Text 30
ratnānāṁ padma-rāgo ’smi
padma-kośaḥ su-peśasām
kuśo ’smi darbha-jātīnāṁ
gavyam ājyaṁ haviḥṣv aham
ratnānām — of jewels; padma-rāgaḥ — the ruby; asmi — I am; padma-kośaḥ — the lotus cup; su-peśasām — among beautiful things; kuśaḥ — the sacred kuśa grass; asmi — I am; darbha-jātīnām — among all types of grass; gavyam — cow products; ājyam — offering of ghee; haviḥṣu — among oblations; aham — I am.
Among jewels I am the ruby, and among beautiful things I am the lotus cup. Among all types of grass I am the sacred kuśa, and of oblations I am ghee and other ingredients obtained from the cow.
Pañca-gavya refers to five sacrificial ingredients obtained from the cow, namely milk, ghee, yogurt, dung and urine. The cow is so valuable that even its dung and urine are antiseptic and fit for sacrificial offering. Kuśa grass is also used for religious occasions. Mahārāja Parīkṣit constructed a sitting place from kuśa grass during the last week of his life. Among beautiful things the lotus cup formed by lotus petals represents Lord Kṛṣṇa, and among jewels the ruby, which is similar to Lord Kṛṣṇa’s own Kaustubha gem, symbolizes the potency of the Lord.