Shloka 25
Go-mahātmyam: Pavitrāṇāṃ Pavitraṃ
Cows and Ghee as Supreme Purifiers
न दुष्यत्यनिलो नाग्निर्न सुवर्ण न चोदथधि:
na duṣyaty anilo nāgnir na suvarṇaṁ na codadhiḥ | āsām aiśvaryam icchanti sarve ’mṛtamayaṁ śubham ||
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “Hindi nadudungisan ang hangin, ni ang apoy; hindi nadudungisan ang ginto, ni ang karagatan. Gayundin, ang mga bakang ito ay hindi nagiging marumi dahil sa natira matapos uminom ang kanilang mga guya. Nais ng lahat na ang mga bakang ito’y magtaglay ng mapalad na kasaganaan, na tila amṛta—upang sa kanilang gatas at ghee ay mapangalagaan ang buong daigdig.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma teaches that certain life-sustaining and sacred substances are intrinsically pure and not defiled by contact; likewise, cows—sources of milk and ghee that nourish society—should not be treated as impure due to remnants from their calves. The ethical thrust supports reverence for cows and the social good arising from their protection.
In Anushasana Parva’s instruction on dharma and meritorious conduct, Bhishma explains norms of purity connected with cows and their produce. Using analogies (wind, fire, gold, ocean), he argues that cows remain undefiled, and he emphasizes the collective wish that their auspicious, ‘nectar-like’ abundance endure for the welfare of the world.