Shloka 14
Go-apahāra (Cattle Theft), Go-dāna (Cow-Gift), and Suvarṇa-dakṣiṇā (Gold Fee): Karmic Consequence and Purificatory Merit
पा 000५, १ छा ११) शतेन शतसंख्येन गवां विनिमयेन वै । याचे प्रतिग्रहीतारं स तु मामब्रवीदिदम्,“तब मैंने दान लेनेवाले ब्राह्मणसे प्रार्थनापूर्वक कहा--“मैं इस गायके बदले आपको दस हजार गौएँ देता हूँ (आप इन्हें इनकी गाय वापस दे दीजिये)। यह सुनकर वह यों बोला --“महाराज! यह गौ देश-कालके अनुरूप, पूरा दूध देनेवाली, सीधी-सादी और अत्यन्त दयालुस्वभावकी है। यह बहुत मीठा दूध देनेवाली है। धन्य भाग्य जो यह मेरे घर आयी। यह सदा मेरे ही यहाँ रहे
śatena śata-saṅkhyena gavāṁ vinimayena vai | yāce pratigrahītāraṁ sa tu mām abravīd idam ||
Wika ni Bhishma: Nakiusap ako sa Brahmanang tumanggap ng handog, na magpalitan—daan-daan na baka ang ibibigay ko bilang kapalit. Ngunit sumagot siya sa akin: “O Hari, ang bakang ito’y angkop sa lugar at panahon—hitik sa gatas, maamo at payak, tuwid ang asal, at likas na lubhang mahabagin. Matamis ang gatas nito. Mapalad ako na dumating ito sa aking tahanan. Hayaan itong manatili sa akin magpakailanman.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the moral complexity around dāna (gifting) and pratigraha (accepting gifts): once a gift is properly accepted, the recipient may regard it as rightfully his, valuing its intrinsic qualities over a larger material substitute. It underscores integrity in transactions and the ethical weight carried by gifts.
Bhishma narrates that he tried to persuade the Brahmin recipient to return a particular cow by offering an enormous exchange of many cows. The Brahmin refuses, praising the cow’s auspicious qualities—timely suitability, abundant milk, gentleness, and sweetness—and insists she should remain in his household.