Ritual Procedure for the Donation of the ‘Sugar-Cow’ (Śarkarā-Dhenu)
श्रोत्रियाय दरिद्राय साधुवृत्ताय धीमते । वेदवेदाङ्गविदुषे साग्निकाय कुटुम्बिने । अदुष्टाय प्रदातव्या न तु मत्सरिणे द्विजे ॥
śrotriyāya daridrāya sādhuvṛttāya dhīmate | vedavedāṅgaviduṣe sāgnikāya kuṭumbine | aduṣṭāya pradātavyā na tu matsariṇe dvije ||
Man soll es einem Śrotriya geben—einem vedisch gelehrten Hausvater—der arm ist, von guter Lebensführung und klarem Urteil; einem Kenner der Veda und der Vedāṅgas, der das heilige Feuer unterhält und seine Familie trägt. Man gebe es einem brāhmaṇa ohne Arg, nicht einem neidischen Dvija.
Varāha (default, not explicit in fragment)
It reflects a widespread Purāṇic and Dharmaśāstra concern with the 'fitness of the recipient' (pātratā) as a criterion shaping the social ethics of dāna.
No specific location is named in this verse; it focuses on recipient qualifications rather than sacred geography.
Give to a qualified, disciplined, non-envious learned recipient; avoid directing gifts toward those characterized by jealousy or moral deficiency.
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