Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 27

Adhyāya 60: Dāna vs. Yajña—Royal Giving, Protection, and Karmic Share

Devanagari script

सुवर्णशंगैस्तु विराजितानां गवां सहस्नस्यथ नर: प्रदानात्‌ । प्राप्नोति पुण्यं दिवि देवलोक- मित्येवमाहुर्दिवि देवसंघा:

Transliteration

suvarṇaśaṅgais tu virājitānāṁ gavāṁ sahasrasya atha naraḥ pradānāt | prāpnoti puṇyaṁ divi devalokam ity evam āhur divi devasaṅghāḥ ||

Translation

Wika ni Vaiśampāyana: Ang sinumang maghandog ng isang libong baka na ang mga sungay ay pinalamutian ng ginto ay nagkakamit ng kabanalan at nakararating sa banal na daigdig sa langit—ganyan ang ipinahahayag ng mga kapulungan ng mga diyos na nananahan sa kalangitan.

Word by Word

• {'suvarṇa': 'gold', 'śaṅga': 'horn (of a cow)

• here in plural as ‘horns’', 'suvarṇaśaṅgaiḥ': 'with gold-adorned horns (instrumental plural)', 'tu': 'indeed

• but (emphatic particle)', 'virājitānām': 'of those that are splendid/adorned (genitive plural)', 'gavām': 'of cows (genitive plural)', 'sahasrasya': 'of a thousand (genitive singular

• ‘a thousand [cows]’)', 'atha': 'then

• moreover (connective particle)', 'naraḥ': 'a man

• person', 'pradānāt': 'from the act of giving

• by donation (ablative)', 'prāpnoti': 'attains

• obtains', 'puṇyam': 'merit

• auspicious reward', 'divi': 'in heaven

• in the sky (locative)', 'devalokam': 'the world of the gods

• celestial realm', 'iti': 'thus (quotative)', 'evam': 'in this manner

• so', 'āhuḥ': 'they say

• they declare', 'devasaṅghāḥ': 'companies/assemblies of gods', 'divi devasaṅghāḥ': 'the divine hosts in heaven (locative + nominative)'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• cows (gavāḥ)
• gold (suvarṇa)
• heaven (div)
• Devaloka
• assemblies of gods (devasaṅghāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that generous, ritually valued charity—specifically the grand gift of a thousand cows adorned with gold—produces puṇya (religious merit) and is traditionally believed to lead to attainment of Devaloka (the celestial world).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports a traditional claim attributed to the heavenly gods: that performing a major act of donation (sahasra-go-dāna) results in heavenly reward. It functions as an authoritative endorsement of dāna within the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma.