Shloka 19
गोप्रदानगुणाः तथा कपिलागोविधानम्
Merits of Cow-Gift and the Origin-Account of Kapilā Cows
दायाद्याद् या: सम वै गावो न्यायपूर्वैरुपार्जिता: । प्रदद्यात् ता: प्रदातृणां सम्भवन्त्यपि च श्रुवा:
dāyādyād yāḥ sama-vā gāvo nyāya-pūrvair upārjitāḥ | pradadyāt tāḥ pradātṝṇāṃ sambhavanty api ca śruvāḥ ||
Bhīṣma dijo: «Si un hombre da en caridad aquellas vacas que ha obtenido con justicia—como su parte legítima de una herencia—, entonces, para tal donante, esas mismas vacas se vuelven fuente de mérito perdurable e inagotable, según se oye en la tradición sagrada».
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
Charity yields lasting merit when the gift is made from wealth acquired by just and lawful means—especially one’s legitimate share of ancestral property; such properly obtained cows, when donated, become a source of inexhaustible spiritual fruit for the giver.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma (Anuśāsana Parva), he explains the ethical conditions that make gifts truly fruitful, emphasizing that donations—here, cows—should be made from rightfully obtained resources, such as a lawful inheritance share.