Shloka 29

Dharma-vyādha’s Analysis of Moral Decline and the Mahābhūta–Guṇa Schema (धर्मव्याधोपदेशः)

Devanagari script

एकस्यैका प्रदातव्या न बहूनां कदाचन | सा गौर्विक्रयमापन्ना हन्यात्‌ त्रिपुरुषं कुलम्‌

Transliteration

ekasyaikā pradātavyā na bahūnāṁ kadācana | sā gaur vikrayam āpannā hanyāt tripuruṣaṁ kulam ||

Translation

Маркандейя сказал: «Корову следует даровать лишь одному достойному получателю — никогда многим сразу. Если же эту корову после дарения обращают в продажу, как товар, она может навлечь погибель на род на три поколения.»

Word by Word

• एकस्य: of one (person)
• एकस्य: Sampradana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• एका: one (female/one item)
• एका: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• प्रदातव्या: should be given
• प्रदातव्या: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (प्र + दा)
• Form: तव्यत् (gerundive/obligative), Feminine, Nominative, Singular, Passive sense (ought to be given)

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• बहूनाम्: of many (persons)
• बहूनाम्: Sampradana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Plural

• कदाचन: ever/at any time
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचन

• सा: that (she/it)
• सा: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• गौः: cow
• गौः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• विक्रयम्: sale
• विक्रयम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: विक्रय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आपन्ना: having fallen into / having come to
• आपन्ना: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: आपद् (आ + पद्)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), Feminine, Nominative, Singular, Active adjectival usage

• हन्यात्: would kill / may destroy
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन्
• Form: Vidhi-linga (optative), Present-system, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• त्रि: three
• त्रि: Karma
• Type: Adjective/Numeral
• Root: त्रि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular (as part of compound)

• पुरुषम्: persons/men
• पुरुषम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular (as part of compound)

• कुलम्: family/lineage
• कुलम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

मार्कण्डेय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• cow (gauḥ)
• kula (lineage/family)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse teaches strict ethics of dāna: a cow-gift must be made to a single proper recipient and must not be commercialized afterward; treating a sacred gift as sale is portrayed as a grave breach of dharma with consequences extending across generations.

What is happening in the narrative?

Mārkaṇḍeya lays down a normative rule about gifting cows, warning that improper transfer—especially a gifted cow being pushed into sale—creates severe moral fault that can destroy a family’s welfare for three generations.