Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 51

Phala of Vrata, Niyama, Svādhyāya, Dama, Satya, Brahmacarya, and Service (व्रत-नियम-स्वाध्याय-दम-सत्य-ब्रह्मचर्य-शुश्रूषा-फलप्रश्नः)

Devanagari script

गामप्येकां कपिलां सम्प्रदाय न्यायोपेतां कलुषाद्‌ विप्रमुच्येत्‌ । गवां रसात्‌ परम॑ नास्ति किंचिद्‌ गवां प्रदानं सुमहद्‌ वदन्ति

Transliteration

gām apy ekāṃ kapilāṃ sampradāya nyāyopetāṃ kaluṣād vipramucyet | gavāṃ rasāt paramaṃ nāsti kiṃcid gavāṃ pradānaṃ sumahad vadanti |

Translation

那支迦多说道：“即便只施舍一头迦毗罗母牛——以正当之道所得，并以公正之心施与——也能从污秽（罪垢）中解脱。世间无物胜过牛之乳与其诸制品；因此智者称施牛为大施。”

Word by Word

• {'gām': 'a cow (accusative singular of go)', 'api': 'even, also', 'ekām': 'one (single)', 'kapilām': 'tawny/reddish-brown (a ‘kapilā’ cow)', 'sampradāya': 'having given

• by bestowing (absolutive of sam-√dā)', 'nyāya-upetām': 'endowed with justice

• in accordance with right conduct (i.e., properly acquired and properly given)', 'kaluṣāt': 'from impurity/defilement

• from sin', 'vipramucyet': 'would be completely freed/released', 'gavām': 'of cows', 'rasāt': 'from ‘rasa’—juice/essence

• here: milk and its nourishing produce', 'paramam': 'supreme, highest', 'nāsti kiṃcit': 'there is nothing (else) that exists (as higher)', 'pradānam': 'gift, giving, donation', 'sumahat': 'very great', 'vadanti': 'they say

Speaker

नाचिकेत उवाच

Characters & Entities

• नाचिकेत (Naciketa)
• गौः (cow)
• कपिला गौः (tawny cow)
• गोरस (milk/produce of the cow)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches that charity must be ethically grounded—one should give what is rightfully obtained and given in a just manner. Such dharmic giving, especially of a cow (a source of nourishment), is praised as a ‘great gift’ and is said to cleanse moral defilement.

What is happening in the narrative?

Naciketa is speaking within a didactic context, emphasizing the religious-ethical value of go-dāna (gifting a cow). He argues that even a single properly given kapilā cow can free a person from sin, because nothing surpasses the sustaining ‘rasa’ (milk and its products) derived from cows.