Mahabharata — Volume IX (Dutt edition) — Chapter 80

MBh 9 80.1

वसिष्ठ उवाच घृतक्षीरप्रदा गावो घृतयोन्यो घृतोद्भवाः। घृतनद्यो घृतावर्तास्ता मे सन्तु सदा गृहे।॥

vasiṣṭha uvāca ghṛtakṣīrapradā gāvo ghṛtayonyo ghṛtodbhavāḥ| ghṛtanadyo ghṛtāvartāstā me santu sadā gṛhe|||

Vasishtha said Kine give clarified butter and milk. They are the sources of clarified butter and they have originated from clarified butter. They are rivers of clarified butter, and eddies of clarified butter. Let kine ever be in my house.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 9 80.2

घृतं मे हृदये नित्यं घृतं नाभ्यां प्रतिष्ठितम्। घृतं सर्वेषु गात्रेषु घृतं मे मनसि स्थितम्॥

ghṛtaṃ me hṛdaye nityaṃ ghṛtaṃ nābhyāṃ pratiṣṭhitam| ghṛtaṃ sarveṣu gātreṣu ghṛtaṃ me manasi sthitam||

Clarified butter is always in my heart. Clarified butter is even established in my navel. Clarified butter is in every limb of mine. Clarified butter lives in my mind.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 9 80.3

गावो ममाग्रतो नित्यं गावः पृष्ठत एव च। गावो मे सर्वतश्चैव गवां मध्ये वसाम्यहम्॥

gāvo mamāgrato nityaṃ gāvaḥ pṛṣṭhata eva ca| gāvo me sarvataścaiva gavāṃ madhye vasāmyaham||

Kine are always at my front. Kine are always at my rear. Kine are on every side of my body. I live in the midst of kine.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 9 80.4

इत्याचम्य जपेत् सायं प्रातश्च पुरुषः सदा। यदह्ना कुरुते पापं तस्मात् स परिमुच्यते॥

ityācamya japet sāyaṃ prātaśca puruṣaḥ sadā| yadahnā kurute pāpaṃ tasmāt sa parimucyate||

Having purified oneself by touching water, one should, morning and evening, recite these Mantras every day. By this, one is sure to be purged of all the sins one may commit in course of the day.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 9 80.5

प्रासादा यत्र सौवर्णा वसोर्धारा च यत्र सा। गन्धर्वाप्सरसो यत्र तत्र यान्ति सहस्रदाः॥

prāsādā yatra sauvarṇā vasordhārā ca yatra sā| gandharvāpsaraso yatra tatra yānti sahasradāḥ||

They who make gifts of a thousand kine, leaving this world proceed to the regions of the Gandharvas and the celestial nymphs where there are many palatial buildings made of gold and where the celestial Ganga, called the current of Vasu, runs.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 9 80.6

नवनीतपङ्काः क्षीरोदा दधिशैवलसंकुलाः। वहन्ति यत्र वै नद्यस्तत्र यान्ति सहस्रदाः॥

navanītapaṅkāḥ kṣīrodā dadhiśaivalasaṃkulāḥ| vahanti yatra vai nadyastatra yānti sahasradāḥ||

Givers of a thousand kine go there where run many rivers, having milk for their water, cheese for their mire, and curds for their floating moss.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 9 80.7

गवां शतसहस्रं तु यः प्रयच्छेद् यथाविधि। परां वृद्धिमवाप्याथ स्वर्गलोके महीयते॥

gavāṃ śatasahasraṃ tu yaḥ prayacched yathāvidhi| parāṃ vṛddhimavāpyātha svargaloke mahīyate||

That man who gives hundreds of thousands of kine away according to the ritual laid down in the scriptures, acquires great prosperity (here) and great honours in the celestial region.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 9 80.8

दश चोभयतः पुत्रो मातापित्रोः पितामहान्। दधाति सुकृतान् लोकान् पुनाति च कुलं नरः॥

daśa cobhayataḥ putro mātāpitroḥ pitāmahān| dadhāti sukṛtān lokān punāti ca kulaṃ naraḥ||

Such a man causes both his paternal and maternal ancestors to the tenth degree acquire regions of great happiness, and sanctifies his whole race.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 9 80.9

धेन्वाः प्रमाणेन समप्रमाणां धेनुं तिलानामपि च प्रदाया पानीयदाता च यमस्य लोके न यातनां काञ्चिदुपैति तत्र॥

dhenvāḥ pramāṇena samapramāṇāṃ dhenuṃ tilānāmapi ca pradāyā pānīyadātā ca yamasya loke na yātanāṃ kāñcidupaiti tatra||

are Kine are sacred. They are the foremost of all things in the world. They are indeed the refuge of the universe. They are the mothers of the very celestials. They indeed incomparable. They should be dedicated in sacrifices.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 9 80.10

पवित्रमग्र्यं जगतः प्रतिष्ठा दिवौकसां मातरोऽथाप्रमेयाः। अन्वालभेद् दक्षिणतो व्रजेच्च दद्याच्च पात्रे प्रसमीक्ष्य कालम्॥

pavitramagryaṃ jagataḥ pratiṣṭhā divaukasāṃ mātaro'thāprameyāḥ| anvālabhed dakṣiṇato vrajecca dadyācca pātre prasamīkṣya kālam||

When going on journeys, one should leave the kine to his left. Determining the proper time, they should be given away to worthy persons.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 9 80.11

धेनुं सवत्सां कपिलां भूरिशृङ्गी कांस्योपदोहां वसनोत्तरीयाम्। प्रदाय तां गाहति दुर्विगाह्यां याम्यां सभां वीतभयो मनुष्यः॥

dhenuṃ savatsāṃ kapilāṃ bhūriśṛṅgī kāṃsyopadohāṃ vasanottarīyām| pradāya tāṃ gāhati durvigāhyāṃ yāmyāṃ sabhāṃ vītabhayo manuṣyaḥ||

By giving away a Kapila cow, having large horns, accompanied by a calf and a vessel of white brass for milking her, and covered with a piece of cloth, one freed from fear, enters the palace of Yama that is so difficult to enter.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 9 80.12

सुरूपा बहृरूपाश्च विश्वरूपाश्च मातरः। गावो मामुपतिष्ठन्तामिति नित्यं प्रकीर्तयेत्॥

surūpā bahṛrūpāśca viśvarūpāśca mātaraḥ| gāvo māmupatiṣṭhantāmiti nityaṃ prakīrtayet||

One should always recite this sacred Mantra, viz. Kine are of beautiful form. Kine are of various forins. They are of universal form. They are the mothers of the universe. O, let kine approach me.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 9 80.13

नातः पुण्यतरं दानं नातः पुण्यतरं फलम्। नातो विशिष्ठं लोकेषु भूतं भवितुमर्हति॥

nātaḥ puṇyataraṃ dānaṃ nātaḥ puṇyataraṃ phalam| nāto viśiṣṭhaṃ lokeṣu bhūtaṃ bhavitumarhati||

There is no gift more sacred than that of kine. There is no gift that yields more blessed merit. There has been nothing equal to the cow, nor will there be anything that will cqual her.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 9 80.14

त्वचा लोम्नाथ,गैर्वा वालैः क्षीरेण मेदसा। यज्ञं वहति सम्भूय किमस्त्यभ्यधिकं ततः॥

tvacā lomnātha,gairvā vālaiḥ kṣīreṇa medasā| yajñaṃ vahati sambhūya kimastyabhyadhikaṃ tataḥ||

With her skin, her hair, her hons' the hair of her tail, her milk, and her fatwith all these togetherthe cow maintains sacrifice. What thing is there that is more useful than the cow?

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 9 80.15

यया सर्वमिदं व्याप्तं जगत् स्थावरजङ्गमम्। तां धेनुं शिरसा वन्दे भूतभव्यस्य मातरम्॥

yayā sarvamidaṃ vyāptaṃ jagat sthāvarajaṅgamam| tāṃ dhenuṃ śirasā vande bhūtabhavyasya mātaram||

Bending my head to her with respect, I worship the cow who is the mother of both the Past and Future, and by whom the entire universe of mobile and immobile creatures is sustained.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 9 80.16

गुणवचनसमुच्चयैकदेशो नृवर मयैष गवां प्रकीर्तितस्ते। न च परमिह दानमस्ति गोभ्यो भवति न चापि परायणं तथान्यत्॥

guṇavacanasamuccayaikadeśo nṛvara mayaiṣa gavāṃ prakīrtitaste| na ca paramiha dānamasti gobhyo bhavati na cāpi parāyaṇaṃ tathānyat||

O best of men, I have thus recited to you only a portion of the great merits of kine. There is no gift in this world that is superior to that of kine. There is also no refuge in this world that is higher than kine.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)

MBh 9 80.17

भीष्म उवाच वरमिदमिति भूमिदो विचिन्त्य प्रवरमृषेर्वचनं ततो महात्मा। व्यसृजत नियतात्मवान् द्विजेभ्यः सुबहु च गोधानमाप्तवांश्च लोकान्॥

bhīṣma uvāca varamidamiti bhūmido vicintya pravaramṛṣervacanaṃ tato mahātmā| vyasṛjata niyatātmavān dvijebhyaḥ subahu ca godhānamāptavāṃśca lokān||

Bhishma said Considering these words of the Rishi Vasishtha as highly important, that great giver of land, king Saudasa, then made gifts of a very large number of kine to the Brahmanas, controlling his senses all the while, and as the result of those gifts, the king succeeded in acquiring many regions of happiness in the next world.

— tr. M.N. Dutt (1891–96) (public domain)