Shloka 31
गोमूल्यनिर्णयः — The Determination of Value through the Cow
Nahuṣa–Cyavana Episode
यद्च्छयोपसम्पन्नैर्यज्ञसा धुबहिष्कृतै: । बाह्या बाह्ौौश्व जायन्ते यथावृत्ति यथाश्रयम्
yadṛcchayopasampannair yajñasādhubahiṣkṛtaiḥ | bāhyā bāhyauś ca jāyante yathāvṛtti yathāśrayam ||
Bhishma said: “From those who, driven by mere whim, unite with women of other social orders without due consideration of birth and propriety—and who are excluded from sacrificial rites and from the company of the virtuous—there arise only outsiders and outcast groups. Such mixed offspring then take up diverse livelihoods and seek support wherever it suits their inclination, acting according to their own habits and circumstances rather than established dharma.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma links social and ritual exclusion to disregard for prescribed marital and ethical norms, stating that unions formed merely by personal whim and outside accepted dharma lead to socially marginal offspring who then live by varied, self-chosen livelihoods and supports.
In Anushasana Parva, Bhishma continues instructing Yudhishthira on dharma. Here he comments on the outcomes of improper inter-varṇa unions and the resulting communities’ social position, occupations, and dependence, framing it as a consequence of being barred from yajña and from the company of the righteous.