Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 243

Suvarṇa-dāna: Kārttikeya’s Origin and the Defeat of Tāraka (सुवर्णदान-प्रसङ्गे कार्त्तिकेय-उत्पत्ति तथा तारकवधः)

Devanagari script

तच्च मे शृणु कारत्स्न्येन वदतो बलसूदन । 'सुरभी गौएँ पुण्यकर्म करनेवाली और शुभ-लक्षणा होती हैं। सुरश्रेष्ठ! बलसूदन! वे जिस उद्देश्यसे पृथ्वीपर गयी हैं, उसको भी मैं पूर्णरूपसे बता रहा हूँ, सुनो

Transliteration

tac ca me śṛṇu kārtsnyena vadataḥ balasūdana | surabhī gāvaḥ puṇyakarma-karaṇīyaḥ śubha-lakṣaṇāś ca bhavanti | suraśreṣṭha balasūdana | yasmād arthāt pṛthivyāṃ gatāḥ, tam api te sampūrṇarūpeṇa vakṣyāmi—śṛṇu ||

Translation

毗湿摩说道：“婆罗苏陀那啊，当我开口之时，你当悉心听我说完。苏罗毗之牛具足吉相，能成就福业。诸天之最胜者、诛灭婆罗者啊，也请你详听：它们降临大地的真正目的，我将一一尽述。”

Word by Word

• {'tac ca': 'and that (also)', 'me': 'to/for me

• my', 'śṛṇu': 'hear

• listen', 'kārtsnyena': 'completely

• in full', 'vadataḥ': 'of (me) speaking

• as I speak', 'balasūdana': 'O slayer of Bala (epithet of Kṛṣṇa/Viṣṇu/Indra in praise)', 'surabhī': 'Surabhī

• source-line of celestial cows', 'gāvaḥ': 'cows', 'puṇya': 'merit

• sacred virtue', 'karma': 'action

• ritual act', 'puṇyakarma-karaṇīyaḥ': 'those through whom meritorious acts are performed / who enable merit', 'śubha': 'auspicious

• благоприятный', 'lakṣaṇa': 'mark

• characteristic', 'suraśreṣṭha': 'best among the gods', 'pṛthivī': 'earth', 'gataḥ/gatāḥ': 'gone

• arrived', 'artha': 'purpose

• intention', 'sampūrṇarūpeṇa': 'in a complete manner

• fully', 'vakṣyāmi': 'I shall tell

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīṣma
• Balasūdana (epithet addressed to Kṛṣṇa)
• Surabhī
• gāvaḥ (cows)
• Pṛthivī (Earth)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames Surabhī cows as intrinsically auspicious and as instruments for generating puṇya (merit), preparing the listener to understand their divinely intended role on earth—linking ethical life and sacred duty with reverence toward cows.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīṣma addresses Kṛṣṇa (as Balasūdana and ‘best of the gods’) and signals a fuller explanation: he will describe why the Surabhī cows came to earth, introducing a didactic account about their purpose and significance.