Shloka 3

Varṇasaṃkara: Causes, Classifications, and Conduct-based Recognition (वर्णसंकरः—हेतु-जाति-आचारनिर्णयः)

Devanagari script

तस्यार्थेडपत्यमीहेत येन न्‍्यायेन शक्नुयात्‌ । न तस्मान्मन्त्रवत्कार्य कश्चित्‌ कुर्वीत किंचन

Transliteration

bhīṣma uvāca | tasyārthe ’patyam īheta yena nyāyena śaknuyāt | na tasmān mantravat kāryaḥ kaścit kurvīta kiñcana ||

Translation

Bhīṣma dit : «Qu’elle ne recherche une descendance que pour lui (celui qui a sur elle un droit légitime), et seulement par des moyens possibles selon la justice et la convenance. Dès lors, nul autre homme ne peut accomplir pour elle aucun acte—tel qu’un mariage védique accompagné de mantras—ni rien qui établirait une prétention conjugale concurrente.»

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'tasyārthe', 'gloss': 'for his sake

• for that person’s purpose/claim'}, {'term': 'apatyam', 'gloss': 'offspring

• progeny'}, {'term': 'īheta', 'gloss': 'should desire/seek

• should endeavor'}, {'term': 'nyāyena', 'gloss': 'by justice

• according to right rule/propriety'}, {'term': 'śaknuyāt', 'gloss': 'would be able

• can be done/possible'}, {'term': 'na tasmāt', 'gloss': 'therefore not

• hence not'}, {'term': 'mantravat', 'gloss': 'with Vedic mantras

• ritually sanctioned'}, {'term': 'kāryaḥ', 'gloss': 'to be done

• permissible to be performed'}, {'term': 'kaścit', 'gloss': 'anyone

• any other person'}, {'term': 'kurvīta', 'gloss': 'should do/perform'}, {'term': 'kiñcana', 'gloss': 'anything whatsoever'}]

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Procreation and marital rites must follow nyāya (justice/propriety): a woman should seek offspring only in relation to the rightful claimant (husband/authorized party), and no other man may establish a rival claim through mantra-based ritual acts.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhishma is laying down a normative rule about legitimacy in marriage and progeny: he restricts who may perform Vedic-sanctioned rites (like marriage) and emphasizes that actions concerning offspring must align with lawful entitlement and ritual order.