Last Updated on August 12, 2024 by Tejaswini
Cattle were always considered precious, and even in the material sense. Human civilisation has been founded on the strength of these ancient bulls and cows.
Sanatan Dharma has elevated the desi bull and cow to the level of a deity. If you go to our genuine temples and especially in Dakshin Bharat, you will see living desi cows, calves and bulls being formally worshipped. Kamdhenu is a Devi and worshipped as a divine cow who emerged from the Samudra manthan. Similarly the bulls are worshipped as Maharaj Nandi who is depicted as the vahan of Bhagwan Shankar. An annual festival ‘Pola’ is celebrated where every household worships the bulls it owns. And on Go-vatsa dvadashi (Ashwin krishna paksha) cows and calves are worshipped.
Feeding desi cows, bulls or calf brings auspicious merit. And injuring or killing a desi bull, cow or a calf generates highly negative karma. ‘Desi cattle’ are the breeds indigenous to Bharat, the animals have a large hump, prominent neck folds, their skin is shiny, horns are large and beautiful etc. (Western breeds and half breed animals deserve protection as they are precious living beings but their inherent energies are lower than the desi breeds and not on the level of the deities.)
In Sanskrit, the word ‘Go’ गो generally is understood to mean cattle. Eg ‘Go Mata’ is understood to be a female cow who we adore as a mother. But Devbhasha Samskrutam is a palimpsest, there are layers and layers of meanings which depend on your ability to understand. Eg Ashva can mean a horse, Agni dev, Surya dev etc and the energies of these are also interconnected. So let’s see what the word ‘Go’ गो is really all about.
Go is the sky, ie the Akash mahabhoot, the conscious space which encloses everything and which can never be enclosed itself. In the Upanishads/ Tantra the Akash is mentioned several times as the nearest example indicating towards the Parabrahma.
Go is the voice, the energy of speech. It is the power of sound, ie the first perceptible creation itself. Thus Go also indicates the Vayu mahabhoot.
Go means the suns, stars and the constellations which are seen in the skies. And Go is also the internal Sun, the Hiranyapurush within, the destination of all spiritual seekers. Thus Go is also used to refer to the Agni mahabhoot.
Go is water, the Apah mahabhoot, the energy of the Jal tattva. And life just like flowing water a non stop flow of experience. The Sanskrit word ’Jivan’, which means ‘life’ also means water in Sanskrit.
Go is the body, the skin, the flesh, ie the manifested material, the stability of the earth itself. Thus Go is the Pruthvi mahabhoot.
Go is the thunderbolt weapon, the Vajra which Devraj Indra holds in his hands. Indra Dev is the individual soul, the jivatma itself. The esoteric meaning of the lightning flash of the Vajra is the rapid rise of the Kundalini when it is set to reach its final destination. The words Go and Vajra are also used for a diamond.
Go is the rays of light which emerge from the Sun. These are the seven main Sun rays, which represent the 7 chakras from Sahasrar to Muladhar, these are Go. But Go is also used to indicate a specific solar special ray called ‘Sushumna’. And as you know, the energy of self-identification – Kundalini has to find its way through a subtle nadi named ‘Sushumna’ in order to realise itself as the Eternal.
Go is also used to mean a bow string. The archer, the bow, the bow string and the target is an often used image for the the individual soul/ jivatma, chakras in the body, the mantra and the Eternal. The entire Bhagwat Gita of Bhagwan Krishna has this imagery as its foundation. You project yourself towards the target using the power of the mantra over the chakras.
Go is the eye. In the sense of the two physical eyes, it is Go who helps you experience this creation. And in the esoteric sense, the third eye, if developed correctly can turn you and me into a Seer, ie affirm Existence as the only non dual Reality.
Go refers to the heavens, the realm of the celestial beings, ie Svarga.
Go is one of the 9 divisions/ paths/ veethi of the ecliptic. And one of the quadrants of the compass. Thus in the larger sense Go represents the dimensions, ie the expanse of space.
Go is used in the context of a dwelling, a house in the sense of a shelter.
Go is also milk. And ‘milk’ in the Vedic language indicates the Mind/Manas. The Manas is purified of the dross so that finally it becomes eligible to receive the Atmajnyan, self realisation and remain immersed in it.
Go is Devi Sarasvati. She is the deity of speech and the deity of the foremost mantra of Sanatan Dharma, ie the Gayatri mantra. Go means the mother, the energy which manifests this creation from the unmanifested mass of energy. Go is also used as a name for Devi Parvati
Go is the esoteric name of the number 1 and also for the number 9. It is also used for the number one billion.
Go has hundreds of meanings, literal, esoteric, secret. It has a significant place in the Ved/ Nigam and the Tantra/ Agam. But even these few literal meanings of this word from the basic Sanskrit dictionaries are enough to give a glimpse of the tremendous power that the Go is connected to.
So when you sincerely worship the animal ‘Go’ गो you are also simultaneously invoking all fundamental energies of the ‘Go’ within you. If you hurt or kill a cow, ie do Go hatya you damage yourself on these deepest energy levels. And it will take lifetimes to repair the damage on the energy levels and these meanings of the ‘Go’ will not be accessible to you for a very long time.
Sanatan Dharma does not have any guilt and fear inducing concepts, there is no ‘wrath of god’ or ‘punishments from god’ here. You are free decide your route and your own actions are enough to make you experience ‘heaven’ or ‘hell’ right here on earth. Dharma in its broadest sense means accepting that what happens to us is a result of our own actions. Dharma means independence from others and dependence only on the self.
Sanatan Dharma is not a religion, it is a step wise syllabus incorporated in a lifestyle. Our daily activities are designed to make the maximum use of the energies swirling around us. So do read more about Sanatan Dharma, understand these expansive concepts and try to follow a Dharmic lifestyle as much as you can. And the next time you see a desi cow, bull or calf do acknowledge the ‘Go’ whose living embodiment it is.
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