18
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 10, Ch. 6]
of protecting a child simply by taking help from the cow. As described here, they knew how to wave about the switch of a cow so as to protect the child from all types of danger. There are so many facilities afforded by cow protection, but people have forgotten these arts. The importance of protecting cows is therefore stressed by Kṛṣṇa in  Bhagavad-gītā  ( kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇiyam vaiśya-karma svabhāvajam ). Even now in the Indian villages surrounding Vṛndāvana, the villagers live happily simply by giving protection to the cow. They keep cow dung very carefully and dry it to use as fuel. They keep a sufficient stock of grains, and because of giving protection to the cows, they have sufficient milk and milk products to solve all economic problems. Simply by giving protection to the cow, the villagers live so peacefully. Even the urine and stool of cows have medicinal value.
TEXT 20
गोमूत्रेण स्नापयित्वा पुनर्गोरजसार्भकम् । रक्षां चक्रुश्च शक्रुता द्वादशाङ्गेषु नामभिः ॥२०॥
go-mūtreṇa snāpayitvā   punar go-rajasārbhakam   rakṣām cakruś ca śakṛtā   dvādaśāngeṣu nāmabhiḥ
go-mūtreṇa —with the urine of the cows;  snāpayitvā —after thoroughly washing;  punaḥ —again;  go-rajasā —with the dust floating because of the movements of the cows;  arbhakam —unto the child;  rakṣām —protection;  cakruḥ —executed;  ca —also;  śakṛtā —with the cow dung;  dvādaśa-angeṣu —in twelve places ( dvādaśa-tilaka );  nāmabhiḥ —by imprinting the holy names of the Lord.
TRANSLATION
The child was thoroughly washed with cow urine and then smeared with the dust raised by the movements of the cows. Then different names of the Lord were applied with cow dung on twelve different parts of His body, beginning with the forehead, as done in applying tilaka. In this way, the child was given protection.