Shloka 42
Nṛga-upākhyāna: Brāhmaṇa-sva and the Consequence of Misappropriated Gift-Cattle (कृकलास-रूपे नृगोपाख्यानम्)
एंक गोब्राह्मणं तस्मात् प्रवदन्ति मनीषिण: । रन्तिदेवस्य यज्ञे ता: पशुत्वेनोपकल्पिता:
ekaṁ gobrāhmaṇaṁ tasmāt pravadanti manīṣiṇaḥ | rantidevasya yajñe tāḥ paśutvenopakalpitāḥ ||
毗湿摩说道：“因此，智者宣称：牛与婆罗门在本质上是一体的。在阮提提婆王的祭祀中，那些牛被称作‘祭牲’，仅是仪式上的名目——它们被预先划定为布施之礼的赠与之物。故而传说名为‘迦尔曼伐底’（Carmanvatī）的河流，因牛皮之多而涌流。然而这些牛并非被束缚为屠宰之兽；它们是为施舍而被指定的。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates the cow and the Brahmin as a single sacred category in dharma: both are to be protected and honored. It frames true righteousness as generosity and reverence for life, emphasizing that ritual designations should not be read as license for cruelty.
Bhishma cites King Rantideva’s famed sacrifice, where many cows were set aside under the ritual label of ‘paśu’ but were intended for gifting. The tradition remembers the immense scale of the rite (and its aftermath imagery, such as the river associated with hides) to underscore extraordinary charity and the sanctity attached to cows.