Shloka 15
गवां लोकवर्णनं तथा गोप्रदानफलश्रुतिः
Description of the ‘World of Cows’ and the Stated Fruits of Cow-Gift
भीष्मजीने कहा--राजन! दुराचारी, पापी, लोभी, असत्यवादी तथा देवयज्ञ और श्राद्धकर्म न करनेवाले ब्राह्मणको किसी तरह गौ नहीं देनी चाहिये
bhīṣma uvāca—rājan! durācārī pāpī lobhī asatyavādī tathā devayajña-śrāddhakarma na karṇe vāle brāhmaṇako kisī tarah gauḥ na dātavyā.
Bhishma berkata: “Wahai Raja, jangan sekali-kali memberikan sapi kepada seorang Brahmana yang berkelakuan buruk—berdosa, tamak, pendusta—serta mengabaikan upacara persembahan kepada para dewa dan ritus śrāddha bagi leluhur.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Gifts (especially the eminent gift of a cow) must be guided by dharma: the recipient’s character and observance of sacred duties matter. Giving to one who is immoral, greedy, untruthful, and neglectful of devayajña and śrāddha undermines the ethical purpose of dāna.
In the Anuśāsana Parva, Bhishma instructs King Yudhishthira on dharma, including rules of charity. Here he specifies a negative qualification: a cow should not be given to a Brahmin who lacks moral conduct and fails to perform key religious obligations.