Shloka 21

Cyavana’s Water-Vow and the Ethics of Cohabitation (स्नेह-सम्वास-धर्मः)

Devanagari script

यद्यप्येष सपुत्र: स्यादपुत्रो यदि वा भवेत्‌ । नाधिकं दशमादू दद्याच्छूद्रापुत्राय भारत,भारत! ब्राह्मणके अन्य वर्णकी स्त्रियोंसे पुत्र हों या न हों, वह शूद्राके पुत्रको दसवें भागसे अधिक धन न दे

Transliteration

yady apy eṣa saputraḥ syād aputro yadi vā bhavet | nādhikaṁ daśamād dadyāc chūdrāputrāya bhārata ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “Even if a Brahmin has sons, or even if he happens to be without sons, O Bhārata, he should not give to the son of a Śūdra woman more than a tenth share.”

Word by Word

यद्यपिalthough

एषःthis (man)

सपुत्रःhaving a son

स्यात्may be / should be

अपुत्रःsonless

यदिif

वाor

भवेत्may be / should become

नnot

अधिकम्more (than)

दशमात्than a tenth part

उindeed / emphatic particle

दद्यात्should give

शूद्रापुत्रायto a Śūdra's son

भारतO Bhārata

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Bhārata (Yudhiṣṭhira as addressee)

Brāhmaṇa

Śūdra

Śūdra-putra (son of a Śūdra woman)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Sandhi Notes