Shloka 99
अध्याय ७४: अक्रोध–क्षमा–निवासनीति
Chapter 74: Non-anger, Forbearance, and the Ethics of Residence
स्वपत्नीप्रभवान् पड्च लब्धान् क्रीतान् विवर्धितान् । कृतानन्यासु चोत्पन्नान् पुत्रान् वै मनुरब्रवीत्,अपनी पत्नीसे उत्पन्न एक और अन्य स्त्रियोंसे उत्पन्न लब्ध, क्रीत, पोषित तथा उपनयनादिसे संस्कृत--ये चार मिलाकर कुल पाँच प्रकारके पुत्र मनुजीने बताये हैं
svapatnīprabhavān pañca labdhān krītān vivardhitān | kṛtān anyāsu cotpannān putrān vai manur abravīt ||
Duṣyanta said: “Manu has declared that there are five kinds of sons: (1) one born of one’s own lawful wife, and (2–5) those connected with other women—namely a son obtained (received/accepted), a son purchased, a son reared (brought up as one’s own), and a son made/constituted through rites such as initiation. Thus, taken together, these constitute five recognized categories.”
दुष्यन्त उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse appeals to Manu’s dharma-authority to classify legitimate and socially recognized forms of sonship, emphasizing that lineage and inheritance can be established not only by birth from one’s wife but also through accepted social-ritual mechanisms.
Duṣyanta cites Manu to justify and clarify categories of sons recognized in dharma discourse, framing the discussion in terms of lawful lineage and the ethical legitimacy of different forms of parentage.