Shloka 16

Gavāṃ Māhātmya — Go-dāna, Yajña-ādhāra, and Goloka

Brahmā–Indra–Surabhi Itihāsa

Devanagari script

हिरण्यवर्णा पिंगाक्षीं सवत्सां कांस्यदोहनाम्‌ | प्रदाय वस्त्रसंवीतां कौबेरं लोकमश्लुते

Transliteration

hiraṇyavarṇāṃ piṅgākṣīṃ savatsāṃ kāṃsyadohanām | pradāya vastrasaṃvītāṃ kauberaṃ lokam aśnute ||

Translation

Vasiṣṭha nói: Ai đem bố thí một con bò sắc vàng như kim, mắt màu vàng nâu (piṅgala), kèm theo bê con, lại dâng cả bình vắt sữa bằng đồng và phủ vải cho trang trọng, thì đạt đến cõi của thần Kubera.

Word by Word

• हिरण्यवर्णाम्: golden-colored
• हिरण्यवर्णाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हिरण्यवर्णा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• पिङ्गाक्षीम्: having tawny/brown eyes
• पिङ्गाक्षीम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पिङ्गाक्षी
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• सवत्साम्: with a calf
• सवत्साम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सवत्सा
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• कांस्यदोहनाम्: with a bronze milking-vessel
• कांस्यदोहनाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कांस्यदोहना
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• प्रदाय: having given
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + दा
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral here), Non-finite

• वस्त्रसंवीताम्: clothed/covered with a garment
• वस्त्रसंवीताम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वस्त्रसंवीता
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• कौबेरम्: of Kubera
• कौबेरम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कौबेर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• लोकम्: world/realm
• लोकम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अश्लुते: attains/reaches
• Type: Verb
• Root: अश्
• Form: Lat (Present), Atmanepada, Third, Singular

Speaker

वसिष्ठ उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vasiṣṭha
• Kubera
• cow (gauḥ)
• calf (vatsa)
• bronze milking vessel (kāṃsya-dohanā)
• cloth/garment (vastra)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that dāna should be complete and respectful: giving a valuable, useful gift (a cow with her calf and proper milking vessel), honored with cloth, generates religious merit and leads to an auspicious realm—here, Kubera’s world.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vasiṣṭha’s instruction on dharma, he enumerates specific forms of meritorious gifts. This verse specifies the donation of a well-described cow, accompanied by her calf and a bronze milking vessel, and states the resulting reward: attainment of Kaubera-loka.