Shloka 14
Go-apahāra (Cattle Theft), Go-dāna (Cow-Gift), and Suvarṇa-dakṣiṇā (Gold Fee): Karmic Consequence and Purificatory Merit
पा 000५, १ छा ११) शतेन शतसंख्येन गवां विनिमयेन वै । याचे प्रतिग्रहीतारं स तु मामब्रवीदिदम्,“तब मैंने दान लेनेवाले ब्राह्मणसे प्रार्थनापूर्वक कहा--“मैं इस गायके बदले आपको दस हजार गौएँ देता हूँ (आप इन्हें इनकी गाय वापस दे दीजिये)। यह सुनकर वह यों बोला --“महाराज! यह गौ देश-कालके अनुरूप, पूरा दूध देनेवाली, सीधी-सादी और अत्यन्त दयालुस्वभावकी है। यह बहुत मीठा दूध देनेवाली है। धन्य भाग्य जो यह मेरे घर आयी। यह सदा मेरे ही यहाँ रहे
śatena śata-saṅkhyena gavāṁ vinimayena vai | yāce pratigrahītāraṁ sa tu mām abravīd idam ||
Bhishma said: I pleaded with the Brahmin who had accepted the gift, offering an exchange—hundreds upon hundreds of cows in return. But he replied to me: “O King, this cow is perfectly suited to the proper place and time—she yields full milk, is gentle and straightforward, and is exceedingly compassionate by nature. Her milk is very sweet. Fortunate indeed am I that she has come to my house. Let her remain with me always.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the moral complexity around dāna (gifting) and pratigraha (accepting gifts): once a gift is properly accepted, the recipient may regard it as rightfully his, valuing its intrinsic qualities over a larger material substitute. It underscores integrity in transactions and the ethical weight carried by gifts.
Bhishma narrates that he tried to persuade the Brahmin recipient to return a particular cow by offering an enormous exchange of many cows. The Brahmin refuses, praising the cow’s auspicious qualities—timely suitability, abundant milk, gentleness, and sweetness—and insists she should remain in his household.