Shloka 3

Go-mahātmyam: Pavitrāṇāṃ Pavitraṃ

Cows and Ghee as Supreme Purifiers

Devanagari script

वैशम्पायन उवाच इत्युक्तो धर्मराजेन तदा शान्तनवो नृप: । सम्यगाह गुणांस्तस्मै गोप्रदानस्य केवलान्‌

Transliteration

Vaiśampāyana uvāca: ity ukto dharmarājena tadā śāntanavo nṛpaḥ | samyag āha guṇāṁs tasmai gopradānasya kevalān ||

Translation

毗舍波耶那说：既被法王（由提湿提罗）如此请问，善檀奴之子、王者毗湿摩便于当时依次而正当地宣说：唯独关于施牛之礼的诸般德行与功德，并阐明其作为合乎法义之布施所具的伦理价值。

Word by Word

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

• उवाच: said
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Perfect, 3rd, Singular

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

• उक्तः: having been addressed / spoken to
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular, kta (past passive participle)

• धर्मराजेन: by Dharmaraja (Yudhishthira)
• धर्मराजेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मराज
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

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

• शान्तनवः: the son/descendant of Shantanu (Bhishma)
• शान्तनवः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शान्तनव
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नृपः: king
• नृपः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सम्यक्: properly, correctly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक्

• आह: said, spoke
• Type: Verb
• Root: अह्
• Form: Perfect, 3rd, Singular

• गुणान्: merits, virtues
• गुणान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुण
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• तस्मै: to him
• तस्मै: Sampradana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Dative, Singular

• गोप्रदानस्य: of cow-gifting (gift of cows)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोप्रदान
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• केवलान्: only, exclusively
• Type: Adjective
• Root: केवल
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Śāntanava (Bhīṣma)
• go-pradāna (gift of cows)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames go-dāna (the gifting of cows) as a distinct dharmic act whose specific virtues are to be explained carefully; it highlights that ethical giving is not random but can be taught, categorized, and performed in a proper (samyak) manner.

What is happening in the narrative?

After Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmarāja) addresses him with a query, Bhīṣma—identified as Śāntanava—begins a focused exposition on the merits of cow-gifting, with Vaiśampāyana narrating this transition.