Shloka 17
Chapter 84: Brahmā’s Counsel on Tāraka, the Search for Agni, and the Genesis of Skanda
Kārttikeya
गावस्तेजो महद् दिव्यं गवां दान॑ प्रशस्यते । ये चैता: सम्प्रयच्छन्ति साधवो वीतमत्सरा:
vyāsa uvāca | gāvas tejo mahad divyaṃ gavāṃ dānaṃ praśasyate | ye caitāḥ samprayacchanti sādhavo vītamatsarāḥ |
ਵਿਆਸ ਨੇ ਆਖਿਆ— ਗਾਂਵਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਮਹਾਨ ਦਿਵ੍ਯ ਤੇਜ ਹੈ; ਇਸ ਲਈ ਗੋਦਾਨ ਦੀ ਪ੍ਰਸ਼ੰਸਾ ਕੀਤੀ ਜਾਂਦੀ ਹੈ। ਜੋ ਸੱਜਣ ਈਰਖਾ ਤੇ ਵੈਰ ਤਿਆਗ ਕੇ ਇਹ ਗਾਂਵਾਂ ਦਾਨ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਨ, ਉਹ ਪੁੰਨਵਾਨ ਮੰਨੇ ਜਾਂਦੇ ਹਨ।
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that go-dāna (the gift of cows) is especially meritorious because cows are viewed as bearing divine tejas; the ethical condition emphasized is vīta-matsaratā—giving without envy, rivalry, or grudging—so that charity becomes pure and spiritually fruitful.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma and gifts, Vyāsa states a doctrinal praise of cow-gifting: virtuous, non-envious donors who give cows are celebrated and are said to gain an exalted posthumous destination (Goloka, as understood in the traditional explanation).