Shloka 18
गोशकृन्माहात्म्य-प्रश्नः (On the Merit of Cow-Dung and the Abode of Śrī) / Inquiry into the Sanctity of Cow-Dung
गाक्ष संकीर्तयेन्नित्यं नावमन्येत तास्तथा । अनिष्टं स्वप्रमालक्ष्य गां नर: सम्प्रकीर्तयेत्,“प्रतिदिन गौओंका नाम ले। उनका कभी अपमान न करे। यदि बुरे स्वप्न दिखायी दें तो मनुष्य गोमाताका नाम ले
gāḥ saṅkīrtayen nityaṃ nāvamanyeta tāstathā | aniṣṭaṃ svapnam ālakṣya gāṃ naraḥ samprakīrtayet ||
Bhīṣma said: “One should daily recite and remember the names of the cows and never treat them with contempt. If one beholds an inauspicious dream, a person should at once invoke the cow—uttering her name in reverent remembrance.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Maintain daily reverent remembrance and praise of cows, never disrespect them, and use the cow’s name as a protective, auspicious invocation when confronted with ominous signs such as bad dreams.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma (Anushasana Parva), he prescribes a practical rule of conduct: regular devotional recitation regarding cows, avoidance of contempt toward them, and a remedial act—invoking the cow—upon seeing an inauspicious dream.