Shloka 22
Cyavana’s Yogic Display and Kuśika’s Recognition of Tapas (च्यवन-योगप्रभावः कुशिकस्य तपःप्रशंसा च)
(ब्राह्मणानां गवां चैव कुलमेकं द्विधा कृतम् । एकत्र मन्त्रास्तिष्ठन्ति हविरन्यत्र तिष्ठतति ।।
bhīṣma uvāca |
brāhmaṇānāṃ gavāṃ caiva kulam ekaṃ dvidhā kṛtam |
ekatra mantrās tiṣṭhanti havir anyatra tiṣṭhati ||
anarghyā mahārāja dvijā varṇeṣu cottamāḥ |
gāvaś ca puruṣavyāghra gaur mūlyaṃ parikalpyatām ||
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai Maharaja, keturunan Brahmana dan lembu itu satu, namun tampak terbahagi menjadi dua bentuk: di satu tempat bersemayam mantra-mantra suci, di tempat yang lain bersemayam havis, yakni persembahan korban itu sendiri. Wahai harimau di antara manusia, kaum dwija adalah yang utama antara segala golongan dan tiada ternilai; demikian juga lembu, tiada dapat dinilai harganya. Maka tetapkanlah ‘harga’ mereka sebagai seekor lembu—bukan sebagai ukuran nilai sebenar, melainkan sebagai tanda penghormatan yang patut dalam pemberian.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Brahmins and cows are presented as intrinsically sacred and ‘priceless’: Brahmins embody the Vedic mantras, while cows embody the sacrificial offering (havis). Since their worth cannot be truly measured, any ‘price’ is only a symbolic honor—hence the stipulation of giving a cow as an appropriate token in acts of giving and reverence.
Bhishma is instructing the king on dharma related to honoring Brahmins and cows. He frames them as two manifestations of a single sacred lineage—mantra and oblation—then advises that, though beyond valuation, a cow may be fixed as the conventional token of value in the context of gifts and ritual propriety.