Shloka 39

Devanagari script

अलाभे यो गवां दद्याद्‌ घृतधेनुं यतव्रत: । तस्यैता घृतवाहिन्यः भरन्ते वत्सला इव,“जो गौओंके अभावमें संयम-नियमसे युक्त हो घृतधेनुका दान करता है, उसके लिये ये घृतवाहिनी नदियाँ वत्सला गौओंकी भाँति घृत बहाती हैं

Transliteration

alābhe yo gavāṁ dadyād ghṛtadhenūṁ yatavrataḥ | tasyaitā ghṛtavāhinyas bharante vatsalā iva ||

Translation

เมื่อโคหาได้ไม่ ผู้มีวินัยและมั่นคงในพรต หากถวาย ‘โคเนยใส’ (ฆฤตธेनุ) เป็นทานแล้ว สำหรับผู้นั้น แม่น้ำทั้งหลายอันไหลด้วยเนยใสย่อมหลั่งไหลเนยใส ดุจแม่โคผู้เปี่ยมวาตสัลยะหลั่งน้ำนมให้ลูกโค.

Word by Word

अलाभेin (a state of) non-attainment/absence

यःwho

गवाम्of cows

दद्यात्should give

घृतधेनुम्a ghee-cow (cow yielding ghee; a special gift-cow)

यतव्रतःone whose vow is restrained/observant of vows

तस्यfor him / of him

एताःthese

घृतवाहिन्यःghee-carrying/flowing with ghee

भरन्तेthey bear/bring forth (i.e., pour/produce)

वत्सलाःaffectionate (to their calves)

इवlike/as

Speaker

नाचिकेत उवाच

Characters & Entities

न

नाचिकेत (Naciketas)

ग

गावः (cows)

घ

घृतधेनु (ghee-cow, ritual gift)

घ

घृतवाहिन्यः (rivers flowing with ghee)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

True charity is measured by disciplined intention and dharmic resolve, not merely by material abundance. Even when resources are scarce, a sincere, vow-observing giver who offers an appropriate substitute (like the ghṛtadhenū) gains great merit, poetically expressed as rivers of ghee flowing for him.

What is happening in the narrative?

Naciketas describes the fruit of a particular charitable act: when cows are unavailable, a restrained person donates a symbolic ‘ghee-cow.’ As a result, in the afterlife imagery of reward, ghee-flowing rivers become bountiful for him, like affectionate cows providing nourishment—illustrating the promised outcomes of dharmic giving.