Shloka 30
Go-dāna-stuti and Ghṛta-Japa
Praise of cow-gift and ghee-centered recitation
इति नृप सतत गवां प्रदाने यवशकलान् सह गोमयै: पिबान: । क्षितितलशयन: शिखी यतात्मा वृष इव राजवृषस्तदा बभूव
iti nṛpa satataṃ gavāṃ pradāne yavaśakalān saha gomayaiḥ pibānaḥ | kṣititalaśayanaḥ śikhī yatātmā vṛṣa iva rājavṛṣas tadā babhūva, nareśvara! |
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Demikianlah, wahai raja, Yudhiṣṭhira—terbaik di antara para penguasa—senantiasa tekun dalam dana sapi. Ia menyantap sedikit butir jelai bersama kotoran sapi, tidur di atas tanah, mengekang diri, dan membiarkan rambut gimbalnya tumbuh. Pada masa itu ia bersinar laksana Dharma sendiri—bagai banteng agung di antara para raja, teguh dan suci.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights royal dharma expressed through sustained charity (especially go-dāna) and personal austerity: a ruler’s moral authority is strengthened by self-restraint, simplicity, and commitment to giving rather than indulgence.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes Yudhiṣṭhira’s disciplined way of life during this period: he is continually engaged in donating cows, eats only scant barley (even with cow-dung, emphasizing extreme simplicity), sleeps on the bare ground, grows matted hair, and is portrayed as shining like Dharma—‘a bull among kings.’