Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 22

गवां लोकवर्णनं तथा गोप्रदानफलश्रुतिः

Description of the ‘World of Cows’ and the Stated Fruits of Cow-Gift

Devanagari script

शुभे पात्रे ये गुणा गोप्रदाने तावान्‌ दोषो ब्राह्मणस्वापहारे । सर्वावस्थं ब्राह्मणस्वापहारो दाराश्नैषां दूरतो वर्जनीया:

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | śubhe pātre ye guṇā gopradāne tāvān doṣo brāhmaṇasvāpahāre | sarvāvasthaṃ brāhmaṇasvāpahāro dārāś ca eṣāṃ dūrato varjanīyāḥ ||

Translation

ਭੀਸ਼ਮ ਨੇ ਆਖਿਆ—ਯੋਗ੍ਯ ਪਾਤਰ ਨੂੰ ਗੋਦਾਨ ਕਰਨ ਨਾਲ ਜਿੰਨਾ ਪੁੰਨ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ, ਉੱਨਾ ਹੀ ਪਾਪ ਬ੍ਰਾਹਮਣ ਦਾ ਧਨ ਹੜਪਣ ਨਾਲ ਹੁੰਦਾ ਹੈ। ਇਸ ਲਈ ਕਿਸੇ ਵੀ ਹਾਲਤ ਵਿੱਚ ਬ੍ਰਾਹਮਣਾਂ ਦੀ ਦੌਲਤ ਨਾ ਛੀਨੀ ਜਾਵੇ; ਅਤੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੀਆਂ ਇਸਤ੍ਰੀਆਂ ਨਾਲ ਅਨੁਚਿਤ ਸੰਗਤ ਤਾਂ ਦੂਰੋਂ ਹੀ ਤਿਆਗਣਯੋਗ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'śubhe pātre', 'definition': 'in/unto a worthy (auspicious) recipient

• a fit person for receiving a gift'}, {'term': 'guṇāḥ', 'definition': 'merits, virtues, beneficial results'}, {'term': 'go-pradāne', 'definition': 'in the giving of a cow (cow-gift), a major act of dāna'}, {'term': 'tāvān', 'definition': 'so much, to that same extent'}, {'term': 'doṣaḥ', 'definition': 'fault, demerit, sin'}, {'term': 'brāhmaṇa-sva', 'definition': 'a Brahmin’s property/wealth (sva = one’s own possessions)'}, {'term': 'apahāraḥ / apahāre', 'definition': 'seizure, theft, wrongful taking

• (locative) in the act of taking away'}, {'term': 'sarvāvastham', 'definition': 'in every condition/situation

• at all times'}, {'term': 'dārāḥ', 'definition': 'wives (especially in the sense of protected household women)'}, {'term': 'dūrataḥ', 'definition': 'from a distance

• completely, strictly'}, {'term': 'varjanīyāḥ', 'definition': 'to be avoided, to be shunned'}]

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• Brahmins
• cow-gift (go-dāna)
• Brahmin property (brāhmaṇa-sva)
• wives of Brahmins (dārāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse equates the merit of gifting a cow to a worthy recipient with the sin incurred by seizing a Brahmin’s property, and it lays down a strict rule: never take a Brahmin’s wealth under any circumstances, and strictly avoid illicit relations with Brahmins’ wives.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Anuśāsana Parva’s dharma-instruction section, Bhishma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on ethical conduct, emphasizing the gravity of offenses against Brahmins and the importance of restraint and respect in matters of property and sexuality.