Shloka 29
Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)
एकस्यैका प्रदातव्या न बहूनां कदाचन | सा गौर्विक्रयमापन्ना हन्यात् त्रिपुरुषं कुलम्
ekasyaikā pradātavyā na bahūnāṁ kadācana | sā gaur vikrayam āpannā hanyāt tripuruṣaṁ kulam ||
マールカンデーヤは言った。「一頭の牛は、正しく受けるに足る者ただ一人に与えるべきであり、決して同時に多くへ与えてはならぬ。もしその牛が、施されたのちに売買へと追いやられ、商品として扱われるなら、その家は三代にわたり滅びを招きうる。」
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches strict ethics of dāna: a cow-gift must be made to a single proper recipient and must not be commercialized afterward; treating a sacred gift as sale is portrayed as a grave breach of dharma with consequences extending across generations.
Mārkaṇḍeya lays down a normative rule about gifting cows, warning that improper transfer—especially a gifted cow being pushed into sale—creates severe moral fault that can destroy a family’s welfare for three generations.