Shloka 27
गोप्रदानगुणाः तथा कपिलागोविधानम्
Merits of Cow-Gift and the Origin-Account of Kapilā Cows
नित्यं दद्यादेकभक्त: सदा च सत्ये स्थितो गुरुशुश्रूषिता च
pitāmaha uvāca | nityaṃ dadyād ekabhaktaḥ sadā ca satye sthito guruśuśrūṣitā ca | indra! yo sadā eka-samayaṃ bhojanaṃ kṛtvā nityaṃ godānaṃ karoti, satye sthito bhavati, guroḥ sevāṃ ca vedānāṃ svādhyāyaṃ ca karoti, yasya manasi gāvoṣu bhaktiḥ, yo gāṃ dātvā prīyate tathā janmanā eva gāvaḥ praṇamati, tasya prāpyamāṇasya asya phalasya varṇanaṃ śṛṇu ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „O Indra! Höre die Schilderung der Frucht, die dem zuteilwird, der in disziplinierter Einfachheit lebt—nur einmal am Tag essend—der täglich Kühe als Gabe spendet, fest in der Wahrheit steht, dem Lehrer in Ehrfurcht dient, die Veden studiert, im Herzen Hingabe zu den Kühen trägt, sich am Verschenken der Kühe erfreut und ihnen seit der Geburt Ehrerbietung erweist. Höre nun die Frucht, die ein Leben in Wahrheit, Dienst, Studium und großzügiger Gabe hervorbringt.“
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
A dharmic life is portrayed as a blend of disciplined living (one meal a day), unwavering truthfulness, reverent service to the teacher, Vedic study, and generous charity—especially cow-gifts—performed with devotion rather than mere display; such integrated conduct yields great spiritual merit.
Bhīṣma, speaking as a moral instructor, addresses Indra and introduces a description of the rewards promised to a person who practices daily cow-charity along with truth, guru-service, and Vedic study; this verse functions as a lead-in to the ensuing enumeration of the ‘fruit’ (phala) of these practices.