Shloka 15
Go-apahāra (Cattle Theft), Go-dāna (Cow-Gift), and Suvarṇa-dakṣiṇā (Gold Fee): Karmic Consequence and Purificatory Merit
देशकालोपसम्पन्ना दोग्ध्री शान्तातिवत्सला | स्वादुक्षीरप्रदा धन््या मम नित्यं निवेशने
deśa-kālopasampannā dogdhrī śāntātivatsalā | svādu-kṣīra-pradā dhanyā mama nityaṃ niveśane ||
Wika ni Bhishma: “Ang bakang ito’y angkop sa lugar at panahon; isa itong bakang gatasan, maamo, at labis na mapagmahal sa kanyang guya. Matamis ang gatas na ibinibigay nito. Mapalad na dumating ito sa aking tahanan—nawa’y manatili ito sa aking sambahayan magpakailanman.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights discernment and value-based choice: what is ‘fit to place and time’ (deśa-kāla) and intrinsically beneficial (sweet milk, gentle nature) can be prized beyond mere numerical compensation, pointing to dharma as qualitative rather than purely transactional.
In Bhishma’s account, a cow is being praised for her virtues—calm temperament, affection for her calf, and sweet milk—and the speaker expresses the wish that she remain permanently in his household, implying a refusal to part with her even when offered many cows in exchange.