Shloka 14
Go-mahātmyam: Pavitrāṇāṃ Pavitraṃ
Cows and Ghee as Supreme Purifiers
यज्जैरवाप्यते सोम: स च गोषु प्रतिष्ठित: । ततो देवा: प्रमोदन्ते पूर्व वृत्तिस्तत: प्रजा:
yajñair avāpyate somaḥ sa ca goṣu pratiṣṭhitaḥ | tato devāḥ pramodante pūrva-vṛttis tataḥ prajāḥ ||
Dijo Bhīṣma: «El Soma se obtiene mediante el sacrificio, y el sacrificio mismo se funda en el ganado. Por ello los dioses se regocijan. Por tanto, primero viene el sustento; después, el florecimiento del pueblo.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Sustenance (vṛtti)—the material basis of life and ritual—must be secured first; only then can society and progeny (prajā) thrive. The verse links cosmic welfare (devas rejoicing through Soma-sacrifice) to practical support systems, especially cattle, which underpin yajña and livelihood.
Bhishma is instructing Yudhishthira in the Anushasana Parva on dharma and social foundations. Here he explains the chain: Soma is gained through yajña; yajña depends on cattle; this pleases the gods; hence, ensuring livelihood and the supporting economy precedes and enables the well-being and growth of the populace.