Shloka 5

गोशकृन्माहात्म्य-प्रश्नः (On the Merit of Cow-Dung and the Abode of Śrī) / Inquiry into the Sanctity of Cow-Dung

Devanagari script

गाव: सुरभिगन्धिन्यस्तथा गुग्गुलुगन्धय: । गाव: प्रतिष्ठा भूतानां गाव: स्वस्त्ययनं महत्‌

Transliteration

gāvaḥ surabhigandhinyas tathā guggulugandhayaḥ | gāvaḥ pratiṣṭhā bhūtānāṃ gāvaḥ svastyayanaṃ mahat ||

Translation

Bhishma dit : «Ô roi, les vaches exhalent naturellement de nombreuses fragrances délicieuses, et beaucoup d’entre elles sont parfumées comme le guggulu. Les vaches sont le soutien de tous les êtres vivants, et pour eux elles sont un grand trésor de bien-être auspiceux.»

Word by Word

• गावः: cows
• गावः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• सुरभि-गन्धिन्यः: having fragrant smell
• सुरभि-गन्धिन्यः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुरभिगन्धिनी
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• तथा: and also / likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• गुग्गुलु-गन्धयः: those with guggulu-like fragrance
• गुग्गुलु-गन्धयः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुग्गुलुगन्ध
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• गावः: cows
• गावः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• प्रतिष्ठा: support / foundation
• प्रतिष्ठा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतिष्ठा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• भूतानाम्: of beings
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• गावः: cows
• गावः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• स्वस्ति-अयनम्: source/abode of welfare (auspiciousness)
• स्वस्ति-अयनम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वस्त्ययन
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• महत्: great
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• King (Yudhishthira, implied addressee)
• cows (gāvaḥ)
• guggulu (resin/incense)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse elevates the cow as a dharmic symbol of sustenance and auspicious welfare: cows are portrayed as a foundational support for living beings and as a source of well-being, encouraging reverence, protection, and charitable care (such as go-sevā and go-dāna).

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma instructs the king (Yudhishthira) on dharma. Here he praises the qualities and sanctity of cows—describing their pleasant fragrance and declaring them the support and auspicious refuge for beings—within a broader discourse on righteous conduct and meritorious gifts.