Shloka 8
Go-dāna-stuti and Ghṛta-Japa
Praise of cow-gift and ghee-centered recitation
स तामेकां निशां गोभि: समसख्य: समव्रत:ः । ऐकात्म्यगमनात् सद्यः कलुषाद् विप्रमुच्यते
sa tām ekāṁ niśāṁ gobhiḥ samasakhyaḥ samavrataḥ | aikātmyagamanāt sadyaḥ kaluṣād vipramucyate ||
He who, for even a single night, lives among the cows in a spirit of equal friendship and shared discipline—entering into oneness of purpose with them—is at once freed from impurity.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even brief, sincere association with cows—marked by equality, friendliness, and shared restraint—has a purifying effect. The verse emphasizes inner transformation through humility, non-violence, and aligning oneself with a dharmic mode of life (aikātmya: becoming of one purpose).
Bhīṣma is instructing on dharma and expiatory/purificatory practices. In this context he states that spending even one night among cows, with a disciplined and respectful attitude, leads to immediate release from impurity.