Shloka 21
गोशकृन्माहात्म्य-प्रश्नः (On the Merit of Cow-Dung and the Abode of Śrī) / Inquiry into the Sanctity of Cow-Dung
घृतेन जुहुयादग्निं घृतेन स्वस्ति वाचयेत् । घृतं दद्याद् घृतं प्राशेद् गवां पुष्टिं सदाश्षुते,“अग्निमें घृतसे हवन करे। घृतसे ही स्वस्तिवाचन कराये। घृतका दान करे और स्वयं भी गौका घृत ही खाय। इससे मनुष्य सदा गौओंकी पुष्टि वृद्धिका अनुभव करता है
ghṛtena juhuyād agniṁ ghṛtena svasti vācayet | ghṛtaṁ dadyād ghṛtaṁ prāśed gavāṁ puṣṭiṁ sadāśnute ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Man soll dem heiligen Feuer mit Ghee Opfergaben darbringen und die Segensworte (svasti) mit Ghee sprechen lassen. Man soll Ghee als Gabe spenden und selbst Ghee zu sich nehmen. Dadurch erlangt der Mensch fortwährend die Nährung und das gedeihliche Anwachsen des Rindviehs.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a dharmic regimen centered on ghṛta (ghee): use it in fire-offerings, in auspicious rites, give it as charity, and consume it appropriately. Such conduct is said to support and increase the well-being (puṣṭi) of one’s cattle—linking ritual purity, generosity, and household prosperity.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on duties and meritorious practices. Here he prescribes ghee-based ritual and charitable acts, presenting them as a means to secure auspiciousness and the flourishing of cows/cattle, a key measure of household and social welfare.