Shloka 30

Go-dāna-stuti and Ghṛta-Japa

Praise of cow-gift and ghee-centered recitation

Devanagari script

इति नृप सतत गवां प्रदाने यवशकलान्‌ सह गोमयै: पिबान: । क्षितितलशयन: शिखी यतात्मा वृष इव राजवृषस्तदा बभूव

Transliteration

iti nṛpa satataṃ gavāṃ pradāne yavaśakalān saha gomayaiḥ pibānaḥ | kṣititalaśayanaḥ śikhī yatātmā vṛṣa iva rājavṛṣas tadā babhūva, nareśvara! |

Translation

毗湿摩既如是教诫之后，王啊，坚战——诸王之最——恒常专志于不断施牛；仅以少许大麦粒和牛粪同食，卧于裸地，自制其心，任其发结纠缠。彼时他光辉炳然，宛如正法自身——如群王之中雄壮之公牛，坚贞而清净。

Word by Word

• इति: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• नृप: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• सततम्: always, continually
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सतत

• गवाम्: of cows
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Plural

• प्रदाने: in (the act of) giving, in donation
• प्रदाने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रदान
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• यव-शकलान्: barley-grains (lit. barley-pieces)
• यव-शकलान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: यवशकल
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• सह: together with
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह

• गोमयैः: with cow-dung
• गोमयैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोमय
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• पिबानः: drinking / consuming
• पिबानः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (पिबति)
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• क्षितितल-शयनः: one whose bed is the ground (sleeping on the earth)
• क्षितितल-शयनः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षितितलशयन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शिखी: with a topknot/crest; (here) with matted hair
• शिखी: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिखिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• यत-आत्मा: self-controlled
• यत-आत्मा: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यतात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• वृषः: a bull
• वृषः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• इव: like, as if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• राज-वृषः: the bull among kings (best of kings)
• राज-वृषः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजवृष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तदा: then
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

• बभूव: became
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Perfect (Liṭ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• नर-ईश्वर: O lord of men (O king)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरेश्वर
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• cows (go)
• barley (yava)
• cow-dung (gomaya)
• earth/ground (kṣiti-tala)
• Dharma (implied by vṛṣa imagery)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights royal dharma expressed through sustained charity (especially go-dāna) and personal austerity: a ruler’s moral authority is strengthened by self-restraint, simplicity, and commitment to giving rather than indulgence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana describes Yudhiṣṭhira’s disciplined way of life during this period: he is continually engaged in donating cows, eats only scant barley (even with cow-dung, emphasizing extreme simplicity), sleeps on the bare ground, grows matted hair, and is portrayed as shining like Dharma—‘a bull among kings.’