Shloka 13
Go-apahāra (Cattle Theft), Go-dāna (Cow-Gift), and Suvarṇa-dakṣiṇā (Gold Fee): Karmic Consequence and Purificatory Merit
तावुभौ समनुप्राप्ती विवदन्तौ भृशज्वरौ । भवान् दाता भवान् हर्तेत्यथ तो मामवोचताम्
tāv ubhau samanupprāptī vivadantau bhṛśajvarau | bhavān dātā bhavān hartety atha to mām avocātām ||
それから二人は、激しく昂ぶり、口論しながら、そろってわたしのもとへ来た。一人は言った。「陛下、あなたは与える者です。あなたがこの牛を施しとしてわたしに賜ったのですから。」もう一人は言った。「陛下、あなたは奪う者です。まことにこの牛はわたしのものであり、奪われたのです。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical-legal dilemma: a king’s act can be praised as rightful giving when the gift is legitimate, or condemned as wrongful taking if the object was not truly the donor’s to give. It highlights the dharmic need to verify ownership and justice before validating gifts and transfers.
Two men arrive before Bhishma in a heated dispute over a cow. One asserts the cow was given to him by royal grant, calling the king a ‘giver’; the other claims the cow is actually his and has been taken, calling the king a ‘taker.’