Anushasana Parva Adhyaya 79 Shloka 1 - Mahabharata | Lao | Vedapath

Vyasa

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Shloka 1

Go-dāna-stuti and Ghṛta-Japa

Praise of cow-gift and ghee-centered recitation

Devanagari script

/ अपन क्रात बछ। सं: षट्सप्ततितमो< ध्याय: गोदानकी विधि

Transliteration

yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | vidhiṁ gavāṁ paraṁ śrotum icchāmi nṛpa tattvataḥ | yena tān śāśvatāl lokān arthināṁ prāptuyād iha ||

Translation

ຢຸທິສະຖິຣະກ່າວວ່າ: ໂອ ພະຣາຊາ, ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າປາຖະໜາຈະຟັງໃຫ້ຮູ້ຢ່າງແທ້ຈິງ ແລະຖືກຕ້ອງ ກ່ຽວກັບວິທີອັນສູງສຸດແຫ່ງ “ການຖວາຍງົວ” (go-dāna). ໂດຍປະຕິບັດຕາມນັ້ນ ຜູ້ສະແຫວງຫາບຸນກຸສົນ ຈະສາມາດບັນລຸ—ແມ່ນແຕ່ຈາກໂລກນີ້—ເຖິງໂລກອັນອະມະຕະທີ່ປາຖະໜາໄດ້.

Word by Word

युधिष्ठिरःYudhiṣṭhira

उवाचsaid

विधिम्procedure, rule

गवाम्of cows

परम्supreme, excellent

श्रोतुम्to hear

इच्छामिI desire

नृपO king

तत्त्वतःtruly, in reality

येनby which

तान्those

शाश्वतान्eternal

लोकान्worlds, realms

अर्थिनाम्of seekers, of those who desire (it)

प्राप्तुयात्may obtain, might attain

इहhere (in this world/now)

Speaker

युधिछ्िर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

nṛpa (king, addressed interlocutor)

go (cow)

śāśvata-loka (eternal realms)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames go-dāna (the gifting of cows) as a high form of dāna-dharma whose efficacy depends on correct procedure (vidhi). It emphasizes that ethical giving, performed according to dharma and with proper understanding, is believed to lead to enduring spiritual reward (śāśvata-loka).

What is happening in the narrative?

At the opening of this chapter, Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a kingly authority (in context, Bhīṣma as the instructing elder) and requests a precise explanation of the best method for gifting cows, motivated by the desire to know how seekers can attain eternal realms through this charitable act.