Shloka 31
Phala of Vrata, Niyama, Svādhyāya, Dama, Satya, Brahmacarya, and Service (व्रत-नियम-स्वाध्याय-दम-सत्य-ब्रह्मचर्य-शुश्रूषा-फलप्रश्नः)
स्वाध्यायवान् यो5तिमात्र॑ तपस्वी वैतानस्थो ब्राह्मण: पात्रमासाम् | कृच्छोत्सृष्टा: पोषणाभ्यागताश्न द्वारैरेतैगोविशेषा: प्रशस्ता:
Bhīṣma uvāca — svādhyāyavān yo ’timātra-tapassvī vaitānastho brāhmaṇaḥ pātram āsām | kṛcchotsṛṣṭāḥ poṣaṇābhyāgatāś ca dvārair etair go-viśeṣāḥ praśastāḥ ||
भीष्म म्हणाले—जो ब्राह्मण वेदस्वाध्यायाने संपन्न, अत्यंत तपस्वी आणि वैतान (वैदिक यज्ञकर्म) करणारा असेल, तोच या गायींच्या दानाचा सर्वोत्तम पात्र आहे. याखेरीज जे ब्राह्मण कृच्छ्र-व्रत पूर्ण करून मुक्त झालेले असून गृहस्थ-पालनासाठी सहाय्य मागत येतात, तेही पात्र आहेत. अशा सुयोग्य पात्रांना निमित्त करून दानात दिलेल्या श्रेष्ठ गायी खरोखर प्रशंसनीय मानल्या जातात.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The merit of a gift depends not only on the donor and the object given (here, cows) but also on the worthiness of the recipient. Bhishma teaches that the best recipients are Brahmins grounded in Vedic study, austerity, and sacrificial discipline; additionally, those who have completed rigorous vows and seek support for household maintenance are also fit recipients.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he specifies criteria for selecting proper recipients for go-dāna (the gift of cows). He ranks the ideal Brahmin recipient and then includes other qualified Brahmins—such as those who have completed the kṛcchra observance and come seeking sustenance—affirming that gifts given with such recipients in view are praised.