Mahabharata 3.201.296 — Vana Parva, Adhyaya 201, Shloka 296
Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)
न तारयति दातार ब्राह्मणं नैव नैव तु । एक गौ एक ही ब्राह्मणको देनी चाहिये; बहुतोंको कभी नहीं (क्योंकि एक ही गौ यदि बहुतोंको दी गयी
na tārayati dātāraṁ brāhmaṇaṁ naiva naiva tu |
ມາຣະກັນເດຍ ກ່າວວ່າ: «ທານແບບນີ້ ບໍ່ອາດນໍາພາທັງຜູ້ໃຫ້ ຫຼື ພຣາຫມັນຜູ້ຮັບ ໃຫ້ຂ້າມພົ້ນໄປສູ່ບຸນກຸສົນໄດ້—ບໍ່ເລີຍ»។ ໃນນັ້ນທ່ານເຕືອນວ່າ ຄວນໃຫ້ງົວແກ່ພຣາຫມັນພຽງຄົນດຽວ ບໍ່ຄວນແບ່ງໃຫ້ຫຼາຍຄົນ; ຖ້າງົວທີ່ໃຫ້ທານຖືກຂາຍ ແລ້ວແບ່ງເງິນກັນ ຄວາມສັກສິດຂອງທານຈະສູນໄປ ແລະກາຍເປັນໂທດຕໍ່ສາຍຕະກູນຂອງຜູ້ໃຫ້ຮອດສາມຊົນລຸ້ນ.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
A gift must be given in a dharmic manner to yield merit. If a cow-gift is handled improperly—such as being effectively converted into shared cash by selling it—then it fails to ‘save’ either donor or recipient and can even bring harm to the donor’s lineage.
Mārkaṇḍeya is instructing on dāna-dharma (the right way to give). He emphasizes that certain gifts, especially a cow, should be given intact to a single qualified Brahmin; otherwise the act loses its sacred purpose and becomes ethically flawed.
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