Shloka 14
Chapter 84: Brahmā’s Counsel on Tāraka, the Search for Agni, and the Genesis of Skanda
Kārttikeya
ततो ब्रह्मा तु गा: प्रायमुपविष्टा: समीक्ष्य ह । ईप्सितं प्रददौ ताभ्यो गोभ्य: प्रत्येकश: प्रभु:,भगवान् ब्रह्माजीने गौओंको प्रायोपवेशन (आमरण उपवास) करते देख उन गौओंमेंसे प्रत्येकको उनकी अभीष्ट वस्तु दी
tato brahmā tu gāḥ prāyam upaviṣṭāḥ samīkṣya ha | īpsitaṃ pradadau tābhyo gobhyaḥ pratyekaśaḥ prabhuḥ ||
Então o Senhor Brahmā, vendo as vacas sentadas em prāyopaveśana —o jejum até a morte—, concedeu a cada uma delas, uma a uma, a dádiva que desejava.
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
A righteous, disciplined resolve (here, prāyopaveśa undertaken by the cows) can compel moral attention from the highest authority; dharma is upheld through compassionate intervention, and the sanctity of the innocent—symbolized by the cow—is affirmed.
Brahmā notices the cows undertaking a fast unto death and, moved by their condition and purpose, grants each cow her desired boon individually.