History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v3.c40.61.4

v3.c40.61.4

A cow was said to be holy in all limbs except her mouth (Medhātithi on Manu V. 128 quotes 'gāvo medhyā mukhād-ṛte') and so Manu V. 124 requires food smelt or licked by a cow to be purified. Manu XI. 79 says that if one sacrifices one's life in defence of brāhmaṇas and cows one becomes free from the sin of even brāhmaṇa murder. Viṣṇu Dh. S. 16. 18 declares that even an untouchable (bāhya) went to heaven by giving his life in defence of brāhmaṇas, cows, women and children. Vide Viṣṇu Dh. S. 3. 45 also. In Gaut. IX. 13-14 the cow is referred to as *devatā*. As early as the 2nd century A.D. we have the collocation of the words 'go-brāhmaṇahita' (the welfare of cows and brāhmaṇas) in an inscription of Rudradāman (E. I. vol. VIII. p. 44). Vide Gupta inscriptions p. 89 (for 'go-brāhmaṇa-purogābhyaḥ sarvaprajābhyaḥ). These words also occur frequently in the Rāmāyaṇa (Bālakāṇḍa 26. 5, Araṇya 23. 28) and in the Matsyapurāṇa 104. 16. The Kapilā (brown) cow was said to be the most auspicious and meant for providing milk for agnihotra and brāhmaṇas, and the śūdra who used its milk was deemed to go to hell (vide Vṛddha-Gautama p. 568).