Significance of Go-daana (Donating Cow), and Reason For Doing It

In Hinduism, Go Daana or Gho Dhanam has great significance. Most people assume that the term means ‘cow donation’. But the word ‘Gho’ is very versatile and has many meanings. It means Jnana or ‘knowledge’, Gaman or ‘traveling to one’s final destination’, Prapti or ‘to receive something,’ and Moksha or ‘liberation.’

So let us see how Go Dhanam has a deeper meaning than the commonly understood ‘cow donation’.

 

Sharing Knowledge

Sharing the knowledge one has with others is also gho dhanam. Knowledge, like money, is not meant to be hoarded and used only for one’s own benefit. One must share it with others. It is our duty to share our knowledge with as many people as possible before we leave this world. If we fail to do this, we cannot achieve liberation when we die.

 

Making progress

‘Gaman’ or ‘progress’ is another meaning of Gho. It means making progress in life. But it is not enough to make progress in our lives alone. It is also important to help others also move forward in their lives. This is real progress as per the Scriptures.

 

Receiving benefits

Prapti is about receiving. Whenever we receive something, it makes us happy. The beauty of donation is that the giver is also a receiver. All that we give to others will come back to us doubled or trebled. Hence, the more you give, the more you receive. Thus donation actually makes us richer, not poorer, whether we donate knowledge, money, food, or other things.

 

Attaining Moksha

Good progress is called Sadgati. In Sadgati, when we reach the final destination, we feel happy and fulfilled. This is possible only when we have made the best use of our life by doing things to benefit others. It paves the way for Moksha or liberation.

 

Importance of the cow

In India, the cow is an object of veneration. It is not just because all the 33 crore Hindu gods and goddesses are believed to reside within its body. It is also because the cow is seen as a mother. It gives us milk, ghee, butter, curd, and dung. All these things benefit us greatly. Cow’s milk is very nourishing. Ghee, butter, and curd are part of our diet. Dung is used as fertilizer. Cow urine is used to make medicines. Thus, the cow gives us all that it produces. Owning a cow, therefore, is a blessing, and it is seen as a symbol of prosperity.

Thus, when we bestow this blessing on a needy person, it is a very meritorious act. Cow donation helps a person to feed themselves and sustain their family.

 

Benefits of Cow Donation

Cow donation is said to be the purest and most powerful donation a person can make in their lifetime. Its benefits are many.

• One can get rid of sins or Paapa karma.
• Freedom from debts.
• Obtain forgiveness for wrongdoings.
• It helps one to cross the Vaitarani river after death.
• It helps one attain Moksha.
• The Cow in the Vedas

 

In the Vedic Shastras, every human being has 7 mothers.

1. One’s own mother

2. Rajapatni

3. Mother earth

4. Brahmin

5. Guru Patni

6. Nurse and

7. Cow.

 

The cow gives milk like a mother. Other products like milk, ghee, butter, curd, Gaumaya(cow-dung), and Gaumutram (cow’s urine) are also very useful. Panchagavya, a mixture of all these, is used in natural farming.

In Garuda Purana, the 47th chapter of the Preta Khanda talks about the Vaitarani river. When one dies, the soul leaves the body and crosses this river. But only people who have done good karmas and daans during their lifetime will be able to cross the river. The souls of those who have done Gho dhanam supposedly cross the Vaitarani river easily.

Gho Dhanam is an ancient practice. Kings would donate cows to Brahmins to gain merit. Nowadays, anyone can do cow donation online.