Shloka 3
Go-mahātmyam: Pavitrāṇāṃ Pavitraṃ
Cows and Ghee as Supreme Purifiers
वैशम्पायन उवाच इत्युक्तो धर्मराजेन तदा शान्तनवो नृप: । सम्यगाह गुणांस्तस्मै गोप्रदानस्य केवलान्
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: ity ukto dharmarājena tadā śāntanavo nṛpaḥ | samyag āha guṇāṁs tasmai gopradānasya kevalān ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: Assim interpelado por Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira), o rei Śāntanava (Bhīṣma) passou então a descrever, de modo correto e ordenado, as virtudes e os méritos que dizem respeito especificamente ao dom de vacas, ressaltando seu valor ético como ato de generosidade conforme o dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames go-dāna (the gifting of cows) as a distinct dharmic act whose specific virtues are to be explained carefully; it highlights that ethical giving is not random but can be taught, categorized, and performed in a proper (samyak) manner.
After Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmarāja) addresses him with a query, Bhīṣma—identified as Śāntanava—begins a focused exposition on the merits of cow-gifting, with Vaiśampāyana narrating this transition.