Shloka 12
Chapter 84: Brahmā’s Counsel on Tāraka, the Search for Agni, and the Genesis of Skanda
Kārttikeya
व्यास उवाच गाव: प्रतिष्ठा भूतानां तथा गाव: परायणम् । गाव: पुण्या: पवित्राश्व गोधनं पावनं तथा
vyāsa uvāca gāvaḥ pratiṣṭhā bhūtānāṃ tathā gāvaḥ parāyaṇam | gāvaḥ puṇyāḥ pavitrāś ca godhanaṃ pāvanaṃ tathā ||
Vyasa berkata: “Lembu adalah asas bagi segala makhluk hidup, dan juga tempat perlindungan yang tertinggi. Lembu itu penuh pahala dan menyucikan; dan kekayaan berupa ternakan lembu (godhāna) juga menyucikan.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that cows and cattle-wealth are to be regarded as sustaining and purifying, supporting life and dharmic order; honoring and protecting them is presented as ethically and religiously meritorious.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-focused setting, Vyāsa speaks in praise of cows, framing them as a universal support for beings and as a source of purity and merit, reinforcing norms of dharma related to protection and reverence.