Shloka 35
Go-mahātmyam: Pavitrāṇāṃ Pavitraṃ
Cows and Ghee as Supreme Purifiers
तथैव तेभ्योडपि ददौ द्विजेभ्यो गवां सहस्राणि शतानि चैव । यज्ञान् समुद्दिश्य च दक्षिणार्थे लोकान् विजेतुं परमां च कीर्तिम्
tathaiva tebhyo 'pi dadau dvijebhyo gavāṁ sahasrāṇi śatāni caiva | yajñān samuddiśya ca dakṣiṇārthe lokān vijetuṁ paramāṁ ca kīrtim ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : «De même, le roi accorda à ces brāhmanes “deux fois nés” des centaines et des milliers de vaches, destinées à la dakṣiṇā, la rétribution sacrificielle. Par ces dons, il cherchait à assurer du mérite dans les mondes d’au-delà, à “conquérir” les royaumes favorables par le dharma, et à répandre en ce monde sa plus haute renommée.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights royal dharma expressed through dāna: giving appropriate dakṣiṇā to Brahmins for yajñas is portrayed as a means to accrue puṇya (spiritual merit), attain higher realms, and establish lasting kīrti. Ethical emphasis falls on generosity aligned with ritual and social duty rather than mere display.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that the king, continuing his prior acts of giving, grants the same Brahmins large numbers of cows—hundreds and thousands—specifically as sacrificial fees connected with yajñas, motivated by the wish to win meritorious worlds and to spread his supreme reputation.