Shloka 7
गोप्रदान-माहात्म्ये गोलोक-प्रश्नः
Gopradāna-Māhātmya: Inquiry into Goloka
मा चान्यमानयेथास्त्वं सगोत्रं तस्य पार्श्चत:,“उसी गाँवमें उसीके समान एक दूसरा ब्राह्मण भी रहता है। वह शर्मीके ही गोत्रका है। उसके अगल-बगलमें ही निवास करता है। गुण, वेदाध्ययन और कुलमें भी वह शर्मीके ही समान है। सन्तानोंकी संख्या तथा सदाचारके पालनमें भी वह बुद्धिमान् शर्मीके ही तुल्य है। तुम उसे यहाँ न ले आना
mā cānyamānayethās tvaṃ sa-gotraṃ tasya pārśvataḥ
Bhīṣma said: “Do not bring another man in his place. In that same village there lives a second brāhmaṇa of the very same gotra, dwelling close by. In virtues, Vedic study, and family standing he is equal to Śarmīka; in the number of his children and in the observance of good conduct as well, he matches that wise man. Do not bring him here.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage stresses ethical integrity: one should not attempt a deceptive substitution by presenting a different person—however similar in lineage, learning, virtue, or family—as a replacement for the intended individual. Dharma here aligns with truthfulness and respect for personal identity and rightful claim.
Bhishma cautions the listener that, although another brāhmaṇa lives in the same village and closely resembles Śarmīka in gotra, learning, virtues, family status, children, and conduct, that person should not be brought as a stand-in. The instruction implies a situation where someone might try to produce a ‘similar’ substitute, which Bhishma forbids.