Previous Verse
Next Verse

Shloka 15

Varṇasaṃkara: Causes, Classifications, and Conduct-based Recognition (वर्णसंकरः—हेतु-जाति-आचारनिर्णयः)

दौहित्रकेण धर्मेण नाज पश्यामि कारणम्‌ । विक्रीतासु हि ये पुत्रा भवन्ति पितुरेव ते

dauhitrakeṇa dharmeṇa nāhaṁ paśyāmi kāraṇam | vikrītāsu hi yāḥ kanyāḥ tāsu jāyante ye sutāḥ pitur eva te ||

Bhishma sprach: „Ich sehe keinen vernünftigen Grund, hier die ‘dauhitraka’-Regel anzuwenden. Denn wenn Töchter gegen einen Preis weggegeben wurden, gehören die aus ihnen geborenen Söhne allein ihrem Vater; daher gibt es keine gerechte Grundlage, sie nach dem dauhitraka-Prinzip zu Erben des Vermögens des mütterlichen Großvaters zu machen.“

दौहित्रकेणby/through the dauhitraka (grandson-through-daughter) rule
दौहित्रकेण:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootदौहित्रक
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Singular
धर्मेणby the law/duty
धर्मेण:
Karana
TypeNoun
Rootधर्म
FormMasculine, Instrumental, Singular
not
:
TypeIndeclinable
Root
अजO Aj(a) (vocative address)
अज:
TypeNoun
Rootअज
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
पश्यामिI see
पश्यामि:
TypeVerb
Rootपश्
FormPresent, 1st, Singular, Parasmaipada
कारणम्reason/cause
कारणम्:
Karma
TypeNoun
Rootकारण
FormNeuter, Accusative, Singular
विक्रीतासुwhen (women) have been sold
विक्रीतासु:
Adhikarana
TypeAdjective
Rootवि + क्री
FormFeminine, Locative, Plural, Past passive participle (kta)
हिindeed/for
हि:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootहि
येwho/which
ये:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootयद्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
पुत्राःsons
पुत्राः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootपुत्र
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
भवन्तिbecome/are
भवन्ति:
TypeVerb
Rootभू
FormPresent, 3rd, Plural, Parasmaipada
पितुःof the father
पितुः:
Sampradana
TypeNoun
Rootपितृ
FormMasculine, Genitive, Singular
एवonly/indeed
एव:
TypeIndeclinable
Rootएव
तेthey
ते:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural

भीष्म उवाच

B
Bhishma
D
dauhitraka-dharma (rule concerning a daughter's son)
F
father (pituḥ)
D
daughters/maidens (kanyāḥ)
S
sons (sutāḥ)
M
maternal grandfather (implied by dauhitraka)

Educational Q&A

Bhishma argues that the dauhitraka principle (inheritance through a daughter’s son) should not be invoked when the daughter has been transferred for a price; in such a case, the son is treated as belonging solely to the father’s line, so claiming the maternal grandfather’s property lacks justification.

In Anushasana Parva’s dharma-discourse, Bhishma is clarifying rules of kinship and inheritance. Here he rejects extending a daughter’s-son inheritance claim to a situation involving a ‘sold’ daughter, emphasizing how the mode of marriage/transfer affects lineage and property rights.