Shloka 6
Go-dāna-stuti and Ghṛta-Japa
Praise of cow-gift and ghee-centered recitation
आद्ानं च प्रयुड्जीत समंगे बहुलेति च । प्रविश्य च गवां मध्यमिमां श्रुतिमुदाहरेत्
Bhīṣma uvāca |
Ādānaṃ ca prayuñjīta samaṅge bahuleti ca |
Praviśya ca gavāṃ madhyam imāṃ śrutim udāharet ||
Bhishma dit : « Que le donateur accomplisse les observances prescrites et, s’adressant à la vache par les mots “Ô Samaṅgā, ô Bahulā”, qu’il entre au milieu du troupeau et récite cette formule védique sacrée. » Ainsi le go-dāna est-il présenté comme un rite de retenue, de respect et de juste parole.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Charity is not merely transfer of property; it is a dharmic act requiring discipline, respectful address, and correct ritual speech. The verse stresses purity and propriety in giving—especially in go-dāna—so that the gift becomes sanctified and ethically meaningful.
Bhishma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on the procedure of cow-gift. The donor is told to address the cow with specific epithets (‘Samaṅgā, Bahulā’), enter among the herd, and then recite a prescribed śruti/mantra as part of the formal donation rite.