Shloka 7
गोप्रदान-माहात्म्ये गोलोक-प्रश्नः
Gopradāna-Māhātmya: Inquiry into Goloka
मा चान्यमानयेथास्त्वं सगोत्रं तस्य पार्श्चत:
mā cānyamānayethās tvaṃ sa-gotraṃ tasya pārśvataḥ
Бхишма сказал: «Не приводи вместо него другого. В той же деревне живёт второй брахман той же готры, обитающий рядом. В добродетелях, в изучении Вед и в знатности рода он равен Шармике; и по числу детей, и по соблюдению благого поведения он также подобен тому мудрецу. Не приводи его сюда».
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage stresses ethical integrity: one should not attempt a deceptive substitution by presenting a different person—however similar in lineage, learning, virtue, or family—as a replacement for the intended individual. Dharma here aligns with truthfulness and respect for personal identity and rightful claim.
Bhishma cautions the listener that, although another brāhmaṇa lives in the same village and closely resembles Śarmīka in gotra, learning, virtues, family status, children, and conduct, that person should not be brought as a stand-in. The instruction implies a situation where someone might try to produce a ‘similar’ substitute, which Bhishma forbids.