Spiritual(Śrīdhara Svāmī)
Verse 1
मातर्नमामि चरणांस्तव पावनांश्च
संसारनावैतिय हृदभावभक्त्या ।
पारं नायशु तवपुत्रमिमं सुरीत्या
संसारसिन्धु-तरणं हि तवाश्रेयण ॥ १॥
mātar namāmi caraṇāṁs tava pāvanāṁś ca
saṁsāra-nāvā iti ya hṛda-bhāva-bhaktyā
pāraṁ nāyaśu tava putram imaṁ surītyā
saṁsāra-sindhu-taraṇaṁ hi tavāśrayeṇa
mātar—O mother (cow); namāmi—I bow, I offer obeisances; caraṇān—feet; tava—Your; pāvanān—pure, sanctifying; ca—and; saṁsāra-nāvā—the boat to cross worldly existence; iti—thus; yaḥ—who; hṛda-bhāva-bhaktyā—with heartfelt devotion; pāram—the other shore (liberation); nāyaśu—may lead, carry; tava putram—Your son (the devotee, or the protected one); imam—this (myself); surītyā—by proper conduct, good means; saṁsāra-sindhu—ocean of birth and death; taraṇam—crossing, deliverance; hi—indeed; tava āśrayeṇa—by taking shelter of You.
O Mother Cow, I bow down to Your holy feet. You are the boat to cross the ocean of birth and death. With heartfelt devotion I beg you to kindly carry me, Your child, across this ocean of saṁsāra, which is only possible by taking shelter of You.
Verse 2
देवाश्च देव्य इतिय निवसन्ति धेनौ
गोपूजनेन निखिलाश्च भवन्ति तृप्ताः ।
आयुघृतं पय इदं भवतीह वीर्य
मातः स्तुतासी बहुधा श्रुतिभिस्त्वमित्थम् ॥ २॥
devāś ca devya iti ya nivasanti dhenau
go-pūjanena nikhilāś ca bhavanti tṛptāḥ
āyuḥ ghṛtaṁ paya idaṁ bhavatīha vīryaṁ
mātaḥ stutāsi bahudhā śrutibhis tvam ittham
devāḥ—the gods; ca—and; devyaḥ—the goddesses; iti—thus; yaḥ nivasanti—who dwell; dhenau—within the cow; go-pūjanena—by worship of the cow; nikhilāḥ—all; ca—and; bhavanti—become; tṛptāḥ—satisfied; āyuḥ—life; ghṛtam—ghee; payaḥ—milk; idam—this; bhavati—is; iha—here; vīryam—potency, strength; mātaḥ—O Mother; stutā asi—You are praised; bahudhā—in many ways; śrutibhiḥ—by the Vedas; tvam—You; ittham—thus.
All the gods and goddesses dwell in the cow; by worshiping her, all become satisfied. From her come life-giving ghee and milk that gives strength. O Mother, You are thus glorified in many ways by the Vedas.
Verse 3
ओजो धृतिः सुमतिरेवमतीवशान्तिर्ज्ञानं च
भक्तिरपि नित्यमदैन्यमेवम् ।
मातस्त्वदीय पयसो घृततस्ततस्तद्
वाञ्छन्ति नित्यममराः कीमुत्यान्यमर्त्याः॥ ३॥
ojo dhṛtiḥ sumatir eva matīva śāntir
jñānaṁ ca bhaktir api nityam adainyam evam
mātas tvadīya payaso ghṛtatas tatas tad
vāñchanti nityam amarāḥ kim uta anyamartyāḥ
ojaḥ—vigor; dhṛtiḥ—fortitude; sumatiḥ—good intelligence; eva—indeed; matiḥ—wisdom; eva—also; śāntiḥ—peace; jñānam—knowledge; ca—and; bhaktiḥ—devotion; api—also; nityam—eternally; adainyam—absence of meanness, nobility; evam—in this way; mātaḥ—O Mother; tvadīya—Your; payasaḥ—milk; ghṛtataḥ—and ghee; tataḥ-tataḥ—again and again, from them; tat—that (wealth of virtues); vāñchanti—desire; nityam—always; amarāḥ—the immortals, gods; kim uta—what to speak of; anya-martyāḥ—other mortals.
From Your milk and ghee arise vigor, fortitude, intelligence, peace, knowledge, devotion, and noble qualities. Even the gods constantly desire these gifts from You — what to speak of ordinary mortals.
Verse 4
अग्निर्यथेङ्घनमिदं स्तुतपञ्चगव्यं
पापं तथा दहति सत्यमितीह मत्वा ।
मातः पिबन्ति खलु वेदरताश्च विप्राः
पुष्णासि पासि सकलान्परिशुद्धदेहा ॥ ४॥
agnir yathā iṅghanam idaṁ stuta-pañcagavyaṁ
pāpaṁ tathā dahati satyam iti iha matvā
mātaḥ pibanti khalu veda-ratāś ca viprāḥ
puṣṇāsi pāsi sakalān pariśuddha-dehāḥ
agniḥ—fire; yathā—just as; iṅghanam—wood, fuel; idam—this; stuta—praised; pañca-gavyam—the five products of the cow (milk, curd, ghee, urine, dung); pāpam—sin; tathā—thus; dahati—burns away; satyam—truly; iti—thus; iha—here; matvā—considering; mātaḥ—O Mother; pibanti—drink; khalu—indeed; veda-ratāḥ—absorbed in the Vedas; ca—and; viprāḥ—the brāhmaṇas; puṣṇāsi—You nourish; pāsi—You protect; sakalān—all; pariśuddha-dehāḥ—purified in body.
Just as fire consumes wood, so do the five products of the cow, when honored, burn away sins. Knowing this truth, the learned brahmanas drink these five products. O Mother, You nourish and protect all, purifying their very bodies.
Verse 5
यम वर्णयन्ति निखिलाः श्रुतयः सदैव
ब्रह्मेति कृष्णभगवान् स हि देवदेवः ।
सेवां तवेह कृतवान् किमु माद्रुशाश्च
किं वर्णयामि तव भाग्यमितो महात्म्यम् ॥ ५॥
yam varṇayanti nikhilāḥ śrutayaḥ sadaiva
brahma iti kṛṣṇa-bhagavān sa hi deva-devaḥ
sevāṁ taveha kṛtavān kimu mādṛśāś ca
kiṁ varṇayāmi tava bhāgyam ito mahātmyam
yam—whom; varṇayanti—describe; nikhilāḥ—all; śrutayaḥ—the Vedas; sadaiva—always; brahma iti—as Brahman; kṛṣṇa-bhagavān—Lord Kṛṣṇa; saḥ hi—He indeed; deva-devaḥ—the God of gods; sevām—service; tava—Your; iha—here; kṛtavān—has performed; kimu—what then of; mādṛśāḥ—persons like me; ca—and; kiṁ—what; varṇayāmi—shall I describe; tava bhāgyam—Your fortune; itaḥ—beyond this; mahātmyam—Your greatness.
All the Vedas always describe that the Supreme is Brahman, and He is Lord Kṛṣṇa, the God of gods. Even He has rendered service to you, O cow — so what can insignificant persons like me say of your great fortune and glory?
Verse 6
कुर्वन् सेवा प्रत्यहं भाव-भक्त्य
स्तोत्रं धेनोर्यः पठेदर्थ-युक्तः ।
प्राप्य ज्ञानं भक्तिमैश्वर्यमेवं
देहारोग्यं मोदते मोदते च ॥ ६ ॥
kurvan sevāṁ pratyahaṁ bhāva-bhaktyā
stotraṁ dhenor yaḥ paṭhed artha-yuktaḥ
prāpya jñānaṁ bhakti-maiśvaryam evaṁ
deha-arogyaṁ modate modate ca
kurvan—doing, rendering; sevām—service; pratyaham—daily; bhāva-bhaktyā—with sincere devotion; stotram—this hymn; dhenoḥ—of the cow; yaḥ—who; paṭhet—recites; artha-yuktaḥ—with understanding of the meaning; prāpya—having obtained; jñānam—knowledge; bhakti-maiśvaryam—devotion and prosperity; evam—thus; deha-arogyam—bodily health; modate—rejoices; modate ca—and delights.
Whoever daily serves with heartfelt devotion and recites this hymn to the cow, with understanding, attains knowledge, devotion, prosperity, and health of body — and lives in bliss.
Sridhara Svami —
The Esteemed Commentator and Devotee
Sridhara Svam (c. 14th century) is one of the most revered Vaiṣṇava teachers of medieval India, remembered above all for his celebrated commentary on the Srimad-Bhagavatam, the Bhavartha-dipika.
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu declared:
śrīdhara-svāmi-prasāde ‘bhāgavata’ jāni
jagad-guru śrīdhara-svāmī ‘guru’ kari’ māni
“Sridhara Svam is the spiritual master of the entire world because by his mercy we can understand Srimad-Bhagavatam.” (Cc. Antya 7.133).
In addition to his Bhagavatam commentary, Sridhara Svami composed hymns and stotras that reflect his devotion. Among them is the Dhenu Stotra, a prayer to Mother Cow. Here the cow is praised not only as the sustainer of human life through her milk but also as a divine being, linked to Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune, and Brahmā, the secondary creator of the universe.
For Sridhara Svam, the cow embodies dharma itself, nourishing both body and spirit, and serving as a reminder of humanity’s duty to protect and honor her.