Shloka 11
Chapter 85: Suvarṇasya Janma ca Pradāna-Phalam
The Origin of Gold and the Merit of Gifting
गाव ऊचु: अध्रुवा चपला च त्वं सामान्या बहुभि: सह । न त्वामिच्छाम भद्ठरं ते गम्यतां यत्र रंस्यसे
gāva ūcuḥ—adhruvā capalā ca tvaṃ sāmānyā bahubhiḥ saha | na tvām icchāma bhadraṃ te gamyatāṃ yatra raṃsyase ||
গাভীরা বলল—দেবী! তুমি অস্থির ও চঞ্চলা; কোথাও স্থির হয়ে থাকো না। তদুপরি বহুজনের সঙ্গে তোমার সমান সম্পর্ক; তাই আমরা তোমাকে চাই না। তোমার মঙ্গল হোক—যেখানে আনন্দে থাকতে পারো, সেখানেই যাও।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse criticizes instability and indiscriminate association: what is fickle and ‘common to many’ is rejected by a community seeking steadiness, exclusivity, and propriety; it also models a firm boundary set without malice (“bhadraṃ te”).
Within Bhīṣma’s discourse, the cows speak directly to a feminine addressee (addressed as ‘devi’ in the Hindi gloss), dismissing her for being restless and shared among many, and telling her to go where she can find enjoyment elsewhere.