Shloka 29
Go-dāna-stuti and Ghṛta-Japa
Praise of cow-gift and ghee-centered recitation
वैशम्पायन उवाच तथा सर्व कृतवान् धर्मराजो भीष्मेणोक्तो विधिवद् गोप्रदाने । स मान्धातुर्देवदेवोपदिष्टं सम्यग्धर्म धारयामास राजा
vaiśampāyana uvāca tathā sarvaṁ kṛtavān dharmarājo bhīṣmeṇokto vidhivad gopradāne | sa māndhātur devadevo padiṣṭaṁ samyag dharmaṁ dhārayāmāsa rājā ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Lorsque Bhīṣma eut ainsi prescrit, selon le rite, la juste manière d’offrir des vaches en don, le roi Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira) exécuta tout exactement comme il l’avait ordonné. Et le roi garda aussi fermement en son esprit le dharma véritable que Bṛhaspati, précepteur des dieux, avait enseigné à Māndhātṛ — s’y attachant avec une intention droite.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is upheld through disciplined obedience to righteous instruction: Yudhiṣṭhira not only performs charity (go-dāna) according to proper procedure (vidhi) but also internalizes the broader ethical teaching transmitted by authoritative teachers (Bhīṣma and Bṛhaspati).
Vaiśampāyana reports to Janamejaya that, after Bhīṣma prescribes the correct method for gifting cows, Yudhiṣṭhira carries it out exactly; he also remembers and maintains the dharma once taught by Bṛhaspati to the ancient king Māndhātṛ.