Shloka 23
Go-dāna-stuti and Ghṛta-Japa
Praise of cow-gift and ghee-centered recitation
सन्ति लोके<श्रद्दधाना मनुष्या: सन्ति क्षुद्रा राक्षसमानुषेषु । एषामेतद् दीयमान हानिष्टं ये नास्तिक्यं चाश्रयन्तेडल्पपुण्या:
santi loke 'śraddadhānā manuṣyāḥ santi kṣudrā rākṣasamānuṣeṣu | eṣām etad dīyamānaṃ hāniṣṭaṃ ye nāstikyaṃ cāśrayante 'lpa-puṇyāḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “In the world there are people who lack faith, and among men of rākṣasa-like disposition there are many petty-minded persons. For such people—those of scant merit who take refuge in disbelief—imparting this teaching is not desirable; when given to them, it tends to bring harm rather than good.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that instruction in dharma should be given with discernment: those who are faithless, petty-minded, or entrenched in disbelief and lacking merit are not suitable recipients, because the teaching may be misused or produce harmful outcomes.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma is delivering ethical and religious counsel. Here he cautions that certain audiences—especially the faithless and nāstika-minded—should not be pressed with this particular instruction, as it is unlikely to benefit them and may instead cause harm.