Shloka 22
गोशकृन्माहात्म्य-प्रश्नः (On the Merit of Cow-Dung and the Abode of Śrī) / Inquiry into the Sanctity of Cow-Dung
गोमत्या विद्यया धेनुं तिलानामभिमन्त्रय यः । सर्वरत्नमयीं दद्यान्न स शोचेत् कृताकृते
bhīṣma uvāca |
gomatyā vidyayā dhenuṃ tilānām abhimantrya yaḥ |
sarvaratnamayīṃ dadyān na sa śocet kṛtākṛte ||
Barangsiapa mengonsekrasi ‘sapi’ ritual dari biji wijen (tila-dhenu) dengan Vidya Gomati (mantra suci), lalu mendermakannya kepada seorang Brahmana sebagai persembahan yang dipandang berhias segala ratna, ia tidak lagi berduka atas kebajikan atau keburukan—baik yang telah dilakukan maupun yang terlewat—sebab pahala dana itu melenyapkan sesal.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that properly consecrated charitable giving—here, the ritual gift of a sesame-cow empowered by the Gomati mantra—can relieve a person from remorse and anxiety about past good and bad actions, emphasizing dana as a dharmic means of purification and inner peace.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he describes a specific meritorious rite: consecrating a tiladhenu with the Gomati formula and donating it (as a jewel-endowed gift) to a Brahmin, stating the spiritual result as freedom from grief regarding one’s deeds and omissions.