वाचं धेनुम् उपासीत तस्याः चत्वारः स्तनाः स्वाहाकारः वषट्कारः हन्तकारः स्वधाकारः तस्यै द्वौ स्तनौ देवाः उपजीवन्ति स्वाहाकारं च वषट्कारं च हन्तकारं मनुष्याः स्वधाकारं पितरः तस्याः प्राणः ऋषभः मनः वत्सः
vācaṃ dhenum upāsīta tasyāḥ catvāraḥ stanāḥ svāhākāraḥ vaṣaṭkāraḥ hantakāraḥ svadhākāraḥ tasyai dvau stanau devāḥ upajīvanti svāhākāraṃ ca vaṣaṭkāraṃ ca hantakāraṃ manuṣyāḥ svadhākāraṃ pitaraḥ tasyāḥ prāṇaḥ ṛṣabhaḥ manaḥ vatsaḥ
Speech should be venerated as a milch cow. Her four teats are the calls "svāhā", "vaṣaṭ", "hanta", "svadhā". By two of her teats the gods live — by "svāhā" and "vaṣaṭ"; by "hanta", men; by "svadhā", the fathers. Her bull is the breath, her calf the mind.
53fc6d267d2f · publicado 27 jul 2026, 1:21:57 UTC
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The vidyā of speech-as-cow: holy Vāc has four teats — four liturgical calls: svāhā and vaṣaṭ give drink to the gods (the calls of the oblations), hanta to men ("here, take" — the word of hospitable sharing!), svadhā to the fathers (the call of memorial offerings). One cow feeds three worlds by three channels of ritual speech.
And the cow's family: her bull is prāṇa (speech is impregnated by breath), her calf is the mind (a cow gives milk when her calf is by: with a living mind, speech yields milk!). The whole order of pious speech is gathered into one cattle-yard image of marvellous exactness: tend the cow that is your speech, pasture the calf of the mind beside her, and three worlds will be fed by your word.