Shloka 23
गोशकृन्माहात्म्य-प्रश्नः (On the Merit of Cow-Dung and the Abode of Śrī) / Inquiry into the Sanctity of Cow-Dung
गावो मामुपतिष्ठन्तु हेमशूड्ग्य: पयोमुच: । सुरभ्य: सौरभेय्यश्व सरित: सागरं यथा,“जैसे नदियाँ समुद्रके पास जाती हैं, उसी तरह सोनेसे मढ़ी हुई सींगोंवाली, दूध देनेवाली सुरभी और सौरभेयी गौएँ मेरे निकट आयें
gāvo mām upatiṣṭhantu hemaśṛṅgyāḥ payomucaḥ | surabhyaḥ saurabheyyāś ca saritaḥ sāgaraṃ yathā ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Que les vaches —aux cornes gainées d’or, répandant le lait, de la lignée de Surabhī et de Saurabheya— viennent se tenir près de moi, comme les rivières s’écoulent vers l’océan et l’atteignent.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates the cow as an emblem of dharmic prosperity and merit: to be attended by auspicious, well-cared-for cows (even imagined with gold-adorned horns) signifies the fruit of righteous conduct and generosity, especially the traditional virtue of honoring and gifting cows.
Bhishma, speaking in the Anushasana Parva’s instruction on dharma, utters a benedictive wish: that auspicious cows of revered lineage come near him, compared to rivers naturally converging upon the ocean—an image of inevitable approach and fulfillment.