Shloka 14
Suvarṇa-janma and Dakṣiṇā-Māhātmya
Origin and Supremacy of Gold as Ritual Fee
त्वचा लोम्नाथशंगैर्वा वालै: क्षीरेण मेदसा । यज्ञ वहति सम्भूय किमस्त्यभ्यधिकं ततः
tvacā lomnāthaśaṅgair vā vālaiḥ kṣīreṇa medasā | yajñaṁ vahati sambhūya kim asty abhyadhikaṁ tataḥ ||
Vasiṣṭha disse: “Com sua pele, seus pelos, seus ossos e seus chifres, com os pelos da cauda, com seu leite e sua gordura—reunindo tudo isso—a vaca sustenta a ordem do sacrifício (yajña). Que poderia, então, ser superior a ela?”
वसिष्ठ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The cow is portrayed as uniquely dharmic because her various products and even bodily parts are understood to support yajña and communal religious life; therefore she deserves special protection, gratitude, and non-violence.
In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction-oriented discourse, Vasiṣṭha argues for the cow’s preeminence by listing how her milk, fat (ghee), and other associated materials are used to sustain sacrificial rites, concluding that nothing surpasses her in service to yajña.