Shloka 6
Go-dāna-stuti and Ghṛta-Japa
Praise of cow-gift and ghee-centered recitation
आद्ानं च प्रयुड्जीत समंगे बहुलेति च । प्रविश्य च गवां मध्यमिमां श्रुतिमुदाहरेत्
Bhīṣma uvāca |
Ādānaṃ ca prayuñjīta samaṅge bahuleti ca |
Praviśya ca gavāṃ madhyam imāṃ śrutim udāharet ||
ദാതാവ് വിധിപ്രകാരം ‘സമംഗേ, ബഹുലേ’ എന്നു പറഞ്ഞ് പശുവിനെ അഭിസംബോധന ചെയ്യണം; തുടർന്ന് പശുക്കളുടെ മദ്ധ്യത്തിൽ പ്രവേശിച്ച് ഈ ശ്രുതി ഉച്ചരിക്കണം.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Charity is not merely transfer of property; it is a dharmic act requiring discipline, respectful address, and correct ritual speech. The verse stresses purity and propriety in giving—especially in go-dāna—so that the gift becomes sanctified and ethically meaningful.
Bhishma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on the procedure of cow-gift. The donor is told to address the cow with specific epithets (‘Samaṅgā, Bahulā’), enter among the herd, and then recite a prescribed śruti/mantra as part of the formal donation rite.