Shloka 47
Cyavana’s Water-Vow and the Ethics of Cohabitation (स्नेह-सम्वास-धर्मः)
भीष्म उवाच क्षत्रियस्यापि भायें द्वे विहिते कुरुनन्दन । तृतीया च भवेच्छूद्रा न तु दृष्टान्तत: स्मृता
bhīṣma uvāca | kṣatriyasyāpi bhārye dve vihite kurunandana | tṛtīyā ca bhavec chūdrā na tu dṛṣṭāntataḥ smṛtā ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô joie des Kuru, pour un kṣatriya aussi, les Écritures prescrivent deux épouses légitimes (issues des varṇa supérieures). Une troisième—de la classe śūdra—peut également devenir son épouse dans la pratique ; toutefois, cela n’est pas confirmé par un précédent scripturaire comme modèle faisant autorité.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma distinguishes between what is explicitly sanctioned by śāstra (two wives for a Kshatriya from the higher varṇas) and what may occur in practice (a Śūdra wife), noting that the latter is not presented as an authoritative scriptural exemplar.
In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma, he addresses the Kurunandana (the royal listener) while discussing marriage norms and the limits of scriptural endorsement regarding inter-varṇa unions.