Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 15
गोशकृन्माहात्म्य-प्रश्नः (On the Merit of Cow-Dung and the Abode of Śrī) / Inquiry into the Sanctity of Cow-Dung
वृषभ ये प्रयच्छन्ति श्रोत्रियाय परंतप । ऐश्वर्य तेडधिगच्छन्ति जायमाना: पुनः पुन:
vṛṣabhān ye prayacchanti śrotriyāya parantapa | aiśvaryaṃ te ’dhigacchanti jāyamānāḥ punaḥ punaḥ ||
Sinabi ni Bhīṣma: “O tagapagpasakit sa mga kaaway! Ang mga nagkakaloob ng toro sa isang śrotriya na brāhmaṇa, dalubhasa sa Veda, ay nagkakamit ng kasaganaan at kapalarang panginoon. Sa tuwing sila’y muling isisilang sa mundong ito, paulit-ulit silang nagiging kabahagi ng dakilang ginhawa at yaman.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
That dharmic giving—specifically gifting a bull to a qualified śrotriya Brahmin—produces lasting merit, resulting in prosperity and high fortune repeatedly across future births.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma, especially the ethics and results of various gifts (dāna). Here he highlights the spiritual efficacy of cattle-gifts to learned Brahmins.