The Fruit of Stealing and Selling Cows; Gold as the Fee

Verse 1 (13.109.1)

जानन्यो गामपहरेद्विक्रीयाच्चार्थकारणात् । एतद्विज्ञातुमिच्छामि कानु तस्य गतिर्भवेत् ॥

jānanyo gāmapaharedvikrīyāccārthakāraṇāt | etadvijñātumicchāmi kānu tasya gatirbhavet

Indra said: One who knowingly steals a cow, or sells her for the sake of gain — this I wish to know: what will be his fate?

Note on the text: Corrected जान्यो → जानन्यो (misprint in Wikisource; dropped न, CE jānan yo).

Verse 2 (13.109.2)

भक्तार्थं विक्रयार्थं वा येऽपहारं हि कुर्वते । दानार्थं ब्राह्मणार्थाय तत्रेदं श्रूयतां फलम् ॥

bhaktārthaṃ vikrayārthaṃ vā ye'pahāraṃ hi kurvate | dānārthaṃ brāhmaṇārthāya tatredaṃ śrūyatāṃ phalam

Those who commit theft for the sake of food or for sale, or for giving to a brahmin — hear what the fruit is in this matter.

Note on the text: Not matched by the alignment: CE 13.73.2 (bhakṣārthaṃ vikrayārthaṃ vā ye 'pahāraṃ hi kurvate / dānārthaṃ vā brāhmaṇāya tatredaṃ śrūyatāṃ phalam); recension variant, kept.

Verse 3 (13.109.3)

विक्रयार्थं हि यो हिंस्याद्भक्षयेद्वा निरङ्कुशः । घातयानं हि पुरुषं येऽनुमन्येयुरर्थिनः ॥

vikrayārthaṃ hi yo hiṃsyādbhakṣayedvā niraṅkuśaḥ | ghātayānaṃ hi puruṣaṃ ye'numanyeyurarthinaḥ

He who for sale kills a cow, or eats her without restraint, and those who, seeking gain, approve of the man who has her killed —

Verse 4 (13.109.4)

घातकः खादको वाऽपि तथा यश्चानुमन्यते । यावन्ति तस्या रोमाणि तावद्वर्षाणि मज्जति ॥

ghātakaḥ khādako vā'pi tathā yaścānumanyate | yāvanti tasyā romāṇi tāvadvarṣāṇi majjati

the killer, the eater, and he who consents — for as many hairs as she has, for so many years he sinks in hell.

Verse 5 (13.109.5)

ये दोषा यादृशाश्चैव द्विजयज्ञोपघातके । विक्रये चापहारे च ते दोषा वै स्मृता गवाम् ॥

ye doṣā yādṛśāścaiva dvijayajñopaghātake | vikraye cāpahāre ca te doṣā vai smṛtā gavām

The faults, of whatever kind, that belong to one who obstructs a brahmin's sacrifice are remembered as the faults of those who sell or steal cows.

Verse 6 (13.109.6)

अपहृत्य तु यो गां वै ब्राह्मणाय प्रयच्छति । यावद्दाने फलं तस्यास्तावन्नरकमृच्छति ॥

apahṛtya tu yo gāṃ vai brāhmaṇāya prayacchati | yāvaddāne phalaṃ tasyāstāvannarakamṛcchati

He who steals a cow and gives her to a brahmin — for as long as the fruit of such a gift would last, so long he falls into hell.

Note on the text: Line 2 restored from the critical edition (13.73.6c): Wikisource prints यावद्दाने तु यो गां वै ब्राह्मणाय प्रयच्छति, a corrupt repeat of line 1; replaced by the CE line yāvad dāne phalaṃ tasyās tāvan nirayam ṛcchati.

Verse 7 (13.109.7)

सुवर्णं दक्षिणामाहुर्गोप्रदाने महाद्युते । सुवर्णं परमित्युक्तं दक्षिणार्थमसंशयम् ॥

suvarṇaṃ dakṣiṇāmāhurgopradāne mahādyute | suvarṇaṃ paramityuktaṃ dakṣiṇārthamasaṃśayam

Gold, they say, is the fee at a gift of cows, O greatly radiant one; gold is declared to be the supreme fee, beyond doubt.

Verse 8 (13.109.8)

गोप्रदानात्तारयते सप्त पूर्वांस्तथाऽपरान् । सुवर्णं दक्षिणां कृत्वा तावद्द्विगुणमुच्यते ॥

gopradānāttārayate sapta pūrvāṃstathā'parān | suvarṇaṃ dakṣiṇāṃ kṛtvā tāvaddviguṇamucyate

By the gift of a cow one rescues seven earlier and seven later generations; with gold given as the fee it is said to be twice as much.

Note on the text: Not matched by the alignment: CE 13.73.8 (gopradānaṃ tārayate sapta pūrvāṃs tathā parān / suvarṇaṃ dakṣiṇāṃ dattvā tāvad dviguṇam ucyate); Wikisource reads गोप्रदानात् for gopradānam.

Verse 9 (13.109.9)

सुवर्णं परमं दानं सुवर्णं दक्षिणा परा । सुवर्णं पावनं शक्र पावनानां परं स्मृतम् ॥

suvarṇaṃ paramaṃ dānaṃ suvarṇaṃ dakṣiṇā parā | suvarṇaṃ pāvanaṃ śakra pāvanānāṃ paraṃ smṛtam

Gold is the supreme gift, gold the best fee; gold is purifying, Shakra, said to be the highest of purifiers.

Verse 10 (13.109.10)

कुलानां पावनं प्राहुर्जातरूपं शतक्रतो । एषा मे दक्षिणा प्रोक्ता समासेन महाद्युते ॥

kulānāṃ pāvanaṃ prāhurjātarūpaṃ śatakrato | eṣā me dakṣiṇā proktā samāsena mahādyute

They declare gold to be the purifier of families, Shatakratu. This is the fee I have told you of, in brief, O greatly radiant one.

Verse 11 (13.109.11)

एतत्पितामहेनोक्तमिन्द्राय भरतर्षभ । इन्द्रो दशरथायाह रामायाह पिता तथा ॥

etatpitāmahenoktamindrāya bharatarṣabha | indro daśarathāyāha rāmāyāha pitā tathā

Bhishma said: This was told by the Grandfather to Indra, O best of the Bharatas. Indra told it to Dasharatha, and Dasharatha told it to Rama.

Verse 12 (13.109.12)

राघवोपि प्रियभ्रात्रे लक्ष्मणाय यशस्विने । ऋषिभ्यो लक्ष्मणेनोक्तमरण्ये वसता प्रभो ॥

rāghavopi priyabhrātre lakṣmaṇāya yaśasvine | ṛṣibhyo lakṣmaṇenoktamaraṇye vasatā prabho

Raghava told it to his dear brother, the renowned Lakshmana; and Lakshmana, while living in the forest, told it to the sages, O lord.

Verse 13 (13.109.13)

पारम्पर्यागतं चेदमृषयः संशितव्रताः । दुर्धरं धारयामासू राजानश्चैव धार्मिकाः ॥

pāramparyāgataṃ cedamṛṣayaḥ saṃśitavratāḥ | durdharaṃ dhārayāmāsū rājānaścaiva dhārmikāḥ

Handed down in succession, this teaching, hard to bear, was upheld by the sages of firm vows and by righteous kings.

Note on the text: Not matched by the alignment: lines = CE 13.73.13a,c. Corrected दारयामासू → धारयामासू (misprint in Wikisource; द for ध, CE dhārayām āsū).

Verse 14 (13.109.14)

उपाध्यायेन गदितं मम चेदं युधिष्ठिर ॥

upādhyāyena gaditaṃ mama cedaṃ yudhiṣṭhira

And this was told to me too by my preceptor, Yudhishthira.

Note on the text: Not matched by the alignment: this single line is CE 13.73.13e, the third line of the CE verse of which the previous Wikisource verse holds lines a,c.

Verse 15 (13.109.15)

य इदं ब्राह्मणो नित्यं वदेद्ब्राह्मणसंसदि । यज्ञेषु गोप्रदानेषु द्वयोरपि समागमे ॥

ya idaṃ brāhmaṇo nityaṃ vadedbrāhmaṇasaṃsadi | yajñeṣu gopradāneṣu dvayorapi samāgame

The brahmin who always recites this in an assembly of brahmins, at sacrifices, at gifts of cows, or when the two come together,

Verse 16 (13.109.16)

तस्य लोकाः किलाक्षय्या दैवतैः सह नित्यदा । इति ब्रह्मा स भगवानुवाच परमेश्वरः ॥

tasya lokāḥ kilākṣayyā daivataiḥ saha nityadā | iti brahmā sa bhagavānuvāca parameśvaraḥ

his worlds are indeed imperishable, ever in the company of the gods. So spoke the blessed Brahma, the supreme lord.