Shloka 19
गवां लोकवर्णनं तथा गोप्रदानफलश्रुतिः
Description of the ‘World of Cows’ and the Stated Fruits of Cow-Gift
कल्मषं गुरुशुश्रूषा हन्ति मानो महद् यश: । अपुत्रतां त्रय: पुत्रा अवृत्तिं दश धेनव:
kalmaṣaṁ guruśuśrūṣā hanti māno mahad yaśaḥ | aputratāṁ trayaḥ putrā avṛttiṁ daśa dhenavaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Le service et l’obéissance attentive envers les aînés et les maîtres détruisent la souillure morale et le péché. Mais l’orgueil ruine même une grande renommée. On dit que trois fils effacent le malheur d’être sans fils, et que dix vaches donnant du lait effacent la détresse de manquer de moyens d’existence ; ainsi l’humilité et le service accompli par devoir sont loués comme gardiens de la vertu et de la stabilité du monde.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that humble service to elders/teachers purifies one’s conduct and removes sin, while pride undermines even established fame. He also notes traditional markers of household security: sons for continuity of lineage and cows for sustaining livelihood—implying that dharmic life rests on humility, duty, and stable means.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma continues instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma from his bed of arrows. Here he offers concise, proverbial guidance: praising service to gurus, warning against pride, and describing conventional supports of a householder’s life (sons and cattle) as remedies for social and economic vulnerability.