Mahabharata · Chapter 13.104
bhūya eva kuruśreṣṭha dānānāṃ vidhimuttamam /
kathayasva mahāprājña bhūmidānaṃ viśeṣataḥ //
pṛthivīṃ kṣatriyo dadyādbrāhmaṇāyeṣṭikarmiṇe /
vidhivatpratigṛhṇīyānna tvanyo dātumarhati //
sarvavarṇaistu yacchakyaṃ pradātuṃ phalakāṅkṣibhiḥ /
vede vā yatsamākhyātaṃ tanme vyākhyātumarhasi //
bhīṣma uvāca /
tulyanāmāni deyāni trīṇi tulyaphalāni ca /
sarvakāmaphalānīha gāvaḥ pṛthvī sarasvatī //
yo brūyāccāpi śiṣyāya dharmyāṃ brāhmīṃ sarasvatīm /
pṛthivīgopradānābhyāṃ tulyaṃ sa phalamaśnute //
tathaiva gāḥ praśaṃsanti na tu deyaṃ tataḥ param /
sannikṛṣṭaphalāstā hi laghvarthāśca yudhiṣṭhira //
mātaraḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ gāvaḥ sarvasukhapradāḥ / vṛddhimākāṅkṣatā nityaṃ gāvaḥ kāryāḥ pradakṣiṇāḥ
santāḍyā na tu pādena gavāṃ madhye na ca vrajet /
maṅgalāyatanaṃ devyastasmātpūjyāḥ sadaiva gāḥ //
pracodanaṃ devakṛtaṃ gavāṃ karmasu vartatām /
pūrvamevākṣaraṃ cānyadabhidheyaṃ tataḥ param //
pracāre vā nivāte vā budho nodvejayeta gāḥ /
tṛṣitā hyabhivīkṣantyo naraṃ hanyuḥ sabāndhavam //
pitṛsadmāni satataṃ devatāyatanāni ca /
pūyante śakṛtā yāsāṃ pūtaṃ kimadhikaṃ tataḥ //
ghāsamuṣṭiṃ paragave dadyātsaṃvatsaraṃ tu yaḥ /
akṛtvā svayamāhāraṃ vrataṃ tatsārvakāmikam //
sa hi putrānyaśo'rthaṃ ca śriyaṃ cāpyadhigacchati /
nāśayatyaśubhaṃ caiva duḥsvapnaṃ cāpyapohati //
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca /
deyāḥ kiṃlakṣaṇā gāvaḥ kāścāpi parivarjayet /
kīdṛśāya pradātavyā na deyāḥ kīdṛśāya ca //
bhīṣma uvāca /
asadvṛttāya pāpāya lubdhāyānṛtavādine /
havyakavyavyapetāya na deyā gauḥ kathañcana //
bhikṣave bahuputrāya śrotriyāyāhitāgnaye /
dattvā daśagavāṃ dātā lokānāpnotyanuttamān //
juhoti yadbhojayati yaddadāti gavāṃ rasaiḥ / sarvasyaivāṃśabhāgdātā tannimittaṃ pravartitaḥ //
yaścaiva dharmaṃ kurute tasya dharmaphalaṃ ca yat /
sarvasyaivāṃśabhāgdātā tannimittaṃ pravṛttayaḥ //
yaścainamutpādayate yaścainaṃ trāyate bhayāt /
yaścāsya kurute vṛttiṃ sarve te pitarastrayaḥ //
kalmaṣaṃ guruśuśrūṣā hanti māno mahadyaśaḥ /
aputratāṃ trayaḥ putrā avṛttiṃ daśa dhenavaḥ //
vedāntaniṣṭhasya bahuśrutasya prajñānatṛptasya jitendriyasya /
śiṣṭasya dāntasya yatasya caiva bhūteṣu nityaṃ priyavādinaśca //
yaḥ kṣudbhayādvai na vikarma kuryā- nmṛduśca śāntau hyatithipriyaśca /
śubhe pātre ye guṇā gopradāne tāvāndoṣo brāhmaṇasvāpahāre /
sarvāvasthaṃ brāhmaṇasvāpahāre dārāścaiṣāṃ dūrato varjanīyāḥ //
vipradāre parihṛte taddhane'pahṛte ca tu /
paritrāyanti śaktāstu namastebhyo mṛtāśca ye //
na pālayanti nihatānye tānvaivasvato yamaḥ /
daṇḍayanbharsayannityaṃ nirayebhyo na muñcati //
tathā gavāṃ paritrāṇe pīḍane ca śubhāśubham / vipragoṣu viśeṣeṇa rakṣiteṣu gṛheṣu vā //
Original text: Mahābhārata (southern recension) · Edition: Śrīman Mahābhāratam, ed. T. R. Krishnacharya and T. R. Vyasacharya, Nirnaya Sagar Press, Bombay 1906–1910; e-text by SARIT (Shrinivasa Varakhedi and others) · SARIT: Search and Retrieval of Indic Texts · SARIT (e-text) via Internet Archive · CC BY-SA 3.0