Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 51

Phala of Vrata, Niyama, Svādhyāya, Dama, Satya, Brahmacarya, and Service (व्रत-नियम-स्वाध्याय-दम-सत्य-ब्रह्मचर्य-शुश्रूषा-फलप्रश्नः)

Devanagari script

गामप्येकां कपिलां सम्प्रदाय न्यायोपेतां कलुषाद्‌ विप्रमुच्येत्‌ । गवां रसात्‌ परम॑ नास्ति किंचिद्‌ गवां प्रदानं सुमहद्‌ वदन्ति

Transliteration

gām apy ekāṃ kapilāṃ sampradāya nyāyopetāṃ kaluṣād vipramucyet | gavāṃ rasāt paramaṃ nāsti kiṃcid gavāṃ pradānaṃ sumahad vadanti |

Translation

Sinabi ni Naciketa: “Kahit ang pag-aalay lamang ng isang kapilā na baka—na nakuha nang wasto at ibinigay sa makatarungang paraan—ay nakapagpapalaya sa karumihan (kasalanan). Wala nang hihigit pa sa katas ng baka (gatas at mga bunga nito); kaya’t sinasabi ng marurunong na ang pag-aalay ng baka ay isang dakilang handog.”

Word by Word

• {'gām': 'a cow (accusative singular of go)', 'api': 'even, also', 'ekām': 'one (single)', 'kapilām': 'tawny/reddish-brown (a ‘kapilā’ cow)', 'sampradāya': 'having given

• by bestowing (absolutive of sam-√dā)', 'nyāya-upetām': 'endowed with justice

• in accordance with right conduct (i.e., properly acquired and properly given)', 'kaluṣāt': 'from impurity/defilement

• from sin', 'vipramucyet': 'would be completely freed/released', 'gavām': 'of cows', 'rasāt': 'from ‘rasa’—juice/essence

• here: milk and its nourishing produce', 'paramam': 'supreme, highest', 'nāsti kiṃcit': 'there is nothing (else) that exists (as higher)', 'pradānam': 'gift, giving, donation', 'sumahat': 'very great', 'vadanti': 'they say

Speaker

नाचिकेत उवाच

Characters & Entities

• नाचिकेत (Naciketa)
• गौः (cow)
• कपिला गौः (tawny cow)
• गोरस (milk/produce of the cow)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that charity must be ethically grounded—one should give what is rightfully obtained and given in a just manner. Such dharmic giving, especially of a cow (a source of nourishment), is praised as a ‘great gift’ and is said to cleanse moral defilement.

What is happening in the narrative?

Naciketa is speaking within a didactic context, emphasizing the religious-ethical value of go-dāna (gifting a cow). He argues that even a single properly given kapilā cow can free a person from sin, because nothing surpasses the sustaining ‘rasa’ (milk and its products) derived from cows.