Shloka 4
च्यवन-कुशिक-संवादः
Cyavana–Kuśika Dialogue on Hospitality, Service, and Lineage Questions
पतितस्य तु भार्याया भर्त्रा सुसमवेतया । तथा दत्तकृतौ पुत्रावध्यूदक्ष तथापर:
patitasya tu bhāryāyā bhartṛā susamavetayā | tathā dattakṛtau putrāv adhyūdakṣa tathāparaḥ ||
भीष्म ने कहा—यदि पुरुष पतित हो, पर उसकी पत्नी अपने पति के साथ विधिपूर्वक संयुक्त रहे, तो दत्तक/नियुक्ति से उत्पन्न तथा अन्य प्रकार से प्राप्त पुत्र भी, अन्य स्वीकृत प्रसंगों की भाँति, उदक-तर्पण आदि कृत्यों के अधिकारी माने जाते हैं।
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse addresses dharma concerning family and ritual continuity: even when the husband is ‘patita’ (fallen), if the marital union is duly maintained, sons recognized through accepted means (including adoption/authorized arrangements) remain qualified for essential ancestral rites such as the udaka-offering.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma is instructing Yudhiṣṭhira on dharmaśāstric norms. Here he clarifies the status of sons and their ritual eligibility in a household where the husband is considered fallen, emphasizing lawful marital association and recognized forms of sonship.