Shloka 31
गोप्रदानगुणाः तथा कपिलागोविधानम्
Merits of Cow-Gift and the Origin-Account of Kapilā Cows
यदेकभक्तमश्रीयाद् दद्यादेकं गवां च यत् । दशवर्षाण्यनन्तानि गोव्रती गो&$नुकम्पक:
pitāmaha uvāca | yad ekabhaktam āśrīyād dadyād ekaṃ gavāṃ ca yat | daśavarṣāṇy anantāni govratī go'nukampakaḥ ||
Bhīṣma berkata: “Jika seorang lelaki mengambil disiplin makan hanya sekali sehari, dan daripada satu hidangan itu memberikan satu bahagian kepada lembu, maka—sebagai pemegang nazar lembu dan berbelas kasihan terhadap ternakan—dengan tekun berkhidmat demikian selama sepuluh tahun, dia memperoleh kebahagiaan yang tiada batas.”
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
A disciplined life (eating once daily) combined with consistent charity and compassion toward cows is presented as a dharmic practice that yields immeasurable spiritual and ethical reward.
Bhīṣma, teaching dharma, describes a specific vow: the practitioner eats once a day and gives a portion of that meal to cows; sustained for ten years, this cow-service is said to lead to limitless happiness.