Shloka 53
Vāraṇāvata-prasaṃsā and the Pāṇḍavas’ Departure (वरणावत-प्रशंसा तथा पाण्डव-प्रयाणम्)
विशुद्धमिच्छन् गाड़ेय धर्मोपेतं प्रतिग्रहम् अन्तादन्तं परिक्रम्य नाध्यगच्छ॑ पयस्विनीम्
viśuddham icchan gāḍeya dharmopetaṃ pratigraham | antād antaṃ parikramya nādhyagacchaṃ payasvinīm ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Desiring a pure gift, O Gāḍeya, a lawful acceptance in keeping with dharma, I wandered from end to end of the land, yet I did not find a milk-giving cow. For I reflected inwardly: if I were to ask a Brahmin of scant cattle for a cow, he might—being engaged in his agnihotra and other rites as a snātaka—suffer for want of milk. Therefore, wishing to receive an untainted, dharma-consistent gift only from one who possessed many cows, I roamed through that country again and again; but even going from one region to another, I could not obtain a cow that would yield milk.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes ethical restraint in seeking charity: one should accept gifts only in a way that does not harm the donor’s livelihood or religious duties, and should seek a ‘pure’ (viśuddha) gift consistent with dharma.
The speaker explains that he traveled widely looking for a milk-giving cow to receive as a lawful gift, but avoided asking poor Brahmins with few cows so they would not suffer in their agnihotra and daily rites; despite repeated wandering, he could not find such a cow.