Shloka 15
च्यवन-कुशिक-संवादः
Cyavana–Kuśika Dialogue on Hospitality, Service, and Lineage Questions
भीष्म उवाच आत्मजं पुत्रमुत्पाद्य यस्त्यजेत् कारणान्तरे । न तत्र कारणं रेत: स क्षेत्रस्वामिनो भवेत्
bhīṣma uvāca | ātmajaṃ putram utpādya yas tyajet kāraṇāntare | na tatra kāraṇaṃ retaḥ sa kṣetrasvāmino bhavet |
Bhīṣma dit : «Mon fils, si un homme engendre un fils de sa propre semence puis l’abandonne pour une autre raison, le seul fait d’avoir déposé la semence ne suffit pas, à lui seul, à fonder un droit sur l’enfant. En ce cas, le fils est tenu pour appartenir au maître du “champ” (kṣetra), c’est-à-dire à celui qui porte la responsabilité légitime de la lignée et de la maison.»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Paternity and rights over a child are not grounded merely in biological seed; they are tied to dharmic responsibility. If a begetter abandons the child, the child is deemed to belong to the lawful ‘owner of the field’ (kṣetra)—the person who holds the legitimate social and moral claim and bears the duty of care and lineage.
Bhishma is instructing on dharma concerning offspring and legitimacy. He states a rule-like principle: when a man fathers a child but then relinquishes him for other reasons, he cannot claim the child solely on the basis of having provided semen; the child’s affiliation shifts to the kṣetrasvāmin, the lawful holder of the procreative ‘field’ and household responsibility.