Shloka 13
Suvarṇa-dāna: Kārttikeya’s Origin and the Defeat of Tāraka (सुवर्णदान-प्रसङ्गे कार्त्तिकेय-उत्पत्ति तथा तारकवधः)
देवानां भगवन् कस्माल्लोकेशानां पितामह । उपरिष्टाद् गवां लोक एतदिच्छामि वेदितुम्
bhīṣma uvāca | devānāṃ bhagavan kasmāl lokeśānāṃ pitāmaha | upariṣṭād gavāṃ loka etad icchāmi veditum ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai Bhagavan, wahai Pitāmaha para penguasa dunia dan para dewa—mengapa alam (loka) para sapi ditempatkan di atas semuanya? Inilah yang ingin aku ketahui.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical-cosmological inquiry: Bhīṣma seeks the reason cows are accorded a superior realm, implying that moral order (dharma) recognizes certain beings as especially worthy of protection and reverence.
Bhīṣma addresses Pitāmaha (Brahmā) with a respectful question, asking why the ‘world of cows’ is situated above other realms, signaling a forthcoming explanation about the religious and moral significance of cows.