Shloka 76
Go-dāna-stuti and Ghṛta-Japa
Praise of cow-gift and ghee-centered recitation
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 ।। इति श्रीमहाभारते अनुशासनपर्वणि दानधर्मपर्वणि गोदानकथने षट्सप्ततितमो<्ध्याय:
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 ||
Disse Vaiśampāyana: «Ó senhor dos homens, o rei Yudhiṣṭhira mantinha sempre um coração humilde e reverente para com as vacas e não cessava de louvá-las. Desde então, nunca mais usou um boi para montaria ou viagem. Em seus deslocamentos de um lugar a outro, apoiava-se apenas em bons cavalos.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.
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.