Critical Edition
वैशंपायन उवाच ततो युधिष्ठिरो राजा भूयः शांतनवं नृप गोदाने विस्तरं धीमान्पप्रच्छ विनयान्वितः
M. N. Dutt: Vaishampayana said King Yudhishthira gifted with humility, once again asked the royal son of Shantanu on the subject of gifts of kine in full.
युधिष्ठिर उवाच गोप्रदाने गुणान्सम्यक्पुनः प्रब्रूहि भारत न हि तृप्याम्यहं वीर शृण्वानोऽमृतमीदृशम्
M. N. Dutt: The king said Do you, O Bharata, once more describe to me in full merits of giving away kine. Indeed, O hero, I have not been satiated with hearing your nectarlike words.
इत्युक्तो धर्मराजेन तदा शांतनवो नृप सम्यगाह गुणांस्तस्मै गोप्रदानस्य केवलान्
M. N. Dutt: Vaishampayana said Thus accosted by king Yudhishthira the just, Shantanu's son began to describe to him once again, in full, the merits of the gift of kine.
भीष्म उवाच वत्सलां गुणसंपन्नां तरुणीं वस्त्रसंवृताम् दत्त्वेदृशीं गां विप्राय सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते
M. N. Dutt: Bhishma said By giving to a Brahmana a cow having a calf, gifted with docility and other virtues, young in years and covered round with a piece of cloth, one is purged of all his sins.
असुर्या नाम ते लोका गां दत्त्वा तत्र गच्छति पीतोदकां जग्धतृणां नष्टदुग्धां निरिन्द्रियाम्
M. N. Dutt: There are many regions which have no sun. One who makes the gift of a cow has not to go there.
जरोग्रामुपयुक्तार्थां जीर्णां कूपमिवाजलम् दत्त्वा तमः प्रविशति द्विजं क्लेशेन योजयेत्
M. N. Dutt: That man, however, who gives to a Brahmana a cow that cannot drink or eat, that has her milk dried up, that has weakened senses and that is diseased and overcome with decrepitude, and that may, therefore, be compared to a tank whose water has been dried upindeed, the man who gives such cow to a Brahmana and thereby inflicts only pain and disappointment upon him, has certainly to enter into dark Hell.
दुष्टा रुष्टा व्याधिता दुर्बला वा; न दातव्या याश्च मूल्यैरदत्तैः क्लेशैर्विप्रं योऽफलैः संयुनक्ति; तस्यावीर्याश्चाफलाश्चैव लोकाः
M. N. Dutt: That cow which is wrathful and vicious, or diseased, or weak, or which has been brought without the price agreed upon having been paid, or which would only afflict the twiceborn recipient with distress and disappointment, should never be given. The regions such a man may acquire would not give him any happiness or energy.
बलान्विताः शीलवयोपपन्नाः; सर्वाः प्रशंसन्ति सुगन्धवत्यः यथा हि गङ्गा सरितां वरिष्ठा; तथार्जुनीनां कपिला वरिष्ठा
M. N. Dutt: Only such kine as are strong, gifted with good behaviour, young in years, and possessed of odour, are highly spoken of by all. Indeed, as Ganga is the foremost of all rivers, so is a Kapila cow the foremost of all kine.
युधिष्ठिर उवाच कस्मात्समाने बहुलाप्रदाने; सद्भिः प्रशस्तं कपिलाप्रदानम् विशेषमिच्छामि महानुभाव; श्रोतुं समर्थो हि भवान्प्रवक्तुम्
M. N. Dutt: Yudhishthira said Why, O grandfather, do the righteous highly speak of the gift of a Kapila cow when all good kine that are given away should be considered as equal? O you of great power, I wish to hear what the superiority is of a Kapila cow. You are indeed, competent to discourse to me on this subject.
भीष्म उवाच वृद्धानां ब्रुवतां तात श्रुतं मे यत्प्रभाषसे वक्ष्यामि तदशेषेण रोहिण्यो निर्मिता यथा
M. N. Dutt: Bhishma said I have, O son, heard old men recite this history about the circumstances under which the Kapila cow was created. I shall recite that old history to you.
प्रजाः सृजेति व्यादिष्टः पूर्वं दक्षः स्वयंभुवा असृजद्वृत्तिमेवाग्रे प्रजानां हितकाम्यया
M. N. Dutt: Formerly the Selfcreate Brahman commanded the Rishi Daksha, saying, Do you create living creatures, For doing good to creatures, Daksha, first of all created food.
यथा ह्यमृतमाश्रित्य वर्तयन्ति दिवौकसः तथा वृत्तिं समाश्रित्य वर्तयन्ति प्रजा विभो
M. N. Dutt: As the deities live upon nectar, so all living creatures, O powerful one, live upon the food assigned by Daksha.
अचरेभ्यश्च भूतेभ्यश्चराः श्रेष्ठास्ततो नराः ब्राह्मणाश्च ततः श्रेष्ठास्तेषु यज्ञाः प्रतिष्ठिताः
M. N. Dutt: Among all objects mobile and immobile, the mobile are superior. Among mobile creatures, Brahmanas are superior. The sacrifices are all set upon them.
यज्ञैराप्यायते सोमः स च गोषु प्रतिष्ठितः सर्वे देवाः प्रमोदन्ते पूर्ववृत्तास्ततः प्रजाः
M. N. Dutt: It is by sacrifice that Soma is got. Sacrifice has been fixed upon kine. The gods become pleased through sacrifices. The means of livelihood were created first, creatures came next.
Supplementary Passages:
13.76.14 After 14, D10 S ins.: *371 ततः प्रजासु सृष्टासु दक्षाद्यैः क्षुधिताः प्रजाः प्रजापतिमुपाधावन्विनिश्चित्य चतुर्मुखम्
एतान्येव तु भूतानि प्राक्रोशन्वृत्तिकाङ्क्षया वृत्तिदं चान्वपद्यन्त तृषिताः पितृमातृवत्
M. N. Dutt: As soon as creatures were born, they began to cry aloud for food. All of them then approached their creator who was to give them food, like children approaching their parents.
इतीदं मनसा गत्वा प्रजासर्गार्थमात्मनः प्रजापतिर्बलाधानममृतं प्रापिबत्तदा
M. N. Dutt: Approved of the desire of all his creatures, the holy lord of all creatures, viz., Daksha, for the sake of his creatures, himself drank a quantity of nectar.
स गतस्तस्य तृप्तिं तु गन्धं सुरभिमुद्गिरन् ददर्शोद्गारसंवृत्तां सुरभिं मुखजां सुताम्
M. N. Dutt: He became pleased with the nectar, he drank and thereupon an eructation came out, spreading an excellent odour all around. That cruciation, Daksha saw gave birth to a cow which he named Surabhi. This Surabhi was thus a daughter of his, that had come out of his inouth.
Supplementary Passages:
13.76.17 After 17ab, D10 S ins.: *372 मुखजा सासृजद्धातुः सुरभिं लोकमातरम्
सासृजत्सौरभेयीस्तु सुरभिर्लोकमातरः सुवर्णवर्णाः कपिलाः प्रजानां वृत्तिधेनवः
M. N. Dutt: That cow called Surabhi gave birth to a number of daughters who became the mothers of the world. They were goldhued, and were all Kapilas. They were the means of livelihood for all crcatures.
तासाममृतवर्णानां क्षरन्तीनां समन्ततः बभूवामृतजः फेनः स्रवन्तीनामिवोर्मिजः
M. N. Dutt: As those kine, whose complexion resembled that of nectar, began to pour milk, the forth of that inilk arose and began to spread on all sides as when the waves of a running river dashing against one another, sufficient froth is produced that spreads on all sides.
स वत्समुखविभ्रष्टो भवस्य भुवि तिष्ठतः शिरस्यवाप तत्क्रुद्धः स तदोदैक्षत प्रभुः ललाटप्रभवेनाक्ष्णा रोहिणीः प्रदहन्निव
M. N. Dutt: Some of that froth fell, from the mouths of the calves that were sucking, upon the head of Mahadeva who was then sitting on the Earth. The powerful Mahadeva thereupon, stricken with anger, looked at those kine.
तत्तेजस्तु ततो रौद्रं कपिला गा विशां पते नानावर्णत्वमनयन्मेघानिव दिवाकरः
AI Translation: Then that fierce energy, O lord of the earth, the tawny cow brought it to various colors, like the sun to the clouds.
यास्तु तस्मादपक्रम्य सोममेवाभिसंश्रिताः यथोत्पन्नाः स्ववर्णस्थास्ता नीता नान्यवर्णताम्
AI Translation: Those who, having departed from that, have resorted to Soma alone, As they were born, they remain in their own caste, not being led to another caste.
अथ क्रुद्धं महादेवं प्रजापतिरभाषत अमृतेनावसिक्तस्त्वं नोच्छिष्टं विद्यते गवाम्
AI Translation: Then Prajapati spoke to the angry Mahadeva: "You are sprinkled with nectar, there is no leftover for the cows.
यथा ह्यमृतमादाय सोमो विष्यन्दते पुनः तथा क्षीरं क्षरन्त्येता रोहिण्योऽमृतसंभवाः
AI Translation: Just as the moon, having taken the nectar, again sheds it, so these Rohini cows, born from nectar, shed milk.
न दुष्यत्यनिलो नाग्निर्न सुवर्णं न चोदधिः नामृतेनामृतं पीतं वत्सपीता न वत्सला
AI Translation: Wind does not become impure, nor fire, nor gold, nor the ocean. The nectar is not drunk without nectar. The calf is not affectionate without the calf.
इमाँल्लोकान्भरिष्यन्ति हविषा प्रस्नवेन च आसामैश्वर्यमश्नीहि सर्वामृतमयं शुभम्
AI Translation: May they fill these worlds with oblations and with milk. Enjoy the sovereignty of all of them, which is auspicious and full of nectar.
वृषभं च ददौ तस्मै सह ताभिः प्रजापतिः प्रसादयामास मनस्तेन रुद्रस्य भारत
AI Translation: Prajapati gave him a bull, along with those (cows), and pleased the mind of Rudra, O descendant of Bharata.
प्रीतश्चापि महादेवश्चकार वृषभं तदा ध्वजं च वाहनं चैव तस्मात्स वृषभध्वजः
M. N. Dutt: Daksha pleased Rudra, O Bharata, with that present. Mahadeva, thus pleased, made that bull his career, And it was after the form of that bull that Mahadeva adopted the emblem on the standard floating on his battlecar. Therefore it is that Rudra came to be known as the bullbannered deity.
ततो देवैर्महादेवस्तदा पशुपतिः कृतः ईश्वरः स गवां मध्ये वृषाङ्क इति चोच्यते
M. N. Dutt: It was on that occasion also that the celestials, in a body, made Mahadeva the lord of animals. Indeed, the great Rudra became the Master of kine and is named as the bullemblemed deity.
एवमव्यग्रवर्णानां कपिलानां महौजसाम् प्रदाने प्रथमः कल्पः सर्वासामेव कीर्तितः
M. N. Dutt: Hence, O king, the gift of kine is considered as primarily desirable of Kapila kine which are endued with great energy and possessed of unchanged colour.
लोकज्येष्ठा लोकवृत्तिप्रवृत्ता; रुद्रोपेताः सोमविष्यन्दभूताः सौम्याः पुण्याः कामदाः प्राणदाश्च; गा वै दत्त्वा सर्वकामप्रदः स्यात्
M. N. Dutt: Thus are kine the foremost of all creatures in the world. It is from them that the food of all the worlds has emanated. They have Rudra for their lord. They yield (nectar) in the form of milk. They are auspicious and sacred, and grantors of every wish and givers of life. A person by making a gift of a cow is considered as making a gift of every article that is to be enjoyed by men.
इमं गवां प्रभवविधानमुत्तमं; पठन्सदा शुचिरतिमङ्गलप्रियः विमुच्यते कलिकलुषेण मानवः; प्रियं सुतान्पशुधनमाप्नुयात्तथा
M. N. Dutt: That who, wishing to acquire prosperity, reads with a pure heart and body these Verses on the origin of kine, becomes purged of all his sins and acquires prosperity and children and wealth and animals.
हव्यं कव्यं तर्पणं शान्तिकर्म; यानं वासो वृद्धबालस्य पुष्टिम् एतान्सर्वान्गोप्रदाने गुणान्वै; दाता राजन्नाप्नुयाद्वै सदैव
M. N. Dutt: man He who makes a gift of a cow. O king, always succeeds in winning the merits of gifts of Havya and Kavya, of the offer of oblations of water to the departed Manes, of religious acts whose performance brings peace and happiness, of the gift of vehicles and cloths, and of cherishing of children and the old.
वैशंपायन उवाच पितामहस्याथ निशम्य वाक्यं; राजा सह भ्रातृभिराजमीढः सौवर्णकांस्योपदुहास्ततो गाः; पार्थो ददौ ब्राह्मणसत्तमेभ्यः
M. N. Dutt: Vaishampayana said Hearing these words of his grandfather, Pritha's son, viz., the royal Yudhishthira of Ajamidha's race, uniting with his brothers, began to make gifts of both bulls and kine of different colours to foremost of Brahmanas.
तथैव तेभ्योऽभिददौ द्विजेभ्यो; गवां सहस्राणि शतानि चैव यज्ञान्समुद्दिश्य च दक्षिणार्थे; लोकान्विजेतुं परमां च कीर्तिम्
M. N. Dutt: Indeed, for getting regions of felicity in the next, and acquiring great fame, king Yudhishthira celebrated many sacrifices and, as sacrificial presents, gave away hundreds of thousands of kine to such Brahmanas.