Shloka 9
Chapter 85: Suvarṇasya Janma ca Pradāna-Phalam
The Origin of Gold and the Merit of Gifting
धर्मश्चार्थश्ष कामश्न मया जुष्टा: सुखान्विता: । एवंप्रभावं मां गावो विजानीत सुखप्रदा:,धर्म, अर्थ और काम मेरा सहयोग पाकर ही सुखद होते हैं; अतः सुखदायिनी गौओ! मुझे ऐसे ही प्रभावसे सम्पन्न समझो
dharmaś cārthaś ca kāmaś ca mayā juṣṭāḥ sukhānvitāḥ | evaṃprabhāvaṃ māṃ gāvo vijānīta sukhapradāḥ ||
Bhishma said: “Dharma, artha, and kāma become truly accompanied by well-being only when they are embraced in association with me. Therefore, O cows—bestowers of happiness—know me to be endowed with such power and influence.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links the three aims of life—dharma, artha, and kāma—to a higher sustaining principle that makes them truly ‘sukhānvitāḥ’ (fruitful and wholesome). In context, Bhishma elevates the cow as a source of welfare and merit, implying that prosperity and enjoyment become ethically grounded and beneficial when supported by dharmic foundations associated with the cow’s sanctity and giving nature.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instructional setting, Bhishma is delivering a didactic discourse. Here he addresses cows directly, praising them as ‘sukha-pradāḥ’ and asserting that dharma, artha, and kāma attain happiness and auspicious results through association with the principle he is describing—within this chapter’s broader theme of the cow’s sacred power and beneficence.