Shloka 13
Go-apahāra (Cattle Theft), Go-dāna (Cow-Gift), and Suvarṇa-dakṣiṇā (Gold Fee): Karmic Consequence and Purificatory Merit
तावुभौ समनुप्राप्ती विवदन्तौ भृशज्वरौ । भवान् दाता भवान् हर्तेत्यथ तो मामवोचताम्
tāv ubhau samanupprāptī vivadantau bhṛśajvarau | bhavān dātā bhavān hartety atha to mām avocātām ||
随后二人一同来到我面前，怒火炽盛，争吵不休。一人说道：“陛下，你是施与者——因为你把这头牛作为赠与赐给了我。”另一人说道：“陛下，你是夺取者——因为这头牛实为我的；它被人夺走了。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames an ethical-legal dilemma: a king’s act can be praised as rightful giving when the gift is legitimate, or condemned as wrongful taking if the object was not truly the donor’s to give. It highlights the dharmic need to verify ownership and justice before validating gifts and transfers.
Two men arrive before Bhishma in a heated dispute over a cow. One asserts the cow was given to him by royal grant, calling the king a ‘giver’; the other claims the cow is actually his and has been taken, calling the king a ‘taker.’