Shloka 3
च्यवन-कुशिक-संवादः
Cyavana–Kuśika Dialogue on Hospitality, Service, and Lineage Questions
भीष्म उवाच आत्मा पुत्रश्न विज्ञेयस्तस्यानन्तरजश्न यः । निरुक्तजश्न विज्ञेय: सुत: प्रसृतजस्तथा
bhīṣma uvāca ātmā putraḥ vijñeyaḥ tasyānantara-jaḥ yaḥ | nirukta-jaḥ vijñeyaḥ sutaḥ prasṛta-jaḥ tathā ||
Bhīṣma dit : «Qu’on tienne pour son propre soi le fils dit ‘anantaraja’ : né sans l’intervention d’un tiers, c’est-à-dire engendré uniquement par la semence du mari. Il est un autre fils nommé ‘niruktaja’, et de même celui qu’on appelle ‘prasṛtaja’. (Ces deux derniers sont présentés comme des sous-types au sein de la catégorie plus vaste des fils kṣetrajā.)»
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhishma outlines a dharma-based taxonomy of sons, emphasizing that the ‘anantaraja’ (aurasa) son—born solely from the husband’s seed without third-party involvement—should be regarded as one’s own self, while also acknowledging other recognized categories (niruktaja, prasritaja) within discussions of lineage and legal-ethical status.
In Anushasana Parva’s instructional setting, Bhishma is teaching norms of dharma concerning family and progeny, defining and ranking types of sons used in traditional legal-ethical discourse about lineage, rights, and social recognition.