Shloka 59

Cyavana’s Water-Vow and the Ethics of Cohabitation (स्नेह-सम्वास-धर्मः)

Devanagari script

समवर्णासु जातानां विशेषो<स्त्यपरो नृप । विवाहवैशिष्ट्यकृत: पूर्वपूर्वो विशिष्यते

Transliteration

samavarṇāsu jātānāṁ viśeṣo 'sty aparo nṛpa | vivāhavaśiṣṭyakṛtaḥ pūrvapūrvo viśiṣyate nareśvara ||

Translation

Ô roi, même parmi les fils nés de femmes de même varṇa, il est une autre distinction à considérer. En raison du statut particulier du mariage, une gradation naît même entre eux : le fils issu de l’union antérieure est tenu pour supérieur, et celui né d’une union ultérieure est tenu pour cadet.

Word by Word

• समवर्णासु: among women of the same varna
• समवर्णासु: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: समवर्णा
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Plural

• जातानाम्: of those born (sons)
• जातानाम्: Sambandha
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जात
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• विशेषः: a distinction, special status
• विशेषः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशेष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अस्ति: is/exists
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular

• अपरः: another, further
• अपरः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• विवाहवैशिष्ट्यकृतः: caused by the special status of the marriage
• विवाहवैशिष्ट्यकृतः: Hetu
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विवाह-वैशिष्ट्य-कृत
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• पूर्वपूर्वः: each earlier one (the one from the earlier marriage)
• पूर्वपूर्वः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्वपूर्व
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• विशिष्यते: is distinguished/excels
• Type: Verb
• Root: विशिष्
• Form: Present, Third, Singular, Atmanepada

• नरेश्वर: O lord of men (king)
• नरेश्वर: Sambodhana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरेश्वर
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

भीष्म उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhishma
• King (addressed as nṛpa/nareśvara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when mothers are of the same varṇa, Bhishma states that the social-legal standing of sons can differ based on the precedence and recognized status of the marriages: the son of the earlier marriage is treated as senior/superior, and the son of a later marriage as junior.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Bhishma’s instruction on dharma to the king, he is clarifying rules of familial and social precedence—how lineage ranking among sons is determined not only by varṇa but also by the order and distinct status of marriages.