Shloka 18

Gavāṃ Māhātmya — Go-dāna, Yajña-ādhāra, and Goloka

Brahmā–Indra–Surabhi Itihāsa

Devanagari script

सवत्सां पीवरीं दत्त्वा दृतिकण्ठामलंकृताम्‌ | वैश्वदेवमसम्बाध॑ स्थान श्रेष्ठ प्रपद्यते

Transliteration

savatsāṁ pīvarīṁ dattvā dṛtikaṇṭhām alaṅkṛtām | vaiśvadevam asambādhaṁ sthānaṁ śreṣṭhaṁ prapadyate ||

Translation

ວະສິດຖະ ກ່າວວ່າ: ຜູ້ໃດຖວາຍແກ່ພຣາຫມັນ ງົວທີ່ອ້ວນອຸດົມ ພ້ອມລູກງົວ ປະດັບຕົວງາມ ແລະສວມສາຍ/ຜ້າຄຸມຄໍ (ຄ້າຍສາຍໜັງ) ຜູ້ນັ້ນຈະເຖິງໂລກອັນປະເສີດຂອງວິສະເວເທວະ (Viśvedevas) ໂດຍບໍ່ມີອຸປະສັກ.

Word by Word

• सवत्साम्: having a calf (with calf)
• सवत्साम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सवत्सा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• पीवरीम्: fat, well-nourished
• पीवरीम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पीवरी
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• दत्त्वा: having given
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (दाने)
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Active, Non-finite

• दृतिकण्ठाम्: with a leather neck-cover (dṛti at the neck)
• दृतिकण्ठाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृतिकण्ठा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• अलंकृताम्: adorned, decorated
• अलंकृताम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अलंकृ (अलङ्कारे)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular, क्त (past passive participle)

• वैश्वदेवम्: pertaining to the Viśvedevas
• वैश्वदेवम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैश्वदेव
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• असम्बाधम्: unobstructed, without hindrance
• असम्बाधम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: असम्बाध
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• स्थानम्: place, abode
• स्थानम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• श्रेष्ठम्: best, excellent
• श्रेष्ठम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• प्रपद्यते: attains, reaches
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + पद् (गतौ/प्राप्तौ) (आत्मनेपदी)
• Form: लट् (Present), Ātmanepada, Third, Singular

Speaker

वसिष्ठ उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• brāhmaṇa
• cow (with calf)
• dṛtikaṇṭhā (neck-covering/collar)
• Viśvedevas
• their realm (vaiśvadeva-sthāna)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

That dāna done with care and honor—here, gifting a healthy cow with her calf, properly adorned, to a brāhmaṇa—produces great puṇya and leads to an unobstructed attainment of an excellent heavenly realm (associated with the Viśvedevas).

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vasiṣṭha’s instruction on gifts and their fruits, he specifies a particular form of cow-gift (a thriving cow with calf, adorned and fitted with a neck-piece) and states the spiritual result: reaching the superior, unhindered abode connected with the Viśvedevas.