Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 52

Phala of Vrata, Niyama, Svādhyāya, Dama, Satya, Brahmacarya, and Service (व्रत-नियम-स्वाध्याय-दम-सत्य-ब्रह्मचर्य-शुश्रूषा-फलप्रश्नः)

Devanagari script

गावो लोकांस्तारयन्ति क्षरन्त्यो गावश्षान्नं संजनयन्ति लोके । यस्तं जानन्न गवां हार्दमेति स वै गन्ता निरयं पापचेता:

Transliteration

gāvo lokāṁs tārayanti kṣarantyo gāvaś cānnaṁ saṁjanayanti loke | yas taṁ jānann na gavāṁ hārdam eti sa vai gantā nirayaṁ pāpacetāḥ ||

Translation

गौएँ दूध देकर लोकों को भूख के कष्ट से उबारती हैं और इस जगत में सबके लिए अन्न-निवाह का साधन बनती हैं। यह जानकर भी जो गौओं के प्रति सौहार्द नहीं रखता, वह पापबुद्धि मनुष्य नरक को जाता है।

Word by Word

• {'gāvaḥ (गावः/गावो)': 'cows', 'lokān (लोकान्)': 'worlds

• people/realms', 'tārayanti (तारयन्ति)': 'they ferry across

• rescue', 'kṣarantyaḥ (क्षरन्त्यः)': 'flowing

• yielding (milk)', 'ca (च)': 'and', 'annam (अन्नम्)': 'food

• grain', 'saṁjanayanti (संजजनयन्ति/संजजनयन्ति)': 'they produce

• bring forth', 'loke (लोके)': 'in the world', 'yaḥ (यः)': 'whoever', 'tam (तम्)': 'that (fact/benefit)', 'jānan (जानन्)': 'knowing', 'na (न)': 'not', 'gavām (गवाम्)': 'of cows', 'hārdam (हार्दम्)': 'heartfelt goodwill

• affection', 'eti (एति)': 'goes

• attains', 'saḥ (सः)': 'he', 'vai (वै)': 'indeed', 'gantā (गन्ता)': 'goer

• one who goes', 'nirayam (निरयम्)': 'hell

• a state of torment', 'pāpacetāḥ (पापचेता: / पापचेताः)': 'one whose mind is sinful

Speaker

नाचिकेत उवाच

Characters & Entities

• नाचिकेत (Nāciketa)
• गावः (cows)
• लोकाः (worlds/people)
• निरय (hell)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Recognize the life-sustaining, society-supporting role of cows (milk and nourishment) and therefore cultivate goodwill and respectful conduct toward them; ingratitude and hostility toward such benefactors is framed as sinful and leading to grave karmic consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nāciketa speaks a didactic verse praising cows as rescuers from hunger and sources of food in the world, then warns that a person who knows this yet lacks heartfelt friendliness toward cows is morally culpable and destined for hell.