Shloka 19
Go-mahātmyam: Pavitrāṇāṃ Pavitraṃ
Cows and Ghee as Supreme Purifiers
तासाममृतवर्णानां क्षरन्तीनां समन्ततः । बभूवामृतज: फेन: स्रवन्तीनामिवोर्मिज:
tāsām amṛta-varṇānāṁ kṣarantīnāṁ samantataḥ | babhūvāmṛta-jaḥ phenaḥ sravantīnām ivormijaḥ ||
Bhīṣma dit : «De ces vaches, dont l’éclat était semblable au nectar (doré et rayonnant), le lait s’écoulait de toutes parts. De ce lait ruisselant s’éleva une écume, comme l’écume naît des vagues des rivières.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse heightens the auspicious, merit-bearing nature of cows through vivid imagery: their abundant milk is so pure and plentiful that it foams like river-waves. In the Anushasana Parva’s ethical frame, such descriptions support teachings on dharma—especially the sanctity of cows and the spiritual value of honoring and giving them.
Bhishma describes cows of radiant, nectar-like hue whose milk flows in all directions; from that streaming milk, foam rises, compared to foam produced by the waves of rivers.