Shloka 52

Phala of Vrata, Niyama, Svādhyāya, Dama, Satya, Brahmacarya, and Service (व्रत-नियम-स्वाध्याय-दम-सत्य-ब्रह्मचर्य-शुश्रूषा-फलप्रश्नः)

Devanagari script

गावो लोकांस्तारयन्ति क्षरन्त्यो गावश्षान्नं संजनयन्ति लोके । यस्तं जानन्न गवां हार्दमेति स वै गन्ता निरयं पापचेता:,गौएँ दूध देकर सम्पूर्ण लोकोंका भूखके कष्टसे उद्धार करती हैं। ये लोकमें सबके लिये अन्न पैदा करती हैं। इस बातको जानकर भी जो गौओंके प्रति सौहार्दका भाव नहीं रखता, वह पापात्मा मनुष्य नरकमें पड़ता है

Transliteration

gāvo lokāṁs tārayanti kṣarantyo gāvaś cānnaṁ saṁjanayanti loke | yas taṁ jānann na gavāṁ hārdam eti sa vai gantā nirayaṁ pāpacetāḥ ||

Translation

പശുക്കൾ പാൽ ചൊരിഞ്ഞ് ലോകങ്ങളെ വിശപ്പിന്റെ ദുഃഖത്തിൽ നിന്ന് രക്ഷിക്കുന്നു; ഈ ലോകത്ത് എല്ലാവർക്കും ആഹാരപോഷണം സൃഷ്ടിക്കുന്നു. ഇതറിഞ്ഞിട്ടും പശുക്കളോടു സൗഹൃദഭാവം വളർത്താത്തവൻ പാപചിത്തനായി നരകത്തിലേക്കു പോകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• {'gāvaḥ (गावः/गावो)': 'cows', 'lokān (लोकान्)': 'worlds

• people/realms', 'tārayanti (तारयन्ति)': 'they ferry across

• rescue', 'kṣarantyaḥ (क्षरन्त्यः)': 'flowing

• yielding (milk)', 'ca (च)': 'and', 'annam (अन्नम्)': 'food

• grain', 'saṁjanayanti (संजजनयन्ति/संजजनयन्ति)': 'they produce

• bring forth', 'loke (लोके)': 'in the world', 'yaḥ (यः)': 'whoever', 'tam (तम्)': 'that (fact/benefit)', 'jānan (जानन्)': 'knowing', 'na (न)': 'not', 'gavām (गवाम्)': 'of cows', 'hārdam (हार्दम्)': 'heartfelt goodwill

• affection', 'eti (एति)': 'goes

• attains', 'saḥ (सः)': 'he', 'vai (वै)': 'indeed', 'gantā (गन्ता)': 'goer

• one who goes', 'nirayam (निरयम्)': 'hell

• a state of torment', 'pāpacetāḥ (पापचेता: / पापचेताः)': 'one whose mind is sinful

Speaker

नाचिकेत उवाच

Characters & Entities

• नाचिकेत (Nāciketa)
• गावः (cows)
• लोकाः (worlds/people)
• निरय (hell)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Recognize the life-sustaining, society-supporting role of cows (milk and nourishment) and therefore cultivate goodwill and respectful conduct toward them; ingratitude and hostility toward such benefactors is framed as sinful and leading to grave karmic consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Nāciketa speaks a didactic verse praising cows as rescuers from hunger and sources of food in the world, then warns that a person who knows this yet lacks heartfelt friendliness toward cows is morally culpable and destined for hell.