Shloka 226
Chapter 85: Suvarṇasya Janma ca Pradāna-Phalam
The Origin of Gold and the Merit of Gifting
वसेयं यत्र वो देहे तन्मे व्याख्यातुमर्ह थ । निष्पाप गौओ! वास्तवमें तुम्हारे अंगोंमें कहीं कोई कुत्सित स्थान नहीं दिखायी देता। तुम परम पुण्यमयी
vaseyaṁ yatra vo dehe tan me vyākhyātum arha tha | niṣpāpa gāvo! vāstavam evaṁ tumhāre aṅgoṁ meṁ kahīṁ koī kutsita sthāna nahīṁ dikhāyī detā | tuma parama puṇyamayī, pavitra aura saubhāgyaśālinī ho | ataḥ mujhe ājñā do | tumhāre śarīra meṁ jahāṁ maiṁ raha sakūṁ, usake liye mujhe spaṣṭa batāo ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Dites-moi clairement où je puis demeurer au sein de vos corps. Ô vaches sans péché, en vérité je ne vois dans aucun de vos membres un lieu vil ou impur. Vous êtes souverainement méritoires, pures et de bon augure. Accordez-moi donc la permission et indiquez-moi nettement l’endroit de vos corps où je pourrai résider.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the intrinsic purity and auspiciousness attributed to cows and models ethical humility: even a revered elder like Bhishma seeks explicit permission and a proper place, showing reverence, restraint, and dharmic conduct.
Bhishma addresses a group of cows, praising them as sinless and wholly pure, and asks them to specify where within their bodies he may reside—requesting clear guidance and consent rather than presuming entitlement.