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 dijo: «De aquellos que, movidos por el mero capricho, se unen con mujeres de otros órdenes sin atender al nacimiento ni a la conveniencia—y que son excluidos de los sacrificios y apartados de la compañía de los virtuosos—nacen únicamente gentes de fuera y grupos proscritos. Esa descendencia mezclada adopta luego oficios diversos y busca amparo donde mejor le place, obrando según sus hábitos y circunstancias, y no conforme al dharma establecido.»
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.