Shloka 6

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

Devanagari script

गावो भूतं च भव्यं च गाव: पुष्टि: सनातनी | गावो लक्ष्म्यास्तथा मूलं गोषु दत्त न नश्यति

Transliteration

gāvo bhūtaṃ ca bhavyaṃ ca gāvaḥ puṣṭiḥ sanātanī | gāvo lakṣmyās tathā mūlaṃ goṣu dattaṃ na naśyati ||

Translation

Bhishma dit : «Les vaches incarnent à la fois ce qui a été et ce qui doit venir. Elles sont la source éternelle de nourriture et de bien-être, et elles sont aussi la racine même de la prospérité (Lakṣmī). Tout don fait aux vaches ne perd jamais son mérite.»

Word by Word

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

• भूतम्: the past
• भूतम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• भव्यम्: the future
• भव्यम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भव्य
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

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

• पुष्टिः: nourishment, prosperity
• पुष्टिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्टि
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• सनातनी: eternal
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सनातनी
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

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

• लक्ष्म्याः: of Lakshmi / of fortune
• Type: Noun
• Root: लक्ष्मी
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Singular

• तथा: also, likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• मूलम्: root, source
• मूलम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूल
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• गोषु: among/in cows
• गोषु: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Plural

• दत्तम्: given (gift/donation)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा
• Form: क्त, Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• नश्यति: perishes, is destroyed
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश्
• Form: Present, लट्, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• gāvaḥ (cows)
• Lakṣmī

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that protecting and supporting cows is a dharmic act tied to nourishment and prosperity, and that gifts made to cows (go-dāna or support of their upkeep) yield enduring, imperishable merit.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and the fruits of charity, here praising cows as foundational to sustenance and fortune and affirming the lasting spiritual value of giving to them.