Shloka 76

Go-dāna-stuti and Ghṛta-Japa

Praise of cow-gift and ghee-centered recitation

Devanagari script

नरेन्द्र! राजा युधिष्ठिर सदा ही गौओंके प्रति विनीत-चित्त होकर उनकी स्तुति करते रहते थे। उन्होंने फिर कभी बैलका अपनी सवारीमें उपयोग नहीं किया। वे अच्छे-अच्छे घोड़ोंद्वारा ही इधर-उधरकी यात्रा करते थे ।।

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | narendra rājā yudhiṣṭhiraḥ sadā hi gāvoṃ prati vinīta-citto bhūtvā tāsāṃ stutiṃ kurvan tiṣṭhati sma | sa punaḥ kadācit balīvardaṃ svayātrāyāṃ na yojayām āsa | sa tu śobhanaiḥ aśvaiḥ eva kvacid kvacid yātrāṃ karoti sma ||

Translation

ବୈଶମ୍ପାୟନ କହିଲେ—ନରେନ୍ଦ୍ର! ରାଜା ଯୁଧିଷ୍ଠିର ସଦା ଗୋମାତାଙ୍କ ପ୍ରତି ବିନୀତଚିତ୍ତ ହୋଇ ତାଙ୍କର ସ୍ତୁତି କରୁଥିଲେ। ତା’ପରେ ସେ କେବେବି ଯାତ୍ରା କିମ୍ବା ସବାରି ପାଇଁ ବଳଦକୁ ବ୍ୟବହାର କଲେ ନାହିଁ; ଏଠି-ସେଠି ଯିବାକୁ ସେ ସଦା ଉତ୍ତମ ଅଶ୍ୱମାନଙ୍କୁ ହିଁ ଆଶ୍ରୟ କଲେ।

Word by Word

• {'narendra': 'king

• lord of men', 'rājā': 'king', 'yudhiṣṭhiraḥ': 'Yudhiṣṭhira (eldest Pāṇḍava)', 'sadā': 'always', 'gāvaḥ / gāvoṃ prati': 'cows

• toward cows', 'vinīta-citta': 'humble-minded

• disciplined and gentle in attitude', 'stuti': 'praise

• eulogy', 'balīvarda': 'bull/ox (especially a draught animal)', 'svayātrā': 'one’s own travel/ride

• personal conveyance', 'na yojayām āsa': 'did not employ

• did not harness/use', 'aśva': 'horse', 'yātrā': 'journey

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• cows (gāvaḥ)
• ox/bull (balīvarda)
• horses (aśvāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A righteous king cultivates humility and gratitude toward beings that sustain society—especially cows—and avoids exploiting them for personal comfort, embodying compassion and restraint as part of dāna-dharma and royal duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes Yudhiṣṭhira’s ongoing reverence for cows: he praises them regularly and, as a practical expression of that reverence, stops using oxen for personal travel, choosing horses instead.