Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 34
गोमूल्यनिर्णयः — The Determination of Value through the Cow
Nahuṣa–Cyavana Episode
गोब्राह्मणाय साहाय्य॑ कुर्वाणा वै न संशय: । आनुृशंस्यमनुक्रोश: सत्यवाक्यं तथा क्षमा
gobrāhmaṇāya sāhāyyaṁ kurvāṇā vai na saṁśayaḥ | ānṛśaṁsyam anukrośaḥ satyavākyaṁ tathā kṣamā puruṣasiṁha |
毗湿摩说：毫无疑问，即便出身混杂之人，若能扶助牛与婆罗门，舍弃残酷之行，普施慈悲，言语真实，并修习宽恕，也能获得真正的灵性提升。噫，人中之狮！此等以慈悯、真实与忍耐为根基的行持，开启通往更高福祉之路。
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma teaches that ethical virtues—helping cows and brāhmaṇas, practicing non-cruelty and compassion, speaking truth, and forgiving others—are powerful enough to bring genuine spiritual welfare even to those viewed as socially disadvantaged; moral conduct, not birth alone, is emphasized as the means to uplift.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma continues advising the royal listener (addressed as 'puruṣasiṁha') on dharma. Here he lists specific virtues and charitable duties and asserts confidently that such conduct leads to higher good, removing doubt about the possibility of improvement for marginalized groups.