Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 16
गोशकृन्माहात्म्य-प्रश्नः (On the Merit of Cow-Dung and the Abode of Śrī) / Inquiry into the Sanctity of Cow-Dung
नाकीर्तयित्वा गा: सुप्यात् तासां संस्मृत्य चोत्पतेत् । सायंप्रातर्नमस्येच्च गास्ततः पुष्टिमाप्तुयात्
nākīrtayitvā gāḥ supyāt tāsāṃ saṃsmṛtya cotpatet | sāyaṃprātar namasyec ca gās tataḥ puṣṭim āpnuyāt ||
Sinabi ni Bhīṣma: “Huwag matulog nang hindi binibigkas ang mga pangalan (o papuri) ng mga baka. Bumangon na inaalala sila, at tuwing umaga at gabi ay yumukod sa mga baka. Sa ganitong paggalang, nakakamit ng tao ang lakas at mabuting pagkatatag ng katawan.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches a daily discipline of reverence: praise the cows before sleep, rise remembering them, and bow to them morning and evening. This practice is presented as dharmic conduct that brings puṣṭi—health, strength, and flourishing—through gratitude and respect toward a sacred source of sustenance.
Within Bhīṣma’s instruction in the Anuśāsana Parva, he gives practical observances (ācāra) related to honoring cows. The verse is prescriptive, outlining what one should do at night, upon waking, and at the day’s two junctions (morning/evening) to gain well-being.