Shloka 12
Dāyavibhāga (Inheritance Apportionment) and Household Precedence — Dialogue of Yudhiṣṭhira and Bhīṣma
ब्राह्मणी तु भवेज्ज्येष्ठा क्षत्रिया क्षत्रियस्य तु रत्यर्थमपि शूद्रा स्यान्नेत्याहुरपरे जना:
bhīṣma uvāca | brāhmaṇī tu bhavej jyeṣṭhā kṣatriyā kṣatriyasya tu | ratyartham api śūdrā syān nety āhur apare janāḥ ||
قال بهيشما: «بين الزوجات تُعَدُّ المرأةُ البراهمنيةُ الأرفعَ منزلةً؛ وللكشاتريا تكون المرأةُ الكشاتريةُ هي الأرفع. ويقول قومٌ إنه لأجل الوصال الجنسي يجوز حتى اتخاذُ امرأةٍ شودرية؛ غير أن آخرين لا يقبلون ذلك.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents a normative hierarchy of preferred spouses within varṇa (Brahmin woman as foremost; for a Kshatriya, a Kshatriya woman as foremost) while also recording a disagreement: some permit a Shudra woman solely for sexual relations, whereas others reject that permissibility. The emphasis is on dharma-discourse that distinguishes between socially sanctioned marriage norms and contested, limited allowances.
In the Anushasana Parva’s instructional setting, Bhishma is giving guidance on conduct and social-religious norms. Here he reports differing opinions among authorities/people regarding acceptable marital or sexual unions across varṇa lines, indicating that the tradition contains debated positions rather than a single unanimous rule.