13.079
वसिष्ठ उवाच॥
Vasiṣṭha said.
घृतक्षीरप्रदा गावो घृतयोन्यो घृतोद्भवाः। घृतनद्यो घृतावर्तास्ता मे सन्तु सदा गृहे ॥१३-७९-१॥
May cows that give ghee and milk, whose origin and birth are from ghee, that have rivers and eddies of ghee, always be present in my house. (13-79-1)
घृतं मे हृदये नित्यं घृतं नाभ्यां प्रतिष्ठितम्। घृतं सर्वेषु गात्रेषु घृतं मे मनसि स्थितम् ॥१३-७९-२॥
Clarified butter is always in my heart, clarified butter is established in my navel. Clarified butter is in all my limbs, clarified butter abides in my mind. (13-79-2)
गावो ममाग्रतो नित्यं गावः पृष्ठत एव च। गावो मे सर्वतश्चैव गवां मध्ये वसाम्यहम् ॥१३-७९-३॥
Cows are always in front of me, cows are indeed behind as well. Cows are all around me, and I dwell in the midst of cows. (13-79-3)
इत्याचम्य जपेत्सायं प्रातश्च पुरुषः सदा। यदह्ना कुरुते पापं तस्मात्स परिमुच्यते ॥१३-७९-४॥
Thus, after performing the ritual sipping, a man should always recite in the evening and the morning; from whatever sin he commits during the day, he is thereby fully freed. (13-79-4)
प्रासादा यत्र सौवर्णा वसोर्धारा च यत्र सा। गन्धर्वाप्सरसो यत्र तत्र यान्ति सहस्रदाः ॥१३-७९-५॥
Where there are palaces, where are golden streams of treasure and where she is, there Gandharvas and Apsarases go in thousands. (13-79-5)
नवनीतपङ्काः क्षीरोदा दधिशैवलसङ्कुलाः। वहन्ति यत्र नद्यो वै तत्र यान्ति सहस्रदाः ॥१३-७९-६॥
Where rivers of milk burdened with heaps of butter and thick with curd-moss flow, there they proceed in a thousand streams. (13-79-6)
गवां शतसहस्रं तु यः प्रयच्छेद्यथाविधि। परामृद्धिमवाप्याथ स गोलोके महीयते ॥१३-७९-७॥
Whoever gives one hundred thousand cows according to the proper method, after attaining the highest prosperity, is then honored in Goloka. (13-79-7)
दश चोभयतः प्रेत्य मातापित्रोः पितामहान्। दधाति सुकृताँल्लोकान्पुनाति च कुलं नरः ॥१३-७९-८॥
A man attains the virtuous worlds of ten ancestors on both sides (of mother and father) after death and also purifies his family. (13-79-8)
धेन्वाः प्रमाणेन समप्रमाणां; धेनुं तिलानामपि च प्रदाय। पानीयदाता च यमस्य लोके; न यातनां काञ्चिदुपैति तत्र ॥१३-७९-९॥
One who, according to proper measure, gives a cow, even one made of sesame seeds, and who gives water, does not experience any suffering in the world of Yama. (13-79-9)
पवित्रमग्र्यं जगतः प्रतिष्ठा; दिवौकसां मातरोऽथाप्रमेयाः। अन्वालभेद्दक्षिणतो व्रजेच्च; दद्याच्च पात्रे प्रसमीक्ष्य कालम् ॥१३-७९-१०॥
The pure and excellent is the foundation of the world; they are the mothers of the gods and are immeasurable. One should take food while facing south, should proceed, and should give to the worthy recipient after carefully considering the proper time. (13-79-10)
धेनुं सवत्सां कपिलां भूरिशृङ्गां; कांस्योपदोहां वसनोत्तरीयाम्। प्रदाय तां गाहति दुर्विगाह्यां; याम्यां सभां वीतभयो मनुष्यः ॥१३-७९-११॥
Having given a cow with a calf, tawny-colored, with great horns, equipped with a bronze milking vessel and an upper garment, a man enters the difficult-to-enter southern assembly without fear. (13-79-11)
सुरूपा बहुरूपाश्च विश्वरूपाश्च मातरः। गावो मामुपतिष्ठन्तामिति नित्यं प्रकीर्तयेत् ॥१३-७९-१२॥
One should always recite: "May the cows, who are mothers, possessing beautiful, manifold, and universal forms, attend upon me." (13-79-12)
नातः पुण्यतरं दानं नातः पुण्यतरं फलम्। नातो विशिष्टं लोकेषु भूतं भवितुमर्हति ॥१३-७९-१३॥
There is no gift more meritorious than this, no fruit more auspicious than this; nothing more distinguished exists or can exist among the worlds. (13-79-13)
त्वचा लोम्नाथ शृङ्गैश्च वालैः क्षीरेण मेदसा। यज्ञं वहन्ति सम्भूय किमस्त्यभ्यधिकं ततः ॥१३-७९-१४॥
With their skin, hair, horns, tails, milk, and fat, they together bear the sacrifice; is there anything superior to that? (13-79-14)
यया सर्वमिदं व्याप्तं जगत्स्थावरजङ्गमम्। तां धेनुं शिरसा वन्दे भूतभव्यस्य मातरम् ॥१३-७९-१५॥
I bow my head to that cow by whom all this world, both stationary and moving, is pervaded, the mother of past and future. (13-79-15)
गुणवचनसमुच्चयैकदेशो; नृवर मयैष गवां प्रकीर्तितस्ते। न हि परमिह दानमस्ति गोभ्यो; भवन्ति न चापि परायणं तथान्यत् ॥१३-७९-१६॥
O best of men, I have declared to you only a part of the aggregate of attributes and praises of cows. Indeed, there is no greater gift here than that of cows, nor is there another supreme refuge like them. (13-79-16)
भीष्म उवाच॥
Bhishma said.
परमिदमिति भूमिपो विचिन्त्य; प्रवरमृषेर्वचनं ततो महात्मा। व्यसृजत नियतात्मवान्द्विजेभ्यः; सुबहु च गोधनमाप्तवांश्च लोकान् ॥१३-७९-१७॥
The king, having considered this as supreme, thus (in mind), the great-souled one then distributed, in accordance with the eminent sage's instruction, to the Brāhmaṇas; he (who was) self-controlled gave away much wealth of cows and also the realms he had acquired. (13-79-17)
