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 ||
群牛说道：“女神啊，你不定而轻浮，从不安住一处。况且你为众人所共；因此我们不愿要你。愿你得善——去往你能安然自得之处吧。”
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.