Shloka 7

गोप्रदानविधिः (Gopradāna-vidhi) — Procedure and Praise of Cow-Gifting

Devanagari script

धयच9०>--- ््ध्न्य्ड 5५०63 ३ खरे &>->७त>शएछर बे 6 श ०» इन्द्रका ब्रह्माजीके साथ गौओंके सम्बन्धमें प्रश्नोत्तर कीदृशा भगवँल्‍लोका गवां तद्‌ ब्रूहि मेडनघ । यानावसन्ति दातार एतदिच्छामि वेदितुम्‌

Transliteration

śakra uvāca | kīdṛśā bhagavaṁl lokā gavāṁ tad brūhi me ’nagha | yān āvasanti dātāra etad icchāmi veditum, bhagavan ||

Translation

Шакра (Индра) сказал: «О Благословенный, поведай мне: каковы миры коров? О безгрешный, разъясни мне это. Я желаю знать, о Владыка, в каких обителях поселяются те, кто дарует коров в дар.»

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'शक्र (śakra)', 'definition': 'Indra

• the lord of the gods'}, {'term': 'उवाच (uvāca)', 'definition': 'said

• spoke'}, {'term': 'कीदृश (kīdṛśa)', 'definition': 'of what kind

• what sort'}, {'term': 'भगवन् (bhagavan)', 'definition': 'Blessed one

• venerable lord (honorific address)'}, {'term': 'लोक (loka)', 'definition': 'world

• plane of existence'}, {'term': 'गवाम् (gavām)', 'definition': 'of cows (genitive plural of go)'}, {'term': 'तद् (tad)', 'definition': 'that

• in that matter'}, {'term': 'ब्रूहि (brūhi)', 'definition': 'tell

• speak (imperative)'}, {'term': 'मे (me)', 'definition': 'to me

• my'}, {'term': 'अनघ (anagha)', 'definition': 'sinless

• faultless (epithet of a sage/deity)'}, {'term': 'यान् (yān)', 'definition': 'which

• whom (accusative plural relative pronoun)'}, {'term': 'आवसन्ति (āvasanti)', 'definition': 'they dwell

• reside'}, {'term': 'दातारः (dātāraḥ)', 'definition': 'givers

• donors'}, {'term': 'एतत् (etat)', 'definition': 'this'}, {'term': 'इच्छामि (icchāmi)', 'definition': 'I desire

• I wish'}, {'term': 'वेदितुम् (veditum)', 'definition': 'to know

Speaker

शक्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

• शक्र (Indra)
• गाः/गवाम् (cows)
• दातारः (donors; givers of cows)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames go-dāna (the gifting of cows) as a high-merit act whose ethical weight is measured by the spiritual ‘worlds’ (lokas) attained by donors, emphasizing charity as a dharmic path with lasting consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Indra (Śakra) respectfully questions a revered authority (addressed as ‘bhagavan’ and ‘anagha’) about the nature of the cows’ realms and specifically where those who donate cows come to reside, setting up an explanation of the fruits of go-dāna.