Hindu Law and Custom (Recht und Sitte) c9.17

c9.17

"The five things of the cow" (pañcagavya) mentioned in this penance appear also in other penances, and thus almost everything what comes from this holy beast, even when in itself it is extremely impure, may be used as an instrument of purification and expiation. In the Govrata (Vi. 50, 24 etc.), the penance for killing a cow, the sinner should accompany the cows to the meadow and serve them in every way, inhale the dust raised by their hoofs, bring them into safety in case of inclement weather and danger even at the risk of his own life and live on nothing but the Pañcagavya. Even if one scratches the back of a cow and lets himself be wetted by the drops of water falling from the horns of a cow, one may derive thereby an expiating effect (Vi. 23, 59 f.).