Shloka 6
Go-dāna-stuti and Ghṛta-Japa
Praise of cow-gift and ghee-centered recitation
आद्ानं च प्रयुड्जीत समंगे बहुलेति च । प्रविश्य च गवां मध्यमिमां श्रुतिमुदाहरेत्
Bhīṣma uvāca |
Ādānaṃ ca prayuñjīta samaṅge bahuleti ca |
Praviśya ca gavāṃ madhyam imāṃ śrutim udāharet ||
Sinabi ni Bhishma: “Isagawa ng nagkakaloob ang mga itinakdang pagtalima; tawagin ang baka sa mga salitang ‘O Samaṅgā, O Bahulā’; at pagpasok sa gitna ng kawan, bigkasin ang banal na pormulang Veda na ito.” Ipinapakita nito na ang go-dāna ay isang ritwal na may paggalang, pagpipigil-sa-sarili, at wastong pananalita.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Charity is not merely transfer of property; it is a dharmic act requiring discipline, respectful address, and correct ritual speech. The verse stresses purity and propriety in giving—especially in go-dāna—so that the gift becomes sanctified and ethically meaningful.
Bhishma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on the procedure of cow-gift. The donor is told to address the cow with specific epithets (‘Samaṅgā, Bahulā’), enter among the herd, and then recite a prescribed śruti/mantra as part of the formal donation rite.