Shloka 100
स्वर्णशुद्धीं च कपिलां सवत्सां वस्त्रसंवृताम् | वाचकाय च दद्याद्धि आत्मन: श्रेय इच्छता,अपना कल्याण चाहनेवाले पुरुषको उचित है कि वह कपिला गौके सींगोंमें सोना मढ़ाकर उसे वस्त्रसे आच्छादित करके बछड़ेसहित वाचकको दान दे
svarṇaśuddhīṃ ca kapilāṃ savatsāṃ vastrasaṃvṛtām | vācakāya ca dadyād dhi ātmanaḥ śreya icchatā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: One who seeks his own spiritual welfare should indeed give to the reciter a tawny cow—together with her calf—having her horns overlaid with purified gold and her body covered with cloth. The verse frames charity as a deliberate dharmic act: offering a well-prepared, auspicious gift to a worthy recipient in order to cultivate merit and inner good.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that one’s śreyas (true welfare) is supported by dharmic giving: offering an auspicious, properly prepared gift (a kapilā cow with calf, adorned and covered) to a worthy recipient (the vācaka/reciter). It emphasizes intentional generosity aligned with religious and ethical norms.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration within Svargarohana Parva, prescriptive guidance is being given about meritorious acts. Here, a specific form of go-dāna is recommended—donating a tawny cow with her calf, with gold and cloth adornment, to the reciter—presented as a means to secure spiritual benefit.