Shloka 56

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

Devanagari script

शूद्रस्य स्थात्‌ सवर्णव भार्या नान्या कथंचन । समभागाश्र पुत्रा: स्युर्यदि पुत्रशतं भवेत्‌,शूद्रकी एक ही अपनी जातिकी ही स्त्री भार्या होती है। दूसरी किसी प्रकार नहीं। उसके सभी पुत्र, वे सौ भाई क्यों न हों, पैतृक धनमेंसे समान भागके अधिकारी होते हैं

Transliteration

śūdrasya syāt savarṇā bhāryā nānyā kathaṃcana | samabhāgāś ca putrāḥ syur yadi putraśataṃ bhavet ||

Translation

Bhīṣma said: “For a Śūdra, the wife should be only of his own varṇa—never otherwise. And all his sons, even if they number a hundred, are entitled to equal shares in the paternal property.”

Word by Word

शूद्रस्यof a Shudra

स्यात्should be / may be

सवर्णाof the same varna/caste

भार्याwife

नnot

अन्याanother (woman)

कथंचनin any way / at all

समभागाःhaving equal shares

पुत्राःsons

स्युःshould be / may be

यदिif

पुत्रशतम्a hundred sons

भवेत्should be / were to be

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīṣma

Śūdra

wife (bhāryā)

sons (putrāḥ)

paternal property/inheritance (implied by samabhāga)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Sandhi Notes