Shloka 7
गोप्रदान-माहात्म्ये गोलोक-प्रश्नः
Gopradāna-Māhātmya: Inquiry into Goloka
मा चान्यमानयेथास्त्वं सगोत्रं तस्य पार्श्चत:
mā cānyamānayethās tvaṃ sa-gotraṃ tasya pārśvataḥ
Wika ni Bhīṣma: “Huwag kang magdadala ng iba kapalit niya. Sa mismong nayon na iyon ay may isa pang brāhmaṇa na kapareho ng gotra, at nakatira sa tabi. Sa mga birtud, sa pag-aaral ng Veda, at sa dangal ng angkan, kapantay niya si Śarmīka; gayundin sa dami ng anak at sa pagsunod sa mabuting asal, katulad din siya ng marunong na iyon. Huwag mo siyang dalhin dito.”
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.