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Shloka 72

गोप्रदानविधिः (Gopradāna-vidhi) — Procedure and Praise of Cow-Gifting

Devanagari script

भगवन्‌! गोदानमें कैसी दक्षिणा श्रेष्ठ मानी जाती है? यह सब यथार्थरूपसे मुझे बतानेकी कृपा करें ।। इति श्रीमहा भारते अनुशासनपर्वणि दानधर्मपर्वणि गोप्रदानिके द्विसप्ततितमो<5ध्याय:

Transliteration

śakra uvāca | bhagavan! godāne kaisī dakṣiṇā śreṣṭhā mānī jātī hai? etat sarvaṃ yathārtharūpeṇa me vaktum arhasi |

Translation

Śakra said: “O venerable one, in the gift of a cow, what kind of dakṣiṇā is regarded as the best? Please tell me all this truthfully and in proper detail.”

Word by Word

भगवन्O Lord / O venerable one

गोदानम्in the gift of a cow (cow-donation)

कासीwhat kind (which?)

दक्षिणाhonorarium / gift-fee (dakṣiṇā)

श्रेष्ठाbest, most excellent

मानीis considered / is regarded

इतिthus

श्रीauspiciousness; honorific 'Śrī'

महाभारतेin the Mahābhārata

अनुशासनपर्वणिin the Anuśāsana-parvan

दानधर्मपर्वणिin the section on the dharma of gifts

गोप्रदानिकेin (the subsection) concerning cow-gifts

द्विसप्ततितमःseventy-second

अध्यायःchapter

Speaker

शक्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śakra (Indra)

Go-dāna (cow-gift)

Dakṣiṇā (honorarium/accompanying gift)

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?

The verse frames a dharma-inquiry: a donation is not only the main gift (the cow) but is ethically and ritually ‘completed’ by an appropriate dakṣiṇā. The question seeks the standard of excellence—what accompanying gift best fulfills the intent of go-dāna.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śakra (Indra) respectfully questions a revered authority about the proper and most excellent dakṣiṇā to be given in the context of cow-donation, requesting a truthful, detailed explanation.