Shloka 21
गोशकृन्माहात्म्य-प्रश्नः (On the Merit of Cow-Dung and the Abode of Śrī) / Inquiry into the Sanctity of Cow-Dung
घृतेन जुहुयादग्निं घृतेन स्वस्ति वाचयेत् । घृतं दद्याद् घृतं प्राशेद् गवां पुष्टिं सदाश्षुते
ghṛtena juhuyād agniṁ ghṛtena svasti vācayet | ghṛtaṁ dadyād ghṛtaṁ prāśed gavāṁ puṣṭiṁ sadāśnute ||
พึงบูชาไฟศักดิ์สิทธิ์ด้วยเนยใส และพึงให้สวดวาจามงคลด้วยเนยใส พึงถวายเนยใสเป็นทาน และตนเองก็พึงบริโภคเนยใส ด้วยเหตุนี้ ความอุดมและความเจริญแห่งโคย่อมบังเกิดอยู่เนืองนิตย์
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a dharmic regimen centered on ghṛta (ghee): use it in fire-offerings, in auspicious rites, give it as charity, and consume it appropriately. Such conduct is said to support and increase the well-being (puṣṭi) of one’s cattle—linking ritual purity, generosity, and household prosperity.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on duties and meritorious practices. Here he prescribes ghee-based ritual and charitable acts, presenting them as a means to secure auspiciousness and the flourishing of cows/cattle, a key measure of household and social welfare.