Shloka 24

गोप्रदानगुणाः तथा कपिलागोविधानम्

Merits of Cow-Gift and the Origin-Account of Kapilā Cows

Devanagari script

क्षत्रियस्य गुणैरेतैरपि तुल्यफलं शृणु । तस्यापि द्विजतुल्या गौर्भवतीति विनिश्चय:,यदि क्षत्रिय भी इन गुणोंसे युक्त होता है तो उसे भी ब्राह्मणके समान ही (गोदानका) फल मिलता है। इस बातको अच्छी तरह सुन लो। उसकी (दान दी हुई) गौ भी ब्राह्मणकी गौके तुल्य ही फल देनेवाली होती है। यह धर्मात्माओंका निश्चय है

Transliteration

kṣatriyasya guṇair etair api tulyaphalaṁ śṛṇu | tasyāpi dvijatulyā gaur bhavatīti viniścayaḥ ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “Hear this as well: if a kṣatriya is endowed with these very virtues, he too attains an equal reward. Indeed, it is firmly concluded by the righteous that even the cow he gives in charity yields merit equivalent to that of a brāhmaṇa’s gift.”

Word by Word

क्षत्रियस्यof a Kshatriya

गुणैःby/with qualities

एतैःwith these

अपिalso/even

तुल्यफलम्an equal result/fruit

शृणुhear (you)!

तस्यof him/of that

अपिalso/even

द्विजतुल्याequal to a Brahmin

गौःa cow

भवतिbecomes/is

इतिthus

विनिश्चयःa settled conclusion/decision

Speaker

पितामह उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhishma (Pitamaha)

Kshatriya

Dvija (twice-born, especially Brahmin)

Cow (gau; gift-cow in go-dana)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Merit from a religious gift (here, the gift of a cow) is not restricted by birth alone; when a kṣatriya possesses the requisite virtues and performs the act properly, the resulting spiritual fruit is held to be equal to that associated with a brāhmaṇa’s gift.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma and charitable giving, he extends the discussion beyond brāhmaṇas and states that a virtuous kṣatriya who gives a cow attains the same merit; the gifted cow is said to be ‘equal to a dvija’s’ in the fruit it yields.