Shloka 14
च्यवन-कुशिक-संवादः
Cyavana–Kuśika Dialogue on Hospitality, Service, and Lineage Questions
युधिषछ्िर उवाच रेतजं विद्य वै पुत्र क्षेत्रजस्यागम: कथम् | अध्यूढं विद्य वै पुत्र भित्ता तु समयं कथम्
Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: retajaṁ vidya vai putra kṣetrajasyāgamaḥ katham | adhyūḍhaṁ vidya vai putra bhittā tu samayaṁ katham ||
قال يودهيشثيرا: «يا جدّي، إنّما نعدّ الابنَ ابنًا إذا وُلد من البذرة. فكيف يكون ابنُ الكشيتراجا من غير بذرة؟ ثم كيف نعدّ الأدهيوḍها ابنًا—وبأي قاعدة أو حدّ من حدود العرف يُحكَم بما يسمّى “نقض العهد”؟»
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma inquiry into how ‘sonship’ is defined beyond biology—especially the legitimacy of kṣetraja and other socially recognized categories—highlighting that lineage and duty can be grounded in śāstric convention and ethical purpose, not only in physical paternity.
In the Anuśāsana Parva dialogue, Yudhiṣṭhira questions Bhīṣma about the dharma-legal categories of sons. He challenges how a son can be acknowledged without the father’s seed and asks what conventional boundary or rule makes an adhyūḍha count as a son.