Shloka 13

Devanagari script

गाव: कांस्योपदोहाश्न कन्याश्वैव स्वलंकृता:

Transliteration

gāvaḥ kāṃsyopadohāś ca kanyāś caiva su-alaṅkṛtāḥ

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Da waren Kühe mit bronzenen Melkgefäßen, und auch Jungfrauen, reich geschmückt.“ Der Vers ruft das Bild glückverheißender Gaben und zeremonieller Opfer hervor und deutet ein sozial-ethisches Ideal an, in dem Reichtum auf Großmut, Gastfreundschaft und Verdienst gerichtet ist, nicht auf Hortung.

Word by Word

• गावः: cows
• गावः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• कांस्योपदोहाः: having bronze milking-vessels (bronze pails for milking)
• कांस्योपदोहाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कांस्य-उपदोह
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अश्वाः: horses
• अश्वाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्व
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: indeed/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• स्वलङ्कृताः: well-adorned
• स्वलङ्कृताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-लङ्कृत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• gāvaḥ (cows)
• kāṃsya-upadoha (bronze milking-vessels/implements)
• kanyāḥ (adorned maidens)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharmic prosperity expressed through auspicious gifts and dignified presentation—wealth and resources (cows, valuable vessels, adornment) are framed as instruments of generosity and merit rather than mere display.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes items and persons present in a ceremonial context: cows associated with bronze milking equipment and well-adorned maidens, indicating a scene of formal offering, hospitality, or gift-giving within the Svargārohaṇa narrative frame.