Shloka 23
नक्षत्रेषु श्राद्धफलविधानम् (Śrāddha Outcomes According to Nakṣatras)
चन्द्रमा: प्रददौ मेषमादित्यो रुचिरां प्रभाम् गवां माता च गा देवी ददौ शतसहसत्रश:
candramāḥ pradadau meṣam ādityo rucirāṃ prabhām | gavāṃ mātā ca gā devī dadau śatasahasraśaḥ ||
ભીષ્મે કહ્યું—ચંદ્રમાએ એક મેષ આપ્યો; આદિત્યએ મનોહર પ્રભા અર્પી; અને ગાયોની માતા એવી તે દેવી—કામધેનુ—એ શત-સહસ્રોની સંખ્યામાં ગાયો આપી.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharmic ideal that righteous giving and divine favor are intertwined: celestial powers and sacred beings are portrayed as bestowing auspicious gifts, underscoring the ethical prestige of generosity and the sanctity of cattle as a source of welfare.
Bhīṣma enumerates extraordinary gifts received from divine sources—the Moon, the Sun, and the divine Cow—listing a ram, radiant brilliance, and immense numbers of cows, as part of a broader discourse on gifts, merit, and dharma in the Anuśāsana Parva.