Mahabharata, Book 13, Section LXXXअनुशासनपर्व

Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s English prose (1883–96), beside the Sanskrit of adhyāya 13.80.

80Sanskrit adhyāya 13.80 · Sanskrit source · English source

Sanskrit

युधिष्ठिर उवाच
कन्यायां प्राप्तशुल्कायां पतिश्चेन्नास्ति कश्चन।
तत्र का प्रतिपत्तिः स्यात्तन्मे ब्रूहि पितामह।।
भीष्म उवाच।
या पुत्रकस्य ऋद्धस्य प्रतिपाल्या तदा भवेत्।
अथवा सा हरेच्छुल्कं क्रीता शुल्कप्रदस्य सा।।
तस्यार्थेऽपत्यमीहेव येन न्यायेन शक्नुयात्।
न तस्मान्मन्त्रवत्कार्यं कश्चित्कुर्वीत किञ्चन।।
स्वयंवृतेन साज्ञप्ता पित्रा वै प्रत्यपद्यत।
तत्तस्यान्ये प्रशंसन्ति धर्मज्ञा नेतरे जनाः।।
एतत्तु नापरे चक्रुरपरे जातु साधवः।
साधूनां पुनराचारो गरीयान्धर्मलक्षणः।।
अस्मिन्नेव प्रकारे तुसुक्रतुर्वाक्यमब्रवीत्।
नप्ता विदेहराजस्य जनकस्य महात्मनः।।
असदाचरिते मार्गे कथं स्यादनुकीर्तनम्।
अनुप्रश्नः संशयो वा सतामेवमुपालभेत्।।
असदेव हि धर्मस्य प्रदानं धर्म आसुरः।
नानुशुश्रुम जात्वेनामिमां पूर्वेषु कर्मसु।।
भार्यापत्योर्हि सम्बन्धः स्त्रीपुंसोस्तुल्य एव तु।
रतिः साधारणो धर्म इति चाह स पार्थिवः।।
युधिष्ठिर उवाच।
अथ केन प्रमाणेन पुंसामादीयते धनम्।
पुत्रवद्धि पितुस्तस्य कन्या भवितुमर्हति।।
भीष्म उवाच।
यथैवात्मा तथा पुत्रः पुत्रेण दुहिता समा।
तस्यामात्मनि तिष्ठन्त्यां कथमन्यो धनं हरेत्।।
मातुश्च यौतकं यत्स्यात्कुमारीभाग एव सः।
दौहित्र एव तद्रिक्थमपुत्रस्य पितुर्हरेत्।।
ददाति हि स पिण्डान्वै पितुर्मातामहस्य च।
पुत्रदौहित्रयोरेव विशेषो नास्ति धर्मतः।।
अन्यत्र जामया सार्धं प्रजानां पुत्र ईहते।
दुहिताऽन्यत्र जातेन पुत्रेणापि विशिष्यते।।
दौहित्रकेण धर्मेण तत्र पश्यामि कारणम्।
विक्रीतासु हि ये पुत्रा भवन्ति पितुरेव ते।।
असूयवस्त्वधर्मिष्ठाः परस्वादायिनः शठाः।
आसुरादधिसम्भूता धर्माद्विषमवृत्तयः।।
अत्र गाथा यमोद्गीताः कीर्तयन्ति पुराविदः।
धर्मज्ञा धर्मशास्त्रेषु निबद्धा धर्मसेतुषु।।
यो मनुष्यः स्वकं पुत्रं विक्रीय धनमिच्छति।
कन्यां वा जीवितार्थाय यः शुल्केन प्रयच्छति।।
सप्तावरे महाघोरे निरये कालसाह्वये।
स्वेदं मूत्रं पुरीषं च तस्मिन्मूढः समश्नुते।।
आर्षे गोमिथुनं शुल्कं केचिदाहुर्मृषैव तत्।
अल्पो वा बहु वा राजन्विक्रयस्तावदेव सः।।
यद्यप्याचरितः कैश्चिन्नैष धर्मः सनातनः।
अन्येषामपि दृश्यन्ते लोभतः सम्प्रवृत्तयः।।
वश्यां कुमारीं बलतो ये तां समुपभुञ्जते।
एते पापस्य कर्तारस्तमस्यन्धे च शेरते।।
अन्योप्यथ न विक्रेयो मनुष्यः किं पुनः प्रजाः।
अधर्ममूलैर्हि धनैस्तैर्न धर्मोऽथ कश्चन।।
।। इति श्रीमन्महाभारते अनुशासनपर्वणि
दानधर्मपर्वणि अशीतितमोऽध्यायः।। 80।।

English Ganguli

"'"Vasishtha said, '"Kine are yielders of ghee and milk. They are the sources of ghee and they have sprung from ghee. They are rivers of ghee, and eddies of ghee. Let kine ever be in my house! Ghee is always my heart. Ghee is even established in my navel. Ghee is in every limb of mine. Ghee resides in my mind. Kine are always at my front. Kine are always at my rear. Kine are on every side of my person. I live in the midst of kine!"—Having purified oneself by touching water, one should, morning and evening, recite these Mantras every day. By this, one is sure to be cleansed of all the sins one may commit in course of the day. They who make gifts of a thousand kine, departing from this world, proceed to the regions of the Gandharvas and the Apsaras where there are many palatial mansions made of gold and where the celestial Ganga, called the current of Vasu, runs. Givers of a thousand kine repair thither where run many rivers having milk for their water, cheese for their mire, and curds for their floating moss. That man who makes gifts of hundreds of thousands of kine agreeably to the ritual laid down in the scriptures, attains to high prosperity (here) and great honours in Heaven. Such a man causes both his paternal and maternal ancestors to the tenth degree to attain to regions of great felicity, and sanctifies his whole race. Kine are sacred. They are the foremost of all things in the world. They are verily the refuge of the universe. They are the mothers of the very deities. They are verily incomparable. They should be dedicated in sacrifices. When making journeys, one should proceed by their right (i.e., keeping them to one's left). Ascertaining the proper time, they should be given away unto eligible persons. By giving away a Kapila cow having large horns, accompanied by a calf and a vessel of white brass for milking her, and covered with a piece of cloth, one succeeds in entering, freed from fear, the palace of Yama that is so difficult to enter. One should always recite this sacred Mantra, viz.,—"Kine are of beautiful form. Kine are of diverse forms. They are of universal form. They are the mothers of the universe. O, let kine approach me!"—There is no gift more sacred than the gift of kine. There is no gift that produces more blessed merit. There has been nothing equal to the cow, nor will there be anything that will equal her. With her skin, her hair, her horns, the hair of her tail, her milk, and her fat,—with all these together,—the cow upholds sacrifice. What thing is there that is more useful than the cow? Bending my head unto her with reverence, I adore the cow who is the mother of both the Past and the Future, and by whom the entire universe of mobile and immobile creatures is covered. O best of men, I have thus recited to thee only a portion of the high merits of kine. There is no gift in this world that is superior to the gift of kine. There is also no refuge in this world that is higher than kine.'"

"'Bhishma continued, "That high-souled giver of land (viz., king Saudasa), thinking these words of the Rishi Vasishtha to be foremost in point of importance, then made gifts of a very large number of kine unto the Brahmanas, restraining his senses the while, and as the consequence of those gifts, the monarch succeeded in attaining to many regions of felicity in the next world."'"[378]