Shloka 53
Cyavana’s Water-Vow and the Ethics of Cohabitation (स्नेह-सम्वास-धर्मः)
पज्चधा तु भवेत् कार्य वैश्यस्वं भरतर्षभ । तयोरपत्ये वक्ष्यामि विभागं च जनाधिप
pañcadhā tu bhavet kārya vaiśyasvaṃ bharatarṣabha | tayor apatye vakṣyāmi vibhāgaṃ ca janādhipa ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Ô taureau parmi les Bharata, les devoirs et les fonctions du Vaiśya doivent être ordonnés en cinq divisions distinctes. Et au sujet de leur descendance aussi, ô roi, j’exposerai la juste classification et la répartition convenable.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhīṣma frames Vaiśya-dharma as a structured, fivefold set of prescribed duties, emphasizing that social responsibilities should be clearly defined and ethically ordered; he also signals that rules concerning progeny and their proper classification will be explained to maintain dharmic stability.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma continues advising the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) on dharma. Here he transitions into a systematic description of the Vaiśya’s duties, announcing a five-part division and indicating a forthcoming discussion on offspring and their categorization.