Shloka 11
Chapter 85: Suvarṇasya Janma ca Pradāna-Phalam
The Origin of Gold and the Merit of Gifting
गाव ऊचु: अध्रुवा चपला च त्वं सामान्या बहुभि: सह । न त्वामिच्छाम भद्ठरं ते गम्यतां यत्र रंस्यसे
gāva ūcuḥ—adhruvā capalā ca tvaṃ sāmānyā bahubhiḥ saha | na tvām icchāma bhadraṃ te gamyatāṃ yatra raṃsyase ||
گایوں نے کہا—اے دیوی! تو بےثبات اور چنچل ہے؛ کہیں بھی ٹھہر کر نہیں رہتی۔ پھر بہت سوں کے ساتھ تیرا یکساں تعلق ہے؛ اس لیے ہم تجھے نہیں چاہتیں۔ تیرا بھلا ہو—جہاں تو خوشی سے رہ سکے، وہیں چلی جا۔
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse criticizes instability and indiscriminate association: what is fickle and ‘common to many’ is rejected by a community seeking steadiness, exclusivity, and propriety; it also models a firm boundary set without malice (“bhadraṃ te”).
Within Bhīṣma’s discourse, the cows speak directly to a feminine addressee (addressed as ‘devi’ in the Hindi gloss), dismissing her for being restless and shared among many, and telling her to go where she can find enjoyment elsewhere.