Shloka 24
गोप्रदानगुणाः तथा कपिलागोविधानम्
Merits of Cow-Gift and the Origin-Account of Kapilā Cows
क्षत्रियस्य गुणैरेतैरपि तुल्यफलं शृणु । तस्यापि द्विजतुल्या गौर्भवतीति विनिश्चय:
kṣatriyasya guṇair etair api tulyaphalaṁ śṛṇu | tasyāpi dvijatulyā gaur bhavatīti viniścayaḥ ||
بھیشم نے کہا: “یہ بھی سنو—اگر ایک کشتری بھی انہی اوصاف سے آراستہ ہو تو وہ بھی برابر کا اجر پاتا ہے۔ نیکوکاروں کا پختہ فیصلہ ہے کہ اس کی دی ہوئی گائے بھی برہمن کے دان کی مانند ہی ثواب دیتی ہے۔”
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
Merit from a religious gift (here, the gift of a cow) is not restricted by birth alone; when a kṣatriya possesses the requisite virtues and performs the act properly, the resulting spiritual fruit is held to be equal to that associated with a brāhmaṇa’s gift.
In Bhīṣma’s instruction on dharma and charitable giving, he extends the discussion beyond brāhmaṇas and states that a virtuous kṣatriya who gives a cow attains the same merit; the gifted cow is said to be ‘equal to a dvija’s’ in the fruit it yields.