Shloka 9
Adhyāya 138: Vāyu’s Exempla on Brāhmaṇa-Prabhāva and a Cosmological Clarification
तस्य तत्र चतुर्भागो यो ददाति गवाद्विकम्
tasya tatra caturbhāgo yo dadāti gavādvikam
Maheśvara said: “In this matter, the person who regularly offers food to a cow attains one quarter of the merit that is gained from the continually performed service of cows. For cows possess immense spiritual potency; they are beneficent and grant boons. When worshipped, they bestow the desired results, approving and supporting the fulfillment of one’s intended fruits of action.”
महेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Regularly feeding and serving cows is presented as a dharmic act that yields spiritual merit; even the specific act of giving food to a cow grants a defined share—one quarter—of the merit associated with ongoing cow-service, emphasizing disciplined, compassionate giving.
Maheśvara is explaining the religious efficacy of honoring cows: cows are described as powerful and boon-giving, and he quantifies the merit gained by a person who habitually feeds cows, linking the practice to the attainment of desired fruits of action.