Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 1
Suvarṇa-janma and Dakṣiṇā-Māhātmya
Origin and Supremacy of Gold as Ritual Fee
अप-#-रा+ अशीतितमो< ध्याय: गौओं तथा गोदानकी महिमा वसिष्ठ उवाच घृतक्षीरप्रदा गावो घृतयोन्यो घृतोद्धवा: । घृतनद्यो घृतावर्तास्ता मे सनन््तु सदा गृहे
Vasiṣṭha uvāca: ghṛtakṣīrapradā gāvo ghṛtayonyo ghṛtoddhavāḥ | ghṛtanadyo ghṛtāvartās tā me santu sadā gṛhe ||
ವಸಿಷ್ಠನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ರಾಜನೇ! ತುಪ್ಪ ಮತ್ತು ಹಾಲನ್ನು ನೀಡುವ, ತುಪ್ಪದ ಮೂಲವಾದ, ತುಪ್ಪವನ್ನು ಪ್ರಕಟಿಸುವ, ತುಪ್ಪದ ನದಿಗಳಂತೆ ಹಾಗೂ ತುಪ್ಪದ ಆವರ್ತಗಳಂತೆ ಇರುವ ಆ ಹಸುಗಳು ನನ್ನ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸದಾ ವಾಸಿಸಲಿ.
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames cows and their products (milk and ghee) as sacred supports of dharmic household life; invoking their presence symbolizes nourishment, purity, and auspicious prosperity, aligning daily living with ethical and ritual cleanliness.
Sage Vasiṣṭha begins an instruction on the greatness of cows and cow-gifts (go-dāna), introducing a recitative blessing that a person may utter daily, praying that cows—metaphorically described as rivers of ghee—remain ever present in one’s home.