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Shloka 53

Chapter 84: Brahmā’s Counsel on Tāraka, the Search for Agni, and the Genesis of Skanda

Kārttikeya

गता: परमकं स्थान देवैरपि सुदुर्लभम्‌ । युवनाश्वके पुत्र राजा मान्धाता, (सोमवंशी) नहुष और ययाति--ये सदा लाखों गौओंका दान किया करते थे; इससे वे उन उत्तम स्थानोंको प्राप्त हुए हैं, जो देवताओंके लिये भी अत्यन्त दुर्लभ हैं

gatāḥ paramakaṃ sthānaṃ devair api sudurlabham | yuvanāśvake putro rājā māndhātā (somavaṃśī) nahuṣaḥ yayātiś ca—ete sadā lakṣaśo gavāṃ dānaṃ kurvanti sma; tasmāt te tān uttamān sthānān prāptāḥ, ye devatānām api atyanta-durlabhāḥ |

Bhīṣma sprach: Sie gelangten zur höchsten Wohnstatt, zu einem Zustand, der selbst für die Götter äußerst schwer zu erreichen ist. König Mandhata, Sohn des Yuvanāśva, und die Somavaṃśa-Könige Nahusha und Yayāti—diese Herrscher waren stets damit befasst, Kühe zu Hunderttausenden zu verschenken. Durch die Kraft einer solchen unablässigen Freigebigkeit erreichten sie jene vortrefflichen Sphären, die selbst für göttliche Wesen selten sind.

गताःhaving gone / having attained
गताः:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootगम् (क्त)
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
परमकम्supreme, highest
परमकम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootपरमक
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
स्थानम्place, abode
स्थानम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootस्थान
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
देवैःby the gods / for the gods (as a standard of comparison)
देवैः:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootदेव
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Plural
अपिeven, also
अपि:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअपि
सुदुर्लभम्very difficult to obtain
सुदुर्लभम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootसु-दुर्लभ
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular

भीष्म उवाच

B
Bhishma
Y
Yuvanashva
M
Mandhata
N
Nahusha
Y
Yayati
D
Devas (gods)
C
Cows (go-dāna)

Educational Q&A

Sustained generosity—especially the dharmic gift of cows—creates great spiritual merit, enabling even human kings to attain exalted realms that are otherwise hard to reach, even for the gods.

Bhishma cites exemplary royal figures (Mandhata, Nahusha, and Yayati) as models of continual large-scale charity, explaining that their repeated gifts of cows led them to attain the highest and rarest heavenly stations.