Shloka 186

Suvarṇa-dāna: Kārttikeya’s Origin and the Defeat of Tāraka (सुवर्णदान-प्रसङ्गे कार्त्तिकेय-उत्पत्ति तथा तारकवधः)

Devanagari script

जनयन्ति च धान्यानि बीजानि विविधानि च । “ये अपने दूध-घीसे प्रजाका भी पालन-पोषण करती हैं। इनके पुत्र (बैल) खेतीके काम आते तथा नाना प्रकारके धान्य एवं बीज उत्पन्न करते हैं

Transliteration

janayanti ca dhānyāni bījāni vividhāni ca |

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “They also bring forth grains and many kinds of seeds.”

Word by Word

• जनयन्ति: they generate/produce
• जनयन्ति: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथम, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• धान्यानि: grains/cereals
• धान्यानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धान्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• बीजानि: seeds
• बीजानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: बीज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• विविधानि: various, diverse
• विविधानि: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विविध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसक, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• dhānya (grains)
• bīja (seeds)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the dharmic rationale for protecting cattle: they are foundational to human welfare because they enable agriculture—yielding grains and diverse seeds—thereby sustaining society materially and ethically.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma is instructing on righteous conduct in the Anuśāsana Parva, emphasizing the societal benefits of cattle and their role in supporting cultivation and nourishment, as part of a broader discourse on duties and ethical living.