Shloka 14
अन्नदानफलं (Anna-dāna-phala) / The Fruit of Food-Giving
द्वादश्यां कार्तिके मासि पूज्य दामोदरेति च | गवां यज्ञमवाप्रोति पुमान् स्त्री वा न संशय:
dvādaśyāṁ kārtike māsi pūjya dāmodareti ca | gavāṁ yajñam avāpnoti pumān strī vā na saṁśayaḥ ||
Bhishma said: On the twelfth lunar day (Dvādaśī) in the month of Kārttika, by observing the fast and worshipping Lord Dāmodara, whether one is a man or a woman, one surely attains the merit equal to a cow-sacrifice (go-yajña). There is no doubt about this.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worship of Lord Dāmodara on Kārttika Dvādaśī, accompanied by fasting/observance, grants very high merit—comparable to a go-yajña—and this spiritual benefit is open equally to men and women.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma, he recommends a specific sacred observance: on the Dvādaśī tithi in the month of Kārttika, one should worship Dāmodara; he assures Yudhiṣṭhira that the resulting merit is certain and great.