Shloka 69
Kārtika-Māhātmya
The Greatness of Kārtika
अयाचिते त्वनङ्काहं सहिरण्यं प्रदापयेत् । अमांसाशीभवेद्यस्त्तु गां प्रदद्यात्सदक्षिणाम् ॥ ६९ ॥
ayācite tvanaṅkāhaṃ sahiraṇyaṃ pradāpayet | amāṃsāśībhavedyasttu gāṃ pradadyātsadakṣiṇām || 69 ||
Quand on donne sans qu’on l’ait demandé, qu’on fasse offrir une vache non marquée, avec de l’or. Et quiconque donne une vache avec la dakṣiṇā appropriée doit devenir abstinent de viande.
Narada (instructional narration within Uttara-Bhaga’s dharma/tirtha framework)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
The verse links pure, unsolicited charity (ayācita-dāna) with ethical purification: gifting a cow properly (with gold and dakṣiṇā) is presented as a dharmic act that supports a life of restraint and non-violence.
By emphasizing selfless giving and ahiṁsā (meat-abstinence), the verse supports the inner purity and sattva considered conducive to steady devotion—especially in the tirtha-based devotional culture of the Uttara-Bhaga.
Ritual propriety is implied through the requirement of dakṣiṇā and the specification of the gift’s condition (unbranded cow, gold), reflecting dharma-śāstric procedure rather than a technical Vedāṅga like Vyākaraṇa or Jyotiṣa.