Shloka 9
Go-apahāra (Cattle Theft), Go-dāna (Cow-Gift), and Suvarṇa-dakṣiṇā (Gold Fee): Karmic Consequence and Purificatory Merit
शतं सहस्राणि गवां शतं पुनः पुन: शतान्यष्टशतायुतानि । त्वया पुरा दत्तमितीह शुश्रुम नृप द्विजेभ्य: क्व नु तद् गतं तव
śataṃ sahasrāṇi gavāṃ śataṃ punaḥ punaḥ śatāny aṣṭaśatāyutāni | tvayā purā dattam itīha śuśruma nṛpa dvijebhyaḥ kva nu tad gataṃ tava ||
ভীষ্মে ক’লে— হে নৰেশ! আমি শুনিছোঁ, পূৰ্বকালত আপুনি ব্ৰাহ্মণসকলক এক লক্ষ গাই দান কৰিছিল; তাৰ পিছত আকৌ এশ, আকৌ এশ; আৰু তাৰ পাছত পুনঃপুনঃ মহাদানত আঠশ অযুত (অৰ্থাৎ আশি লক্ষ) গাইও দান কৰিছিল। তেন্তে সেই সকলো দানৰ পুণ্যফল এতিয়া আপোনাৰ ক’লৈ গ’ল?
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even vast charity (such as repeated cow-gifts) must be protected by right conduct; Bhishma’s question implies that merit can be diminished or lost when later actions contradict dharma, so one must unite generosity with ethical living.
Bhishma addresses a king and recalls reports of his enormous donations to Brahmins—ranging from 100,000 cows to further gifts totaling millions—then challenges him by asking where the fruit of those gifts has gone, setting up a discussion on how merit operates and how it may be preserved or squandered.