Shloka 22

गवां लोकवर्णनं तथा गोप्रदानफलश्रुतिः

Description of the ‘World of Cows’ and the Stated Fruits of Cow-Gift

Devanagari script

शुभे पात्रे ये गुणा गोप्रदाने तावान्‌ दोषो ब्राह्मणस्वापहारे । सर्वावस्थं ब्राह्मणस्वापहारो दाराश्नैषां दूरतो वर्जनीया:

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | śubhe pātre ye guṇā gopradāne tāvān doṣo brāhmaṇasvāpahāre | sarvāvasthaṃ brāhmaṇasvāpahāro dārāś ca eṣāṃ dūrato varjanīyāḥ ||

Translation

Bhishma said: “Whatever merit arises from gifting a cow to a worthy recipient, an equal measure of sin arises from taking away a Brahmin’s property. Therefore, in every circumstance one must not seize a Brahmin’s wealth; and one should also avoid, even from afar, any illicit association with the wives of Brahmins.”

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'śubhe pātre', 'definition': 'in/unto a worthy (auspicious) recipient

• a fit person for receiving a gift'}, {'term': 'guṇāḥ', 'definition': 'merits, virtues, beneficial results'}, {'term': 'go-pradāne', 'definition': 'in the giving of a cow (cow-gift), a major act of dāna'}, {'term': 'tāvān', 'definition': 'so much, to that same extent'}, {'term': 'doṣaḥ', 'definition': 'fault, demerit, sin'}, {'term': 'brāhmaṇa-sva', 'definition': 'a Brahmin’s property/wealth (sva = one’s own possessions)'}, {'term': 'apahāraḥ / apahāre', 'definition': 'seizure, theft, wrongful taking

• (locative) in the act of taking away'}, {'term': 'sarvāvastham', 'definition': 'in every condition/situation

• at all times'}, {'term': 'dārāḥ', 'definition': 'wives (especially in the sense of protected household women)'}, {'term': 'dūrataḥ', 'definition': 'from a distance

• completely, strictly'}, {'term': 'varjanīyāḥ', 'definition': 'to be avoided, to be shunned'}]

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Brahmins
• cow-gift (go-dāna)
• Brahmin property (brāhmaṇa-sva)
• wives of Brahmins (dārāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse equates the merit of gifting a cow to a worthy recipient with the sin incurred by seizing a Brahmin’s property, and it lays down a strict rule: never take a Brahmin’s wealth under any circumstances, and strictly avoid illicit relations with Brahmins’ wives.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana Parva’s dharma-instruction section, Bhishma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on ethical conduct, emphasizing the gravity of offenses against Brahmins and the importance of restraint and respect in matters of property and sexuality.