Shloka 53
Nṛga-upākhyāna: Brāhmaṇa-sva and the Consequence of Misappropriated Gift-Cattle (कृकलास-रूपे नृगोपाख्यानम्)
न कृशां नापवत्सां वा वन्ध्यां रोगान्वितां तथा । नव्यंगां न परिश्रान्तां दद्याद् गां ब्राह्मणाय वै
na kṛśāṃ nāpavatsāṃ vā vandhyāṃ rogānvitāṃ tathā | navy-aṅgāṃ na pariśrāntāṃ dadyād gāṃ brāhmaṇāya vai ||
Bhīṣma dit : « On ne doit pas donner une vache à un brāhmane si elle est amaigrie, si elle a perdu son veau, si elle est stérile ou malade ; ni si elle est difforme, privée d’un membre, ou épuisée par la fatigue et l’âge. Un don destiné à honorer le dharma doit être digne et sain, non une offrande défectueuse qui devienne un fardeau. »
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A righteous gift should be genuinely beneficial and respectful; offering a weak, barren, diseased, deformed, or exhausted cow to a Brāhmaṇa is improper because it turns charity into a burden and undermines the ethical intent of dāna.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma lays down practical rules for charitable giving—specifically, standards for donating cows—emphasizing suitability and integrity in offerings to Brāhmaṇas.