Gomatha and Bhumatha

Just as the real mother and Gomatha give milk, the earth produces grains, metals etc and more than anything else, gives water. That is why the earth is called Bhumatha. Our ancestors perceived motherhood in cow and the earth which appears inert and called them Gomatha and Bhumatha. It also happened that Bhumath herself took the form of Gomatha.

It was the time when Dwapara Yuga was about to end and just before Kali was to begin. When the cruelties inflicted by asuras became too much, Bhumatha could not bear it. At such a time, Bhumatha along with Brahma went to Mahavishnu and prayed to Him and as a result Mahavishnu took avathar as Krishna. The puranas say that Bhumatha took the form of Gomatha and went to Vishnu because she thought it would be possible to move the heart of Mahavishnu and make him come down for protection only if she went to him not as his wife, Bhumatha, but in the form of Gomatha who enjoyed greater love and sympathy. In accordance with that the Lord came as ‘Gopala’ and moved closely with cows.

‘Go’ also means the earth. Krishna was a ‘Purna Avatharam’. Bhagawan has also taken avathars by showing only one of his aspects. According to Bhagavatham, Bhagawan had twenty four avathars.

Of these, other than the ten avathars (Dasavatharam) which all of us know, the remaining fourteen are avathars of one or the other of the aspects (amsa). One such ‘amsa avathar’ was Brudhu Chakravarthi. He was the one who had organized the state, towns etc. In Bhagavatham, it is said that he saw Bhumatha in the form of Gomatha and made everyone receive from her the wealth that each wanted making use of his swadharma as the calf.

I have said this to show what great love Bhagawan had for the form of cow. Similarly, the cows also had great love for Bhagawan. When Bhagawan as Venugopala was keeping his left foot in the vertical position, a cow would be licking the lotus like bottom of that foot. This could be seen in paintings.