Shloka 17
Gavāṃ Māhātmya — Go-dāna, Yajña-ādhāra, and Goloka
Brahmā–Indra–Surabhi Itihāsa
पलालधूम्रवर्णा तु सवत्सां कांस्यदोहनाम् | प्रदाय वस्त्रसंवीतां पितृलोके महीयते
palāladhūmravarṇā tu savatsāṁ kāṁsyadohanām | pradāya vastrasaṁvītāṁ pitṛloke mahīyate ||
Dijo Vasiṣṭha: Quien dona una vaca cuyo color se asemeja al humo de la paja, junto con su ternero, cubriéndola con un paño y entregando además un recipiente de bronce para el ordeño, es honrado y alcanza distinción en el mundo de los antepasados (Pitṛloka).
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that properly performed dāna—here, gifting a cow with her calf along with supportive items like cloth and a bronze milking vessel—produces puṇya and results in honor in Pitṛloka, emphasizing ethical generosity linked to ancestral welfare.
Vasiṣṭha is enumerating specific forms of meritorious gifts and their fruits. In this line he specifies the donation of a particular cow (described by color), with her calf, clothed and accompanied by a bronze milking vessel, and states the resulting honor in the ancestors’ realm.