Anushasana Parva Adhyaya 76 Shloka 32 - Mahabharata | German | Vedapath

Vyasa

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Shloka 32

गोप्रदानगुणाः तथा कपिलागोविधानम्

Merits of Cow-Gift and the Origin-Account of Kapilā Cows

Devanagari script

एकेनैव च भक्तेन य: क्रीत्वा गां प्रयच्छति । यावन्ति तस्या रोमाणि सम्भवन्ति शतक्रतो

Transliteration

ekenaiva ca bhaktena yaḥ krītvā gāṃ prayacchati | yāvanti tasyā romāṇi sambhavanti śatakrato ||

Translation

Bhīṣma sprach: „Wenn jemand eine Kuh erwirbt und sie dann mit nur einem einzigen, aufrichtigen Akt der Hingabe verschenkt, dann—o Śatakratu (Indra)—so viele Haare jene Kuh hat, so viele glückverheißende Früchte sammeln sich (für den Geber) an.“

Word by Word

एकेनwith one

एवindeed/only

चand

भक्तेनwith devotion / by a devotee (devout offering)

यःwho

क्रीत्वाhaving bought

गाम्a cow

प्रयच्छतिgives (away)

यावन्तिas many as

तस्याःof her/of that (cow)

रोमाणिhairs

सम्भवन्तिcome into being / arise

शतक्रतोO Śatakratu (Indra)

Speaker

पितामह उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma (Pitāmaha)

Indra (Śatakratu)

cow (go)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that the ethical value of dāna (charitable giving)—here, gifting a cow—is greatly amplified by sincere devotion; even a single-hearted act of bhakti in giving yields vast merit.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma (Pitāmaha) instructs on dharma and the fruits of gifts. Addressing Indra (Śatakratu), he states that one who buys a cow and donates it with devotion gains merit measured hyperbolically by the number of hairs on the cow.