Shloka 7
अत्रेः तपोबलप्रकाशः तथा च्यवनस्य सोमाधिकारः
Atri’s Illumination by Tapas; Cyavana and Soma-Entitlement
एवं प्रतिगृहीते5थ धने वस्त्रे तथा स्त्रियाम् । एवमेव नरश्रेष्ठ सुवर्णस्य प्रतिग्रहे
evaṁ pratigṛhīte 'tha dhane vastre tathā striyām | evam eva naraśreṣṭha suvarṇasya pratigrahe ||
Bhīṣma nói: “Cũng vậy, hỡi bậc nhất trong loài người, khi đã nhận của cải, y phục, thậm chí cả một người nữ (như vật biếu hay trong sự lệ thuộc), thì cũng phải theo cùng nguyên tắc ấy—như trong trường hợp nhận vàng.”
भीष्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma extends an ethical rule about accepting gifts: the same moral consequences and obligations that arise from receiving wealth, clothing, or other dependences also apply to receiving gold. One should therefore be cautious and principled about pratigraha (acceptance), not treating gold as an exception.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction on dharma, Bhīṣma continues advising Yudhiṣṭhira on norms of conduct. Here he draws a parallel among different kinds of gifts—wealth, garments, and gold—indicating that the discussed rule applies uniformly across these forms of acceptance.