Anushasana Parva Adhyaya 74 Shloka 36 - Mahabharata | Bengali | Vedapath

Vyasa

Shloka 36

Phala of Vrata, Niyama, Svādhyāya, Dama, Satya, Brahmacarya, and Service (व्रत-नियम-स्वाध्याय-दम-सत्य-ब्रह्मचर्य-शुश्रूषा-फलप्रश्नः)

Devanagari script

गुर्वर्थ वा बालपुष्ट्याभिषंगां गां वै दातुं देशकालो<विशिष्ट: । अन्तर्ज्ाता: सक्रयज्ञानलब्धा: प्राणक्रीता निर्जिता यौतकाश्ष

Transliteration

gurvartha vā bālapuṣṭyābhiṣaṅgāṁ gāṁ vai dātuṁ deśa-kālo viśiṣṭaḥ | antarjātāḥ sakraya-jñāna-labdhāḥ prāṇa-krītā nirjitā yautakāś ca ||

Translation

ভীষ্ম বললেন—গুরুর কাজে, অথবা সন্তানদের পুষ্টি ও কল্যাণের প্রতি স্নেহবশত, যথোচিত দেশ-কাল মান্য করে গাভী দান বিশেষ প্রশস্ত। সেই গাভী হতে পারে নিজের গোঠে জন্মানো, বিধিপূর্বক ক্রয় করে ও স্বত্ব-জ্ঞানসহ প্রাপ্ত, প্রাণের মূল্য দিয়ে (চরম কষ্টে) অর্জিত, বিজয়ে লাভ করা, অথবা যৌতুক (বিবাহ-উপহার/পণ) হিসেবে প্রাপ্ত।

Word by Word

गुरु-अर्थम्for the sake of the teacher

वाor

बाल-पुष्टि-अभिषङ्गाम्one attached to child-nourishment (a milch-cow kept for calves)

गाम्a cow

वैindeed

दातुम्to give

देश-कालःplace and time (the proper occasion)

विशिष्टःis distinguished/specially prescribed

अन्तर्जाताःborn within (the household)

सक्रय-ज्ञान-लब्धाःobtained by knowledge that is with purchase/fee (i.e., acquired for a price)

प्राण-क्रीताःbought with life (at the cost of life)

निर्जिताःwon/conquered

यौतकाश्चand those received as marriage-gifts/dowry

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

guru (teacher/preceptor)

cow (go)

yautaka (marriage-gift/dowry)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Bhīṣma emphasizes that gifting a cow (go-dāna) is a meritorious act when done with deśa-kāla propriety, especially for honoring one’s guru and for the welfare of children; he also notes ethically legitimate sources of such a gift (home-bred, lawfully purchased, hard-won, conquered, or received as yautaka).

What is happening in the narrative?

In Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues advising on charitable giving, specifying when and why cow-gifts are appropriate and listing acceptable ways a donor may have acquired the cow to be given.