Go Śānti in the Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa

A śānti is a ritual for peace and protection that calms harmful influences. Go means cow or cattle. Chapter 39 of the Dvitīya Khaṇḍa (second part) of the Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa teaches the Go-śānti, a ritual of divine protection for cattle.

It comes after the Go-cikitsā, the text’s chapters on the medical treatment of cattle (Chapters 36–38). The teacher Pushkara explains that the divine side of caring for cattle must also be looked after. This is done through special śānti rites that please the devas who watch over cattle and remove any harmful influences from the herd.

Why the Ritual Is Needed

Pushkara teaches that cattle diseases may have natural causes, such as diet, infection or injury, but they often have a divine or astrological side as well. The account of Nandaka and Lohadānava, taught for elephants, has its parallel for cattle: some diseases that keep coming back despite proper treatment show a subtle interference from harmful forces. The Go-śānti removes this subtle cause.

The Go-śānti is performed:

  • At the start of each new season (ṛtu-sandhi), to protect the herd through the coming months
  • When disease breaks out in the herd despite proper care
  • When several cattle die or fall ill without a clear natural cause
  • At the birth of a specially auspicious calf, such as a white calf, to protect it

The Ritual

Where and when: In the cattle shed (gośālā) at dawn, facing east.

The devas invoked:

  • Surabhi: the divine cow, mother of all cattle. Her blessing is the main aim
  • Indra: as Pāvana, who purifies cattle through the rain; he is called on for healthy pasture
  • Varuṇa: for pure water, which cattle need more than any other animal
  • Bhagavān Vishṇu: especially as Govardhanadhārī, the one who lifted Mount Govardhana, and as Gopāla, the protector of cows

Steps:

  1. The officiating purohita first purifies himself, with a bath and sandhyāvandana (the daily prayers at dawn)
  2. The gośālā is cleaned and purified with water mixed with cow-dung
  3. A small fire is lit with clean wood in the middle of the gośālā
  4. The Surabhi-sūkta (hymn to Surabhi) is recited and Surabhi is invoked
  5. Offerings of milk, ghee and particular herbs are made into the fire
  6. The purohita touches each animal on the forehead, a simple physical blessing
  7. A mixture of herbs (vacā, harītakī and gorocana, a sacred substance taken from cow’s bile) is dissolved in water and sprinkled on the cattle
  8. The purohita walks once around the whole herd while chanting

For one sick animal: The animal is kept apart, and the Go-śānti is performed for that animal alone. The herbs are given to it as part of its food.

The Sacred Place of the Cow

At the end of the chapter Pushkara repeats the principle that makes the Go-śānti necessary: the cow is not just a farm animal. All the devas and all the tīrthas (holy places) are present in her body. The milk she gives is Bhagavān Vishṇu’s grace in liquid form, feeding the bodies of human beings. Caring for cows with this understanding turns the work of looking after animals into a form of pūjā.

A king who keeps his herds healthy and performs the Go-śānti regularly is doing something equal to a yajña: he is supporting the well-being of his whole kingdom in keeping with dharma.

Sources

  • Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa, Uttarārdha (Dvitīya Khaṇḍa), Chapter 39