Shloka 14
गोमहात्म्य-प्रश्नोत्तरम्
Saudāsa–Vasiṣṭha on the Purifying Power of Cows
उपाध्यायेन गदितं मम चेदं युधिष्ठिर । य इदं ब्राह्मणो नित्यं वदेद् ब्राह्मणसंसदि
upādhyāyena gaditaṃ mama cedaṃ yudhiṣṭhira | ya idaṃ brāhmaṇo nityaṃ vaded brāhmaṇasaṃsadi || (iti brahmā sa bhagavān uvāca parameśvaraḥ) |
Bhishma berkata: “Yudhiṣṭhira, ajaran ini disampaikan kepadaku oleh guruku sendiri. Seorang brāhmaṇa yang setiap hari melafalkannya dalam sidang para brāhmaṇa—serta membicarakannya dalam upacara yajña, pada saat pemberian sapi (godāna), dan bahkan ketika dua orang berjumpa dalam percakapan—akan memperoleh alam-alam yang tak binasa, senantiasa bersama para dewa. Hal ini pun dinyatakan oleh Brahmā, Tuhan Yang Mahatinggi, sendiri kepada Indra.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That sacred instruction gains special potency when preserved through disciplined, regular recitation and shared in appropriate dhārmic settings (learned assemblies, sacrifices, and gift-rituals). The verse emphasizes the ethical value of transmitting dharma through speech and study, promising enduring spiritual reward for such stewardship.
Bhīṣma, instructing Yudhiṣṭhira in the Anuśāsana Parva, cites the authority-chain of the teaching: he learned it from his preceptor (identified in the tradition as Paraśurāma), and he further frames it as a doctrine once spoken by Brahmā to Indra, thereby strengthening its legitimacy and urging its continual recitation among brāhmaṇas.