Shloka 9
Adhyāya 138: Vāyu’s Exempla on Brāhmaṇa-Prabhāva and a Cosmological Clarification
तस्य तत्र चतुर्भागो यो ददाति गवाद्विकम्
tasya tatra caturbhāgo yo dadāti gavādvikam
Dijo Maheśvara: «En este asunto, quien ofrece alimento con regularidad a una vaca alcanza la cuarta parte del mérito que se obtiene del servicio continuo a las vacas. Pues las vacas poseen inmensa potencia espiritual y son bienhechoras, dadoras de dones; cuando se las adora, conceden los resultados deseados, aprobando y sosteniendo el cumplimiento del fruto de las acciones.»
महेश्वर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Regularly feeding and serving cows is presented as a dharmic act that yields spiritual merit; even the specific act of giving food to a cow grants a defined share—one quarter—of the merit associated with ongoing cow-service, emphasizing disciplined, compassionate giving.
Maheśvara is explaining the religious efficacy of honoring cows: cows are described as powerful and boon-giving, and he quantifies the merit gained by a person who habitually feeds cows, linking the practice to the attainment of desired fruits of action.