Shloka 21
Chapter 85: Suvarṇasya Janma ca Pradāna-Phalam
The Origin of Gold and the Merit of Gifting
माननामहमिच्छामि भवत्य: सततं शिवा: । अप्येकांगेष्वधो वस्तुमिच्छामि च सुकुत्सिते
mānanam aham icchāmi bhavatyaḥ satataṃ śivāḥ | apy ekāṅgeṣv adho vastuṃ icchāmi ca sukutsitāḥ |
Bhishma said: “I seek honor from you. You are ever auspicious and ever intent on the welfare of all. Even if I were granted a place in only one part of your body—down below, in a despised and impure region—I would still wish to dwell there.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes reverence toward beings regarded as auspicious and welfare-giving (here, cows), and models humility: even a lowly or impure place is acceptable if it is connected with what is deemed sacred and beneficial.
Bhishma speaks in praise of the cows, expressing a desire for their honor and declaring that he would accept residence even in a despised lower part of their body—an extreme statement meant to convey devotion, valuation of their auspiciousness, and the ethical duty of honoring them.