Shloka 14
Go-dāna-stuti and Ghṛta-Japa
Praise of cow-gift and ghee-centered recitation
एवं तस्याग्रे पूर्वमर्ध वदेत गवां दाता विधिवत पूर्वदृष्ट: । प्रतिब्रूयाच्छेषमर्ध द्विजाति: प्रतिगृह्नन् वै गोप्रदाने विधिज्ञ:
evaṁ tasyāgre pūrvam ardhaṁ vadet gavāṁ dātā vidhivat pūrva-dṛṣṭaḥ | pratibrūyāc cheṣam ardhaṁ dvijātir pratigṛhṇan vai go-pradāne vidhi-jñaḥ ||
(dātā:) yā vai yūyaṁ so ’ham agādyaiva bhāvo yuṣmān dattvā cāham ātma-pradātā |
(pratigrahītā:) manaḥ-śyutā mana evopapannāḥ sandhukṣadhvaṁ saumya-rūpogra-rūpāḥ ||
毗湿摩说：行施牛之礼时，施主——先使受者得见其人——应依仪轨诵出偈颂前半。随后，通晓施牛法度、正在受纳供施的二次生者（婆罗门），当以诵出后半偈而作答。 施主宣言：“汝等如何，我亦如何——我与汝等之体性本无差别。今日舍汝等而施，实则我已施舍自身。” 受者答曰：“由意而生，安立于意；当现柔和之相，亦现威猛之相。既已由施主之所有转入我之所有，便赐所愿之受用，使我与施主同得欢喜。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames cow-gift (go-dāna) as a dharmic act requiring correct ritual speech and intention: the donor identifies himself with the gift (“giving you is giving myself”), while the recipient ritually acknowledges the transfer of ownership and invokes the cows’ beneficent power to bring welfare to both parties.
Bhishma instructs on the formal exchange of recitations during go-dāna: first the donor recites a prescribed half-verse upon coming before the recipient; then the Brahmin recipient, while accepting the gift, recites the remaining half-verse as a ritual response completing the transaction.