Shloka 55
Cyavana’s Water-Vow and the Ethics of Cohabitation (स्नेह-सम्वास-धर्मः)
सो5पि दत्तं हरेत् पित्रा नादत्तं हर्तुमरहति । त्रिभिर्वर्ण: सदा जात: शूद्रोडदेयधनो भवेत्
so 'pi dattaṃ haret pitrā nādattaṃ hartum arhati | tribhir varṇaiḥ sadā jātaḥ śūdro 'deyadhano bhavet ||
Bhīṣma sprach: „Auch er darf nur nehmen, was der Vater ausdrücklich gegeben hat; auf Ungeschenktes hat er kein Recht, es an sich zu reißen. Ein Śūdra, der aus der Vermischung der drei höheren Varṇas hervorgeht, ist in der Regel einer, dem man weder Vermögen anvertrauen noch geben soll.“
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Only what is explicitly granted by the rightful owner (here, the father) may be taken; taking what is not given is unauthorized. The verse also states a normative rule about entrusting wealth in the context of varṇa-based social classifications discussed in this section on dharma.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma (Anuśāsana Parva), he lays down rules concerning rightful taking/receiving of property—especially in familial and social contexts—emphasizing consent (what is ‘given’) versus seizure (what is ‘not given’).