Shloka 8
गोमहात्म्य-प्रश्नोत्तरम्
Saudāsa–Vasiṣṭha on the Purifying Power of Cows
गोप्रदानात् तारयते सप्त पूर्वास्तथा परान् | सुवर्ण दक्षिणां कृत्वा तावदद्विगुणमुच्यते
gopradānāt tārayate sapta pūrvās tathā parān | suvarṇa-dakṣiṇāṁ kṛtvā tāvad adviguṇam ucyate ||
पितामह म्हणाले—गोदानाने मनुष्य आपल्या सात पूर्वजांचा तसेच सात पुढे येणाऱ्या पिढ्यांचा उद्धार करतो. आणि त्या दानासोबत सुवर्ण-दक्षिणा दिल्यास त्याचे पुण्यफल दुप्पट सांगितले आहे॥
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the dharmic value of dāna: gifting a cow is praised as a powerful act of merit benefiting both ancestors and descendants, and adding a gold dakṣiṇā is said to increase that merit twofold.
Bhīṣma (Pitāmaha), in his instruction on dharma, explains to his listener the spiritual efficacy of specific charitable gifts—especially go-dāna—and how accompanying dakṣiṇā (gold) is traditionally held to amplify the fruit of the donation.