Shloka 29
Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)
एकस्यैका प्रदातव्या न बहूनां कदाचन | सा गौर्विक्रयमापन्ना हन्यात् त्रिपुरुषं कुलम्
ekasyaikā pradātavyā na bahūnāṁ kadācana | sā gaur vikrayam āpannā hanyāt tripuruṣaṁ kulam ||
এটা গাই কেৱল এজন যোগ্য পাত্ৰকেই দান দিব লাগে, কেতিয়াও বহুজনক নহয়। দান কৰা সেই গাই যদি বিক্ৰীৰ বস্তু হয়, তেন্তে সি তিন পুৰুষলৈকে কুল ধ্বংস কৰিব পাৰে।
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches strict ethics of dāna: a cow-gift must be made to a single proper recipient and must not be commercialized afterward; treating a sacred gift as sale is portrayed as a grave breach of dharma with consequences extending across generations.
Mārkaṇḍeya lays down a normative rule about gifting cows, warning that improper transfer—especially a gifted cow being pushed into sale—creates severe moral fault that can destroy a family’s welfare for three generations.