Shloka 21
गोशकृन्माहात्म्य-प्रश्नः (On the Merit of Cow-Dung and the Abode of Śrī) / Inquiry into the Sanctity of Cow-Dung
घृतेन जुहुयादग्निं घृतेन स्वस्ति वाचयेत् । घृतं दद्याद् घृतं प्राशेद् गवां पुष्टिं सदाश्षुते
ghṛtena juhuyād agniṁ ghṛtena svasti vācayet | ghṛtaṁ dadyād ghṛtaṁ prāśed gavāṁ puṣṭiṁ sadāśnute ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Qu’on verse des oblations dans le feu sacré avec du ghee, et que les paroles de bon augure (svasti) soient récitées avec du ghee. Qu’on fasse don de ghee, et qu’on en consomme soi-même. Ainsi, l’homme obtient sans cesse la vigueur nourricière et l’accroissement florissant du bétail.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a dharmic regimen centered on ghṛta (ghee): use it in fire-offerings, in auspicious rites, give it as charity, and consume it appropriately. Such conduct is said to support and increase the well-being (puṣṭi) of one’s cattle—linking ritual purity, generosity, and household prosperity.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on duties and meritorious practices. Here he prescribes ghee-based ritual and charitable acts, presenting them as a means to secure auspiciousness and the flourishing of cows/cattle, a key measure of household and social welfare.