Shloka 11
गोमहात्म्य-प्रश्नोत्तरम्
Saudāsa–Vasiṣṭha on the Purifying Power of Cows
भीष्मजी कहते हैं--भरतश्रेष्ठ युधिष्ठिर! यह उपर्युक्त उपदेश ब्रह्माजीने इन्द्रको दिया। इन्द्रने राजा दशरथको तथा पिता दशरथने अपने पुत्र श्रीरामचन्द्रजीको दिया
bhīṣma uvāca—bharataśreṣṭha yudhiṣṭhira! ayam uparyukta upadeśaḥ brahmaṇā indrāya dattaḥ; indreṇa rājñe daśarathāya, pitṛṇā daśarathena ca svasmai putrāya śrīrāmacandrāya dattaḥ.
Bhīṣma bersabda: “Wahai Yudhiṣṭhira, yang terbaik antara keturunan Bharata! Ajaran yang disebut di atas itu mula-mula diberikan oleh Brahmā kepada Indra. Indra menyampaikannya kepada Raja Daśaratha, dan Daśaratha, sebagai seorang bapa, menurunkannya kepada puteranya sendiri, Śrī Rāmacandra.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the authority and reliability of the teaching by tracing its transmission through an exalted lineage—Brahma to Indra to Dasharatha to Rama—implying that ethical counsel gains weight when preserved and handed down through respected guardians of dharma.
Bhishma addresses Yudhishthira and explains that the instruction he has just presented is not new or personal opinion; it is an ancient counsel received from Brahma, passed to Indra, then to King Dasharatha, and finally taught by Dasharatha to his son Rama.