34
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 9, Ch. 2]
master;  kṛtaḥ —having been engaged;  pālayām āsa —he protected;  gāḥ —cows;  yattaḥ —so engaged;  rātryām —at night;  vīrāsana-vrataḥ —taking the vow of  vīrāsana , standing with a sword.
TRANSLATION
Among these sons, Prṣadhra, following the order of his spiritual master, was engaged as a protector of cows. He would stand all night with a sword to give the cows protection.
PURPORT
One who becomes  vīrāsana  takes the vow to stand all night with a sword to give protection to the cows. Because Prṣadhra was engaged in this way, it is to be understood that he had no dynasty. We can further understand from this vow accepted by Prṣadhra how essential it is to protect the cows. Some son of a  kṣatriya  would take this vow to protect the cows from ferocious animals, even at night. What then is to be said of sending cows to slaughterhouses? This is the most sinful activity in human society.
TEXT 4
एकदा प्राविशद् गोष्ठं शार्दूलो निशि वर्षति ।
शयाना गाव उत्थाय भीतास्ता बभ्रमुर्वजे ॥ ४ ॥
ekadā prāviśad goṣṭham śārdūlo niśi varṣati śayānā gāva utthāya bhītās tā babhramur vraje
ekadā —once upon a time;  prāviśat —entered;  goṣṭham —the land of the cowshed;  śārdūlaḥ —a tiger;  niśi —at night;  varṣati —while it was raining;  śayānāḥ —lying down;  gāvaḥ —cows;  utthāya —getting up;  bhītāḥ —fearing;  tāḥ —all of them;  babhramuḥ —scattered here and there;  vraje —in the land surrounding the cowshed.