Shloka 16
Go-apahāra (Cattle Theft), Go-dāna (Cow-Gift), and Suvarṇa-dakṣiṇā (Gold Fee): Karmic Consequence and Purificatory Merit
कृतं च भरते सा गौर्मम पुत्रमपस्तनम् | न सा शक््या मया दातुमित्युक्त्वा स जगाम ह
kṛtaṃ ca bharate sā gaur mama putram apastanam | na sā śakyā mayā dātuṃ ity uktvā sa jagāma ha |
Bhīṣma dit : « Ô Bharata, cette vache a pris soin de mon enfant privé de mère, le nourrissant jour après jour de son propre lait. C’est pourquoi je ne puis la donner. » Ayant parlé ainsi, il s’en alla, emmenant la vache avec lui.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Dharma is not merely formal charity; it includes gratitude and the protection of those who have become dependents. A gift is unethical if it harms a vulnerable being or violates one’s responsibility toward a benefactor.
A man explains to Bharata that a particular cow daily nourishes his motherless child with her milk; therefore he refuses to give the cow away and leaves, taking her with him.