Shloka 17
Go-apahāra (Cattle Theft), Go-dāna (Cow-Gift), and Suvarṇa-dakṣiṇā (Gold Fee): Karmic Consequence and Purificatory Merit
ततस्तमपरं विप्रं याचे विनिमयेन वै | गवां शतसहसंरं हि तत्कृते गृहतामिति,“तब मैंने उन दूसरे ब्राह्मगसे याचना की--'भगवन्! उसके बदलेमें आप मुझसे एक लाख गौएँ ले लीजिये”
tatastam aparaṁ vipraṁ yāce vinimayena vai | gavāṁ śata-sahasraṁ hi tat-kṛte gṛhatām iti |
Bhīṣma sprach: Daraufhin flehte ich jenen anderen Brahmanen an und schlug einen Tausch vor: „Ehrwürdiger Herr, nehmt dafür von mir hunderttausend Kühe an.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores ethical restitution: when a valued object is at issue, one should seek a consensual, dharmic resolution through fair compensation (vinimaya) rather than force, honoring the brāhmaṇa’s agency and social-religious norms.
Bhīṣma narrates that he approached another brāhmaṇa and pleaded with him to accept an exchange—offering a hundred thousand cows in return for the item in question—framing it as a respectful request rather than a demand.