Shloka 25
Go-dāna-stuti and Ghṛta-Japa
Praise of cow-gift and ghee-centered recitation
उशीनरो विष्वगश्चो नृगश्न भगीरयथो विश्रुतो यौवनाश्व: । मान्धाता वै मुचुकुन्दश्च राजा भूरिद्युम्नो नैषध: सोमकश्न
uśīnaro viśvagaś ca nṛgaś ca bhagīratho viśruto yauvanāśvaḥ | māndhātā vai mucukundaś ca rājā bhūridyumno naiṣadhaḥ somakaś ca ||
Bhishma said: Uśīnara, Viśvaga, Nṛga, the famed Bhagiratha, and Yuvanāśva; and likewise King Māndhātā, King Mucukunda, Bhūridyumna, the Naiṣadha king (Nala), and Somaka—these renowned rulers, celebrated for knowing the ordinances of dharma, attained higher worlds through righteous gifts, especially the gift of cows.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma presents famous kings as models of dharmic rulership, emphasizing that generosity—especially go-dāna—combined with sacrifice, austerity, and just governance leads to great religious merit and higher attainments.
In his instruction on dharma, Bhishma lists celebrated ancient rulers and invokes their reputations to validate the ethical claim that righteous giving (notably cow-gifts) is a powerful royal duty and a means to attain auspicious worlds.