Shloka 34
गोमूल्यनिर्णयः — The Determination of Value through the Cow
Nahuṣa–Cyavana Episode
गोब्राह्मणाय साहाय्य॑ कुर्वाणा वै न संशय: । आनुृशंस्यमनुक्रोश: सत्यवाक्यं तथा क्षमा
gobrāhmaṇāya sāhāyyaṁ kurvāṇā vai na saṁśayaḥ | ānṛśaṁsyam anukrośaḥ satyavākyaṁ tathā kṣamā puruṣasiṁha |
Bhīṣma dijo: No hay duda de que incluso quienes son de origen social mixto pueden alcanzar un verdadero progreso espiritual si prestan ayuda a las vacas y a los brāhmaṇas, abandonan los actos crueles, muestran compasión hacia todos, dicen la verdad y practican el perdón. Oh león entre los hombres, tal conducta—fundada en la misericordia, la verdad y la paciencia—abre el camino hacia un bien más alto.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that ethical virtues—helping cows and brāhmaṇas, practicing non-cruelty and compassion, speaking truth, and forgiving others—are powerful enough to bring genuine spiritual welfare even to those viewed as socially disadvantaged; moral conduct, not birth alone, is emphasized as the means to uplift.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma continues advising the royal listener (addressed as 'puruṣasiṁha') on dharma. Here he lists specific virtues and charitable duties and asserts confidently that such conduct leads to higher good, removing doubt about the possibility of improvement for marginalized groups.