Shloka 49
गोप्रदानगुणाः तथा कपिलागोविधानम्
Merits of Cow-Gift and the Origin-Account of Kapilā Cows
गोभिश्व समनुज्ञात: सर्वत्र च महीयते । यस्त्वेतेनैव कल्पेन गां वनेष्वनुगच्छति
gobhiś ca samanujñātaḥ sarvatra ca mahīyate | yas tv etenaiva kalpena gāṃ vaneṣv anugacchati |
Bhīṣma dit : «Béni et agréé par les vaches, un tel homme est honoré partout. Mais celui qui, selon cette même observance, demeure en forêt et suit les vaches—sans convoitise, maître de lui et pur—se nourrissant d’herbe, de feuilles, et même de bouse de vache, lorsque plus aucun désir ne subsiste en son esprit, séjourne joyeusement dans mon monde avec les dieux ; ou bien il se rend aux mondes qu’il souhaite.»
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that disciplined, desireless, and pure conduct centered on reverence and service to cows—paired with self-restraint and austerity—leads to honor in this world and auspicious posthumous destinations, culminating in residence in higher realms when desire is extinguished.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s dharma-instruction, Bhīṣma addresses Śatakratu (Indra) and describes the spiritual fruit of a specific observance: living in the forest, following and serving cows, and maintaining strict austerity, which results in divine honor and access to exalted worlds.