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 ||
ভীষ্মে ক’লে—স্ত্ৰীসকলৰ মাজত ব্ৰাহ্মণৰ বাবে ব্ৰাহ্মণী স্ত্ৰী সৰ্বশ্ৰেষ্ঠ; আৰু ক্ষত্ৰিয়ৰ বাবে ক্ষত্ৰিয়া স্ত্ৰী শ্ৰেষ্ঠ। কিছুমানে কয় যে ৰতিৰ বাবে শূদ্ৰা স্ত্ৰীকো গ্ৰহণ কৰিব পাৰি; কিন্তু আন কিছুমানে তাক মানি নলয়।
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.