Arthashastra 3.7.23: Dharmasthiya, Adhyaya 7, Sutra 23
Devanagari script
शूद्र एव वैश्यस्य ॥
Transliteration
śūdra eva vaiśyasya
Translation
वैश्य के केस में क्लियर है। अगर उसकी वाइफ शूद्र है, तो बेटा भी शूद्र ही माना जाता है।
Word by Word
शूद्रःa Śūdra (member of the Śūdra class)
शूद्रः:
TypeNoun
Rootशूद्र
Formपुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-एकवचन
In statecraftशूद्र-वर्णः (न्यूनवर्णः; दास/कर्मकार-वर्गः)
एवonly; indeed; precisely
एव:
TypeParticle
Rootएव
Formनिपात; अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (emphatic/restrictive)
वैश्यस्यof a Vaiśya (member of the Vaiśya class)
वैश्यस्य:
TypeNoun
Rootवैश्य
Formपुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-एकवचन (सम्बन्ध/अधिकार)
In statecraftवैश्य-वर्णः (कृषि-पशुपालन-वाणिज्य-वर्गः)
Sandhi Notes
- पदच्छेदः: शूद्रः + एव + वैश्यस्य
- केवलं विसर्गः (शूद्रः) पदान्ते यथावत्
Entities Mentioned
V
VaiśyaŚ
ŚūdraPrakarana (topic)
Named categories of offspring from specified unions (status/inheritance relevance)
Governance domain
Civil law; status classification; inheritance eligibility rules
Words in this sutra
- śūdraḥ eva
- a śūdra indeed/only
- vaiśyasya
- of a vaiśya (in this context: offspring classification for a vaiśya’s union with a śūdrā woman is treated as śūdra)
शूद्रवैश्यवर्ण
FAQs
It fixes the person’s legal category for applying rules on shares, obligations, and permissible roles, thereby reducing contestation in court.
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