Shloka 40

Devanagari script

घृतालाभे तु यो दद्यात्‌ तिलधेनुं यतव्रत: । स दुर्गात्‌ तारितो थेन्वा क्षीरनद्यां प्रमोदते,'घीके अभावमें जो व्रत-नियमसे युक्त हो तिलमयी धेनुका दान करता है, वह उस धेनुके द्वारा संकटसे उद्धार पाकर दूधकी नदीमें आनन्दित होता है

Transliteration

ghṛtālābhe tu yo dadyāt tiladhenuṁ yatavrataḥ | sa durgāt tārito dhenuvā kṣīranadyāṁ pramodate ||

Translation

But when ghee is unavailable, a person disciplined by vows who donates a cow fashioned from sesame is, by the merit of that cow-gift, rescued from peril and rejoices in the celestial river of milk.

Word by Word

घृतालाभेin the non-obtaining/lack of ghee

तुbut/indeed

यःwho

दद्यात्should give

तिलधेनुम्a sesame-made cow (tiladhenu)

यतव्रतःone of restrained vows/observances

सःhe

दुर्गात्from difficulty/danger

तारितःhaving been delivered/saved

धेन्वाby that cow (the donated tiladhenu)

क्षीरनद्याम्in the river of milk

प्रमोदतेrejoices/delights

Speaker

नाचिकेत उवाच

Characters & Entities

Naciketa

tiladhenu (sesame-cow donation)

ghṛta (ghee)

kṣīranadī (river of milk)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

If an ideal offering (here, ghee) is unavailable, one should still practice disciplined charity by giving an appropriate substitute (tiladhenu). Sincere, vow-guided giving protects one from adversity and yields auspicious, even heavenly, results.

What is happening in the narrative?

Naciketa states a rule of gift-giving: in the absence of ghee, a vow-observant donor gives a sesame-made ‘cow’ as a ritual donation. The merit of that gift is said to deliver the donor from danger and grant joy in the symbolic ‘river of milk’ in the next world.