Shloka 13

Devanagari script

गाव: कांस्योपदोहाश्न कन्याश्वैव स्वलंकृता:

Transliteration

gāvaḥ kāṃsyopadohāś ca kanyāś caiva su-alaṅkṛtāḥ

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “There were cows with milking-vessels of bronze, and maidens too, richly adorned.” The verse evokes the scene of auspicious gifts and ceremonial offerings, suggesting a social-ethical ideal in which wealth is directed toward generosity, hospitality, and merit-making rather than hoarding.

Word by Word

• गावः: cows
• गावः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Plural

• कांस्योपदोहाः: having bronze milking-vessels (bronze pails for milking)
• कांस्योपदोहाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कांस्य-उपदोह
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अश्वाः: horses
• अश्वाः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्व
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: indeed/also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• स्वलङ्कृताः: well-adorned
• स्वलङ्कृताः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु-लङ्कृत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• gāvaḥ (cows)
• kāṃsya-upadoha (bronze milking-vessels/implements)
• kanyāḥ (adorned maidens)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights dharmic prosperity expressed through auspicious gifts and dignified presentation—wealth and resources (cows, valuable vessels, adornment) are framed as instruments of generosity and merit rather than mere display.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes items and persons present in a ceremonial context: cows associated with bronze milking equipment and well-adorned maidens, indicating a scene of formal offering, hospitality, or gift-giving within the Svargārohaṇa narrative frame.