Shloka 24

Suvarṇa-dāna: Kārttikeya’s Origin and the Defeat of Tāraka (सुवर्णदान-प्रसङ्गे कार्त्तिकेय-उत्पत्ति तथा तारकवधः)

Devanagari script

सुरभ्य: पुण्यकर्मिण्य: पावना: शुभलक्षणा: । यदर्थ गां गताश्चैव सुरभ्य: सुरसत्तम

Transliteration

surabhyaḥ puṇyakarmiṇyaḥ pāvanāḥ śubhalakṣaṇāḥ | yadarthaṃ gāṃ gatāś caiva surabhyaḥ surasattama ||

Translation

Bhishma berkata: “Lembu-lembu Surabhī ialah pelaku kebajikan, menyucikan menurut fitrah mereka, dan bertanda-tanda yang membawa tuah. Wahai yang terbaik antara para dewa, untuk tujuan apakah Surabhī-Surabhī ini datang ke sini, dengan urusan lembu sebagai perhatian mereka?”

Word by Word

सुरभ्यःfragrant; (the) Surabhis/cows

पुण्यकर्मिण्यःof meritorious deeds

पावनाःpurifying

शुभलक्षणाःhaving auspicious marks

यदर्थम्for which purpose; for whose sake

गाम्a cow

गताःgone; having gone

चand

एवindeed; just

सुरभ्यःthe Surabhis/cows

सुरसत्तमO best of the gods

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Surabhī (celestial cows)

go (cow)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames the Surabhī cows as inherently purifying and auspicious, reinforcing the ethical-religious valuation of the cow as a sanctifying presence and a locus of merit (puṇya) within dharma-oriented discourse.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma addresses a divine figure (“best of the gods”) and, seeing the Surabhīs described as virtuous and auspicious, asks why they have come—specifically in connection with ‘the cow’—setting up an explanation about their purpose and significance.