Shloka 25
Go-dāna-stuti and Ghṛta-Japa
Praise of cow-gift and ghee-centered recitation
उशीनरो विष्वगश्चो नृगश्न भगीरयथो विश्रुतो यौवनाश्व: । मान्धाता वै मुचुकुन्दश्च राजा भूरिद्युम्नो नैषध: सोमकश्न
uśīnaro viśvagaś ca nṛgaś ca bhagīratho viśruto yauvanāśvaḥ | māndhātā vai mucukundaś ca rājā bhūridyumno naiṣadhaḥ somakaś ca ||
Bhishma dit : «Uśīnara, Viśvaga, Nṛga, le célèbre Bhagiratha et Yuvanāśva ; de même le roi Māndhātā, le roi Mucukunda, Bhūridyumna, le roi de Naiṣadha (Nala) et Somaka : ces souverains illustres, connaisseurs des ordonnances du dharma, atteignirent des mondes plus élevés par des dons justes, et tout particulièrement par le don de vaches.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma presents famous kings as models of dharmic rulership, emphasizing that generosity—especially go-dāna—combined with sacrifice, austerity, and just governance leads to great religious merit and higher attainments.
In his instruction on dharma, Bhishma lists celebrated ancient rulers and invokes their reputations to validate the ethical claim that righteous giving (notably cow-gifts) is a powerful royal duty and a means to attain auspicious worlds.