Shloka 13
Suvarṇa-janma and Dakṣiṇā-Māhātmya
Origin and Supremacy of Gold as Ritual Fee
नात: पुण्यतरं दानं॑ नात: पुण्यतरं फलम् | नातो विशिष्ट लोकेषु भूतं॑ भवितुमरहति
nātaḥ puṇyataraṁ dānaṁ nātaḥ puṇyataraṁ phalam | nāto viśiṣṭaṁ lokeṣu bhūtaṁ bhavitum arhati |
Vasiṣṭha berkata: “Tiada pemberian yang lebih berjasa daripada pemberian sapi; tiada buah kebajikan yang lebih luhur daripada buah yang lahir dari pemberian itu. Di segala dunia, tiada makhluk yang patut dipandang lebih utama daripada sapi.”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates go-dāna (the gifting of a cow) as the highest form of charity, asserting that its spiritual merit and resulting reward surpass other gifts, and that the cow is uniquely excellent among beings across the worlds.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused setting, the sage Vasiṣṭha delivers a dharma-teaching that ranks forms of dāna, praising go-dāna as supremely meritorious and ethically exemplary.