Shloka 18

Go-mahātmyam: Pavitrāṇāṃ Pavitraṃ

Cows and Ghee as Supreme Purifiers

Devanagari script

सासृजत्‌ सौरभेयीस्तु सुरभिलोकमातृका: । सुवर्णवर्णा: कपिला: प्रजानां वृत्तिधेनव:

Transliteration

sāsṛjat saurabheyīs tu surabhilokamātṛkāḥ | suvarṇavarṇāḥ kapilāḥ prajānāṃ vṛttidhenavaḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma dit : «Surabhī enfanta de nombreuses vaches appelées Saurabheyīs, telles des mères pour le monde. Elles rayonnaient d’une teinte d’or, d’une couleur kapilā (fauve), et étaient des vaches laitières qui assuraient la subsistance et la nourriture des êtres vivants.»

Word by Word

• सा: she (Surabhi)
• सा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• असृजत्: created, produced
• Type: Verb
• Root: सृज्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular

• सौरभेयीः: Saurabheyī cows (descendants of Surabhi)
• सौरभेयीः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सौरभेयी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

• तु: indeed, but
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• सुरभि-लोक-मातृकाः: having Surabhi-world as (their) mother; mother-like for Surabhi’s world
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• सुवर्ण-वर्णाः: golden-colored
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• कपिलाः: tawny, reddish-brown (cows)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कपिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• प्रजानाम्: of creatures/subjects
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Plural

• वृत्ति-धेनवः: cows that are a means of livelihood (milk-giving sustainers)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धेनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma (speaker)
• Surabhi
• Saurabheyī cows
• Kapilā cows

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse presents an ethical model of dharmic creation: resources (symbolized by cows) are brought forth to nourish and sustain society. It highlights the ideal of providing livelihood and welfare for all beings, framing the cow as a maternal, sustaining presence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma describes Surabhi generating many Saurabheyī cows—golden-hued, tawny milch-cows—whose purpose is to support living beings by providing sustenance and livelihood.