Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 42
नान्यदा गच्छते यस्तु ब्रह्मचर्य च तत् स्मृतम् । अमृतं ब्राह्मणा गाव इत्येतत् त्रयमेकत: । तस्माद् गोब्राद्मणं नित्यमर्चयेत यथाविधि
bhīṣma uvāca | nānyadā gacchate yas tu brahmacaryaṃ ca tat smṛtam | amṛtaṃ brāhmaṇā gāva ity etat trayam ekataḥ | tasmād gobrāhmaṇaṃ nityam arcayet yathāvidhi |
Bhishma said: He who does not approach a woman at any time other than the proper season is said to be observing brahmacarya. Nectar (amṛta), the Brāhmaṇa, and the cow—these three are declared to have arisen from a single source. Therefore one should always honor the cow and the Brāhmaṇa, worshipping them according to prescribed rites.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links personal discipline (regulated sexual conduct termed brahmacarya) with social-religious duty: honoring the cow and the Brāhmaṇa as sacred supports of dharma, to be revered according to prescribed norms.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he defines a form of brahmacarya in practical terms and then grounds a duty of worship: since amṛta, the Brāhmaṇa, and the cow are treated as sharing a single sacred origin, one should continually venerate the cow and the Brāhmaṇa.