गोप्रदानगुणाः तथा कपिलागोविधानम्
Merits of Cow-Gift and the Origin-Account of Kapilā Cows
योअग्रं भक्त किंचिदप्राश्य दद्याद् गोभ्यो नित्यं गोव्रती सत्यवादी । शान्तो5लुब्धो गोसहस्रस्य पुण्यं संवत्सरेणाप्लुयात् सत्यशील:
yo 'graṃ bhaktaṃ kiñcid aprāśya dadyād gobhyo nityaṃ govratī satyavādī | śānto 'lubdho gosahasrasya puṇyaṃ saṃvatsareṇāpluyāt satyaśīlaḥ ||
ଭୀଷ୍ମ କହିଲେ—ଯେ ଗୋବ୍ରତୀ, ସତ୍ୟବାଦୀ, ଶାନ୍ତ ଓ ନିର୍ଲୋଭ ପୁରୁଷ ନିଜ ଭୋଜନ ପୂର୍ବରୁ ପ୍ରତିଦିନ ଅଳ୍ପ ଅଂଶ ଗୋମାତାଙ୍କୁ ଅର୍ପଣ କରେ—ସେ ସତ୍ୟଶୀଳ ବ୍ୟକ୍ତି ଏକ ବର୍ଷରେ ସହସ୍ର ଗୋଦାନର ପୁଣ୍ୟ ପାଏ।
पितामह उवाच
Daily, disciplined compassion—offering a first portion of one’s food to cows—combined with truthfulness, calmness, and freedom from greed, is praised as a powerful dharmic practice, yielding merit comparable to great gifts.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma (Anuśāsana Parva), he commends a specific observance: giving cows a small offering before one eats, and he states the spiritual reward of this practice in terms of the merit of a large-scale cow-donation.