialized, urbanized societies:
The cow’s civilizational function has been replaced.
So the reverence seems irrational.
But for 3,000+ years of Indian civilization, the cow was:
✓ Primary food source (milk, ghee, curd) ✓ Agricultural engine (bulls plowing fields) ✓ Ritual enabler (ghee for yajnas) ✓ Fuel source (dried dung for cooking fires) ✓ Fertilizer source (manure for fields) ✓ Medicine source (Ayurvedic Pañcagavya) ✓ Building material (dung-plastered walls and floors)
Remove the cow, and civilization stops.
That’s why she’s called “mother.”
While the functional explanation is primary, Puranic and later traditions added theological layers:
1. Kamadhenu (कामधेनु) – The Wish-Fulfilling Cow
In Hindu mythology, Kamadhenu is the divine cow that grants all desires.
She emerged during the Samudra Manthana (churning of the cosmic ocean) and resides in the heavens.
All earthly cows are considered descendants or manifestations of Kamadhenu.
2. All Deities Reside in the Cow
Later texts claim that all 33 crore (330 million) deities reside in different parts of the cow’s body:
This is theological maximization—making the cow the embodiment of all divine presence.
3. Pṛthvī Mātā Takes Cow Form
In the Puranas, when the Earth (Pṛthvī) is oppressed by demons, she takes the form of a cow and approaches Viṣṇu for protection.
Symbolism: Earth and Cow are functionally equivalent—both sustain life.
Cow protection remains active in modern India:
Constitutional Recognition:
Article 48 of the Indian Constitution (Directive Principles of State Policy) states:
“The State shall endeavour to organize agriculture and animal husbandry on modern and scientific lines and shall, in particular, take steps for preserving and improving the breeds, and prohibiting the slaughter of cows and calves and other milch and draught cattle.”
State Laws:
Most Indian states have cow slaughter bans with varying degrees of enforcement.
Gaushalas (गौशाला) – Cow Shelters:
Thousands of cow shelters across India care for:
Run by:
Cow-related festivals and practices:
Govatsa Dvādaśī (गोवत्स द्वादशी):
Gopāṣṭamī (गोपाष्टमी):
Daily Practices:
The continuity from Vedic period to present day demonstrates the depth of civilizational memory.
The title Gau Mātā (गौ माता) is a civilizational recognition of:
1. Sustained Nourishment
2. Agricultural Foundation
3. Ritual Centrality
4. Medical Utility
5. Ecological Wisdom
6. Scriptural Authority
The cow’s “mother” status is not:
It is:
It’s civilizational recognition of sustained nourishment and life support.
Most people hear “Gau Mātā” and assume:
But the tradition is more precise.
Motherhood in Sanātana Dharma is a theological category defined by:
Sustained nourishment and life support without requiring destruction of the source.
The cow qualifies because:
✓ Provides daily milk (sustained nourishment) ✓ Bull powers agriculture (food production foundation) ✓ Yields ghee (ritual and cooking essential) ✓ Offers Pañcagavya (medicinal/purification) ✓ Continues giving while alive (sustainable resource)
This is documented in:
The title “Gau Mātā” is:
Not poetic metaphor.
It is civilizational recognition of sustained nourishment and ritual centrality.
It is rooted in Itihāsa and Veda.
Jayanth Dev is an author writing on Hindu scriptures, Sanatana Dharma, and mythological narratives through books, long-form articles, and explanatory talks.
His work focuses on examining scriptural ideas in context—drawing from the Vedas, Upanishads, and Puranas to clarify commonly misunderstood concepts and traditions. Across both fiction and non-fiction, he approaches Sanatana thought as a living framework rather than a static belief system.
Jayanth is the author of I Met Parashurama, Escaping the Unknown, and the Dhantasura series.
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