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 bersabda: Janganlah memberikan kepada seorang Brāhmaṇa seekor sapi yang kurus, atau yang kehilangan anaknya, atau mandul, atau berpenyakit; jangan pula yang cacat, kehilangan anggota tubuh, atau yang telah letih oleh usia dan kepayahan. Persembahan demi kehormatan dharma haruslah layak dan menyejahterakan, bukan pemberian yang menjadi beban.
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.