Devanagari
गावो वृषा वत्सतरा हरिद्रातैलरूषिता: ।
विचित्रधातुबर्हस्रग्वस्त्रकाञ्चनमालिन: ॥ ७ ॥
Verse text
gāvo vṛṣā vatsatarā
haridrā-taila-rūṣitāḥ
vicitra-dhātu-barhasrag-
vastra-kāṣcana-mālinaḥ
Synonyms
gāvaḥ
—
the cows
;
vṛṣāḥ
—
the bulls
;
vatsatarāḥ
—
the calves
;
haridrā
—
with a mixture of turmeric
;
taila
—
and oil
;
rūṣitāḥ
—
their entire bodies smeared
;
vicitra
—
decorated varieties of
;
dhātu
—
colored minerals
;
barha
—
srak — peacock-feather garlands
;
vastra
—
cloths
;
kāṣcana
—
golden ornaments
;
mālinaḥ
—
being decorated with garlands .
Translation
The cows, the bulls and the calves were thoroughly smeared with a mixture of turmeric and oil, mixed with varieties of minerals. Their heads were bedecked with peacock feathers, and they were garlanded and covered with cloth and golden ornaments.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The cows, the bulls and the calves were thoroughly smeared with a mixture of turmeric and oil, mixed with varieties of minerals. Their heads were bedecked with peacock feathers, and they were garlanded and covered with cloth and golden ornaments.
KB 10.5.7
All the cows, bulls and calves were smeared with a mixture of oil and turmeric and painted with minerals like red oxide, yellow clay and manganese. They wore garlands of peacock feathers and were covered with nice colored cloths and gold necklaces.
Purport
The Supreme Personality of Godhead has instructed in
Bhagavad-gītā
(18.44)
,
kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma-svabhāvajam:
“Farming, cow protection and trade are the qualities of work for the
vaiśyas.
” Nanda Mahārāja belonged to the
vaiśya
community, the agriculturalist community. How to protect the cows and how rich this community was are explained in these verses. We can hardly imagine that cows, bulls and calves could be cared for so nicely and decorated so well with cloths and valuable golden ornaments. How happy they were. As described elsewhere in the
Bhāgavatam,
during Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira’s time the cows were so happy that they used to muddy the pasturing ground with milk. This is Indian civilization. Yet in the same place, India, Bhārata-varṣa, how much people are suffering by giving up the Vedic way of life and not understanding the teachings of
Bhagavad-gītā.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Rusita means anointed with.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Sometimes the word ca is added to the verse. This indicates that not only were the cows ornamented but the calves and bulls as well. And even the buffalos were ornamented.