Shloka 7
गोप्रदान-माहात्म्ये गोलोक-प्रश्नः
Gopradāna-Māhātmya: Inquiry into Goloka
मा चान्यमानयेथास्त्वं सगोत्रं तस्य पार्श्चत:
mā cānyamānayethās tvaṃ sa-gotraṃ tasya pārśvataḥ
Bhīṣma dit : «N’amène pas un autre à sa place. Dans ce même village vit un second brāhmaṇa du même gotra, demeurant tout près. Par les vertus, l’étude des Veda et le rang de famille, il est l’égal de Śarmīka ; par le nombre de ses enfants et l’observance de la bonne conduite aussi, il ressemble à ce sage. Ne l’amène pas ici.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage stresses ethical integrity: one should not attempt a deceptive substitution by presenting a different person—however similar in lineage, learning, virtue, or family—as a replacement for the intended individual. Dharma here aligns with truthfulness and respect for personal identity and rightful claim.
Bhishma cautions the listener that, although another brāhmaṇa lives in the same village and closely resembles Śarmīka in gotra, learning, virtues, family status, children, and conduct, that person should not be brought as a stand-in. The instruction implies a situation where someone might try to produce a ‘similar’ substitute, which Bhishma forbids.