Shloka 29

Go-dāna-stuti and Ghṛta-Japa

Praise of cow-gift and ghee-centered recitation

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच तथा सर्व कृतवान्‌ धर्मराजो भीष्मेणोक्तो विधिवद्‌ गोप्रदाने । स मान्धातुर्देवदेवोपदिष्टं सम्यग्धर्म धारयामास राजा

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca tathā sarvaṁ kṛtavān dharmarājo bhīṣmeṇokto vidhivad gopradāne | sa māndhātur devadevo padiṣṭaṁ samyag dharmaṁ dhārayāmāsa rājā ||

Translation

毗湿摩既如此依正法详示施牛之仪，法王（坚战）便一一如教奉行，毫无差失。且王又牢牢记持天神之师布里哈斯帕提曾为曼达特里所宣说的真实法义，以正心正意而守之不移。

Word by Word

• वैशम्पायनः: Vaishampayana
• वैशम्पायनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैशम्पायन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• तथा: thus / in that manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• सर्वम्: everything
• सर्वम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• कृतवान्: having done
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: Past active participle (क्तवत्), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• धर्मराजः: King of Dharma (Yudhishthira)
• धर्मराजः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मराज
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• भीष्मेण: by Bhishma
• भीष्मेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्म
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• उक्तः: told / instructed
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• विधिवत्: according to rule / duly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधिवत्

• गो-प्रदाने: in the giving of cows (cow-donation)
• गो-प्रदाने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोप्रदान
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• मान्धातुः: of Mandhatr
• Type: Noun
• Root: मान्धातृ
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• देव-देव-उपदिष्टम्: taught by the god of gods
• देव-देव-उपदिष्टम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: देवदेवोपदिष्ट
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• सम्यक्: properly / well
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक्

• धर्मम्: dharma / duty
• धर्मम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• धारयामास: kept in mind / maintained / bore
• Type: Verb
• Root: धृ
• Form: Perfect (periphrastic), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• राजा: the king
• राजा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Janamejaya
• Bhīṣma
• Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Bṛhaspati
• Māndhātṛ
• go-dāna (gift of cows)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Dharma is upheld through disciplined obedience to righteous instruction: Yudhiṣṭhira not only performs charity (go-dāna) according to proper procedure (vidhi) but also internalizes the broader ethical teaching transmitted by authoritative teachers (Bhīṣma and Bṛhaspati).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana reports to Janamejaya that, after Bhīṣma prescribes the correct method for gifting cows, Yudhiṣṭhira carries it out exactly; he also remembers and maintains the dharma once taught by Bṛhaspati to the ancient king Māndhātṛ.