Shloka 59
Cyavana’s Water-Vow and the Ethics of Cohabitation (स्नेह-सम्वास-धर्मः)
समवर्णासु जातानां विशेषो<स्त्यपरो नृप । विवाहवैशिष्ट्यकृत: पूर्वपूर्वो विशिष्यते
samavarṇāsu jātānāṁ viśeṣo 'sty aparo nṛpa | vivāhavaśiṣṭyakṛtaḥ pūrvapūrvo viśiṣyate nareśvara ||
O König, selbst unter Söhnen, die von Frauen derselben Varṇa geboren sind, gibt es noch eine weitere Unterscheidung, die zu beachten ist. Aufgrund des besonderen Ranges der Ehe entsteht selbst unter ihnen eine Abstufung: Der Sohn aus der früheren Ehe gilt als höher, der Sohn aus einer späteren Ehe als der jüngere.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when mothers are of the same varṇa, Bhishma states that the social-legal standing of sons can differ based on the precedence and recognized status of the marriages: the son of the earlier marriage is treated as senior/superior, and the son of a later marriage as junior.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma to the king, he is clarifying rules of familial and social precedence—how lineage ranking among sons is determined not only by varṇa but also by the order and distinct status of marriages.