Shloka 30

Devanagari script

एवमव्यग्रवर्णानां कपिलानां महौजसाम्‌ । प्रदाने प्रथम: कल्प: सर्वासामेव कीर्तित:,इस प्रकार कपिला गौएँ अत्यन्त तेजस्विनी और शान्त वर्णवाली हैं। इसीसे दानमें उन्हें सब गौओंसे प्रथम स्थान दिया गया है

Transliteration

evam avyagra-varṇānāṁ kapilānāṁ mahaujasām | pradāne prathamaḥ kalpaḥ sarvāsām eva kīrtitaḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “Thus, the tawny (kapilā) cows—serene in complexion and possessed of great radiance—are declared foremost among all cows for the purpose of gifting. Therefore, in acts of charity, they are assigned the first rank.”

Word by Word

एवम्thus, in this manner

अव्यग्र-वर्णानाम्of those having unagitated/serene complexion

कपिलानाम्of tawny (kapila) ones / kapila cows

महौजसाम्of the very powerful/very radiant

प्रदानेin giving, in donation

प्रथमःfirst, foremost

कल्पःrule, procedure, ordinance

सर्वासाम्of all (feminine)

एवindeed, just, only

कीर्तितःhas been declared/mentioned

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma

Kapila cows

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?

In dāna-dharma (the ethics of gifting), not all gifts are treated as equal; Bhīṣma states that kapilā (tawny) cows, described as calm and radiant, are given the highest priority among cows for donation, indicating a hierarchy of auspiciousness and merit in charitable acts.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma, instructing on righteous conduct in the Anuśāsana Parva, explains the relative excellence of different cows in the context of gifting, and here concludes that kapilā cows are proclaimed foremost for donation.