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Vol. XLVIII · No. 134 · Established 1978 · Founded by K.B. Ganapathy
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Decoding Mythology

The Tragedy of Nandi and Surabhi

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist Few animals have shaped Hindu imagination as deeply as the bull and the cow. Shiva’s mount is Nandi, the great humped bull, while…

By InsideOut Consult
Published October 15, 2026 · 3 min read
the tragedy of nandi and surab

By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik – Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist

Few animals have shaped Hindu imagination as deeply as the bull and the cow. Shiva’s mount is Nandi, the great humped bull, while the divine cow Surabhi symbolises nourishment and abundance. Yet the modern story of their descendants is full of irony. To understand this, we need a story with six bovine characters: Nandi, Billa, Surabhi, Clive, Owen and Jenny.

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