856
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 1, Ch. 16]
present moment in this age of Kali both the bull and the cow are now being slaughtered and eaten up as foodstuff by a class of men who do not know the brahminical culture. The bull and the cow can be protected for the good of all human society simply by spreading brahminical culture as the topmost perfection of all cultural affairs. By advancement of such culture, the morale of society is properly maintained, and so peace and prosperity are also attained without extraneous effort. When brahminical culture deteriorates, the cow and bull are mistreated, and the resultant actions are prominent by the following symptoms.
TEXT 19
धर्म उवाच
कच्चिद्भद्रेऽनामयमात्मनस्ते
विच्छायासि म्लायतेषन्युखेन ।
आलक्षये भवतीमन्तराधि
दूरे बन्धुं शोचसि कञ्चनाम्ब ॥१९॥
dharma uvāca
kaccid bhadre 'nāmayam ātmanas te
vicchāyāsi mlāyateṣan mukhena
ālakṣaye bhavatīm antarādhim
dūre bandhum śocasi kañcanāmba
dharmaḥ uvāca —Dharma inquired;  kaccit —whether;  bhadre —madam;  anāmayam —quite hail and hearty;  ātmanaḥ —self;  te —unto you;  vicchāyāsi —appear to be covered with the shadow of grief;  mlāyatā —which darkens;  īṣat —slightly;  mukhena —by the face;  ālakṣaye —you look;  bhavatīm —unto yourself;  antarādhim —some disease within;  dūre —long distant;  bandhum —friend;  śocasi —thinking of;  kañcana —someone;  amba —O mother.
TRANSLATION
Dharma [in the form of a bull] asked: Madam, are you not hail and hearty? Why are you covered with the shadow of grief? It appears by your face that you have become black. Are you suffering from some internal disease, or are you thinking of some relative who is away in a distant place?