Vipulopākhyāna—Ruci-rakṣā and Śakra’s Māyā (विपुलोपाख्यानम्—रुचिरक्षणं शक्रमाया च)
यथा श्वा भषितुं चैव हन्तुं चैवावसज्जते । एवं सम्भाषणार्थाय सर्वशास्त्रवधाय च
yathā śvā bhaṣituṃ caiva hantuṃ caivāvasajjate | evaṃ sambhāṣaṇārthāya sarvaśāstravadhāya ca ||
Bhīṣma dit : «De même qu’un chien s’approche pour aboyer et mordre, ainsi un tel homme erre çà et là—ne cherchant que la querelle et la destruction (réfutation) de tous les śāstra. Un homme de cette sorte n’est pas un réceptacle digne des dons.»
भीष्म उवाच
Charity should be given with discernment: one who approaches others only to quarrel and to undermine sacred learning is ethically unfit as a recipient, because the gift would support harmful conduct rather than dharma.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma (especially norms around giving), he illustrates—through the simile of a dog that comes near to bark and bite—the character of a contentious person who seeks debate merely to attack and refute śāstra, and he marks such a person as not deserving of dāna.