Shloka 35
Go-mahātmyam: Pavitrāṇāṃ Pavitraṃ
Cows and Ghee as Supreme Purifiers
तथैव तेभ्योडपि ददौ द्विजेभ्यो गवां सहस्राणि शतानि चैव । यज्ञान् समुद्दिश्य च दक्षिणार्थे लोकान् विजेतुं परमां च कीर्तिम्
tathaiva tebhyo 'pi dadau dvijebhyo gavāṁ sahasrāṇi śatāni caiva | yajñān samuddiśya ca dakṣiṇārthe lokān vijetuṁ paramāṁ ca kīrtim ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Demikian pula sang raja menganugerahkan kepada para dwija Brāhmaṇa itu ratusan dan ribuan sapi sebagai dakṣiṇā bagi yajña. Dengan dāna itu ia bermaksud meraih jasa untuk ‘menaklukkan’ alam-alam mulia, dan menegakkan kemasyhuran tertingginya di dunia ini.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights royal dharma expressed through dāna: giving appropriate dakṣiṇā to Brahmins for yajñas is portrayed as a means to accrue puṇya (spiritual merit), attain higher realms, and establish lasting kīrti. Ethical emphasis falls on generosity aligned with ritual and social duty rather than mere display.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that the king, continuing his prior acts of giving, grants the same Brahmins large numbers of cows—hundreds and thousands—specifically as sacrificial fees connected with yajñas, motivated by the wish to win meritorious worlds and to spread his supreme reputation.