Shloka 29
Cyavana’s Yogic Display and Kuśika’s Recognition of Tapas (च्यवन-योगप्रभावः कुशिकस्य तपःप्रशंसा च)
स्वाहाकारवषट्कारीौ गोषु नित्यं प्रतिछ्ठितौ । गावो यज्ञस्य नेत्र्यो वै तथा यज्ञस्य ता मुखम्,स्वाहा और वषट्कार सदा गौआओंमें ही प्रतिष्ठित होते हैं। गौएँ ही यज्ञका संचालन करनेवाली तथा उसका मुख हैं
svāhākāravaṣaṭkārau goṣu nityaṁ pratiṣṭhitau | gāvo yajñasya netryo vai tathā yajñasya tā mukham ||
Vyavana said: “The sacrificial exclamations ‘svāhā’ and ‘vaṣaṭ’ are ever established in cows. Indeed, cows are the very guides who lead the sacrifice onward, and they are also the sacrifice’s mouth—through them the rite finds its proper offering, direction, and fruition.”
व्यवन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates the cow as ritually and ethically central: the very efficacy and language of sacrifice (‘svāhā’ and ‘vaṣaṭ’) are said to reside in cows, implying that honoring and protecting them supports dharma and the proper performance of yajña.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused discourse, Vyavana explains the sanctity of cows by linking them directly to sacrificial function—portraying them as the guiding force and ‘mouth’ of yajña, i.e., a primary medium through which offerings and ritual purpose are fulfilled.