Divine Beings
Surabhi
सुरभि
Mother of All Cattle
Who was Surabhi?
Surabhi (सुरभि): Mother of All Cattle, one of the divine beings in the Mahabharata. The cow born of the Amrita in the seventh region below the earth, whose one jet of spilt milk made the Ocean of Milk and whose four daughters hold up the four quarters.
Quick Facts
| Sanskrit name | सुरभि |
|---|---|
| Title / Epithet | Mother of All Cattle |
| Faction | Divine Beings |
| Key traits | Abundant, Maternal, Ancient, Compassionate |
| Notable relationships | Progenitor: Daksha, Sprang from his mouth: Brahma, Petitioner: Indra |
| Featured in | 7 stories |
About Surabhi
The cow born of the Amrita in the seventh region below the earth, whose one jet of spilt milk made the Ocean of Milk and whose four daughters hold up the four quarters. Narada names her to Matali as the wealth of Rasatala, and Anushasana tells how she rose from Daksha's fragrant breath after he drank nectar before feeding his creatures. Vyasa uses her against Dhritarashtra in a parable: found weeping in heaven over one lean calf out of a thousand, she answers Indra that her love runs to all her children but her pity runs to the weakest.
In Their Words
I have a thousand children and I love them all, but my pity goes to the one that cannot pull.
Surabhi
Traits
- Abundant
- Maternal
- Ancient
- Compassionate
Story Appearances
Stories Featuring Surabhi
4 further tales on this site name Surabhi, in canonical reading order.
- The Curse on Duryodhana's ThighA sage asks politely once, and is answered with a scratched foot
- The Thunderbolt and the Seizers of ChildrenWhat came out of the wound, and the bargain that followed
- Garuda's Map of the WorldThe four directions described from a bird's back
- Four Faces and a Blue ThroatUma asks her husband to account for himself
Character Arc
- The MilkOne jet falls to earth and becomes the Ocean of Milk
- The Four DaughtersHer calves take up the east, south, west and north
- The Lean CalfAnswers Indra that compassion goes where strength does not
Key Relationships
Places in Surabhi's Story
Drawn from the stories Surabhi appears in.
Related Characters
Others counted among the Divine Beings.