Shloka 53
Nṛga-upākhyāna: Brāhmaṇa-sva and the Consequence of Misappropriated Gift-Cattle (कृकलास-रूपे नृगोपाख्यानम्)
न कृशां नापवत्सां वा वन्ध्यां रोगान्वितां तथा । नव्यंगां न परिश्रान्तां दद्याद् गां ब्राह्मणाय वै,जो दुबली हो, जिसका बछड़ा मर गया हो तथा जो ठाँठ, रोगिणी, किसी अंगसे हीन और थकी हुई (बूढ़ी) हो, ऐसी गौ ब्राह्मणको नहीं देनी चाहिये
na kṛśāṃ nāpavatsāṃ vā vandhyāṃ rogānvitāṃ tathā | navy-aṅgāṃ na pariśrāntāṃ dadyād gāṃ brāhmaṇāya vai ||
Bhīṣma disse: “Não se deve dar uma vaca a um Brāhmaṇa se ela estiver emagrecida, ou tiver perdido o bezerro, ou for estéril, ou estiver doente; nem se for deformada, faltar-lhe algum membro, ou estiver exausta pela fadiga e pela idade. Uma dádiva destinada a honrar o dharma deve ser adequada e saudável, não uma oferta defeituosa que se torne um fardo.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
A righteous gift should be genuinely beneficial and respectful; offering a weak, barren, diseased, deformed, or exhausted cow to a Brāhmaṇa is improper because it turns charity into a burden and undermines the ethical intent of dāna.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma lays down practical rules for charitable giving—specifically, standards for donating cows—emphasizing suitability and integrity in offerings to Brāhmaṇas.